Great Lakes Bay Miracle League ready for new season - ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MI

(03/06/13) - It hardly looks like baseball season, but in just over two months, the Anderson Complex in Bridgeport Township will be ready for another season of the Great Lakes Bay Miracle League.

"It's our third year. We're getting better every year, and we're getting bigger every year, so we can't wait for May to get here," said GLM League director Eric Rutherford.

Registration kicked off Wednesday morning. The cost is $35. The league is open to anyone ages five and up with special needs.

"We are open to anyone in the Great Lakes Bay Region and beyond. Saginaw, Bay, Midland, Genesee, into the Thumb, up north. If you know about the league, you're more than welcome to come in and play," Rutherford said.

Last year, 65 kids participated. Besides recruiting new players, Rutherford and his staff are also out looking for more game day volunteers.

"We match our players up with an able-bodied buddy. It's one to one. We've had a lot of great support from Saginaw Valley, Central Michigan, we've had the Heritage hockey team," Rutherford said.

Just in time for the new season comes a major financial boost. SVSU students donated more than $33,000, which was raised through their Battle of the Valleys competition against Grand Valley State.

"We'll be utilizing some of that money for our scholarship program so anyone that has a financial need, we'll be able to work with them so they're able to play. We'll also be adding tennis and we'll expand into bowling," Rutherford said.

Also new for this season, a major upgrade to the baseball facility at the Anderson Complex, which was originally built for around $1.25 million.

"Through some other grant money, we were able to build a beautiful pavilion. It's 26 by 32 and will be decked out with picnic tables. It just really adds a nice element to the stadium,"  Rutherford said.