Buddy Baseball is a five-week program for children ages 5 and up and adults with disabilities that utilizes a "buddy system." Players are paired with peer volunteers to foster connection and provide tailored support during the games. Our buddies include children of Wheaton Juniors members, local teens and adults, and sometimes friends or family of players. The program features scrimmage games with an emphasis on developing baseball skills in a supportive, inclusive environment. 

Buddy Baseball was started by the Wheaton Junior Woman's Club in 1991 with 7 players and 11 buddies.  In 2025, we welcomed 72 players and 109 buddies.

The cost for a player is $30. Buddies do not have any cost to participate. If you are in need of financial assistance to pay for a player, please complete this form: Buddy Baseball Financial Support Request

Players are children and adults with disabilities who will be playing baseball. The Buddies are volunteers who will be assisting with the games. Each player is paired up with a buddy.

Anyone is welcome to come and cheer on our teams! Grandparents, parents, siblings, and friends are all welcome to come watch.

Warm-ups start around 6:15pm. Games will start shortly after warm-ups. Teams will be split up, some teams playing in the field and some teams playing on the baseball diamond. Teams will rotate the location of where they are playing each week. Players are welcome to take a break or stop playing at any point. There is no set end time for each game. Our coaches are really great at gauging how players are doing and determining how long to play for.

There is a set of bleachers to sit on, but many people bring a camp chair &/or blankets so they can relax and enjoy the game!

One of the great benefits of the Buddy Baseball program is our ability to be flexible. Players can take a break or decide when they’re finished at any point in the game. There is no pressure to play the entire game.

Yes, we have concession stands that serve cold drinks, pizza, chips, candy, and hot dogs. Concession stands are cash only.

Yes, pavilion bathrooms are open and available throughout the game.

Yes! We raise money throughout our club year to be able to support programs like Buddy Baseball, provide scholarships to graduating high school students, and provide support to local community groups. This can be done electronically through our website, wheatonjrs.org, by choosing the individual donation link from the Sponsorship page.  You may also make a donation during Player registration, and cash donations may be made through the concession stand when open during games.

If weather conditions are too poor to play (heavy rains, lightning), we will post on social media that we are canceling the game. We will post by 4pm each game day, if the game is going to be cancelled. If games have started and the weather quickly changes, we will make a determination if it is safe to resume playing or to cancel the rest of the game. There will be no rain dates for cancelled games.