Nebraska Barons Wheelchair Softball Team (Adult & Junior)
2021 USA Wheelchair Softball World Series Champions 2023 Junior USA Wheelchair Softball World Series Champions
For more than two decades, the Nebraska Barons Adult & Junior teams have proudly held the distinction of being the nation’s premier and top-ranked wheelchair softball teams. The adult team boasts an impressive thirteen USA Wheelchair Softball World Series titles, while the Junior Barons have secured seven championships.
Nestled at the heart of their success is Nebraska Barons Field at AllPlay Complex, serving as the home ground for both the adult and junior wheelchair softball teams. After more than 20 years of honing their skills in parking lots, the Barons now practice and play on what is recognized as the world’s finest wheelchair softball field. This meticulously designed field enables players to unleash their full potential and elevate their wheelchair softball experience.
In the competitive arena of the USA Wheelchair Softball Association, the Barons face off against Major League Baseball-sponsored teams from prominent cities like Chicago, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Kansas City, and New York. Despite facing adversaries with greater financial support and larger populations, the Barons have triumphed by employing a Midwestern approach of unwavering dedication, meticulous preparation, teamwork, and leveraging the state-of-the-art Barons field at AllPlay Complex to clinch multiple national championships for Nebraska.
The Barons, a diverse group hailing from various professions and backgrounds, include doctors, lawyers, professors, business professionals, computer programmers, former professional baseball players, production line workers, and students. Their disabilities range from amputation and spinal cord injuries to cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and other birth defects and trauma injuries. Wheelchair softball is open to men and women of all ages, provided they have a disability affecting their mobility.
The Nebraska Barons owe much of their success to the generous sponsorship from Nebraska Adaptive Sports and AllPlay Foundation.
National Wheelchair Softball Association (NWSA) www.wheelchairsofball.org
For over 46 years, the National Wheelchair Softball Association (NWSA) has promoted and developed the game of wheelchair softball for adults with disabilities. Thousands of disabled athletes from across the country have benefited from the ability to participate in a game that is considered America’s greatest pastime. These individuals needed to develop a way of playing without the full use of their legs that would allow easy maneuverability in a wheelchair and keep the fast pace of softball. Thus was born a new game played on hard surfaces, such as a parking lot or one of the ten dedicated wheelchair softball fields through out the country, instead of the normal grassy infield, allowing players maximum speed and maneuverability, A larger 16-inch softball is used (14 inch is used in the junior division) which allows wheelchair players catch hit and thrown balls without gloves.
Founded In 1976, NWSA serves as the governing body for wheelchair softball in the United States. The game is played under the official rules of the 16-inch slow pitch softball as approved by the Amateur Softball Association of America with some exceptions geared toward the wheelchair user. Teams throughout America practice on regular basis during late spring and summer months and compete in tournaments throughout the summer. NWSA hosts a national wheelchair softball championship tournament annually, which celebrated its 38th anniversary in Minneapolis, MN at Todd Anderson Field this past August.
Today, NWSA governs over 40 teams worldwide. Many teams have sought and found allegiance and sponsorship with their Major League Baseball (MLB) team counterparts, such as the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and Tampa Bay Rays. Many wear official MLB uniforms and compete with pride under their respective professional team’s logo.
Wheelchair softball is a competitive, exciting, and challenging summer sport that enables most wheelchair users to compete. To learn more about the NWSA, browse the website at: www.wheelchairsoftball.org
Who may participate? Generally, anyone with a permanent disability to a lower extremity can play wheelchair softball. Every player needs to be “certified” to determine eligibility and level of disability. Men, women, and children are invited to play on our team.
Contact
Coach
Bruce Froendt
bfroendt@cox.net
Ph. 402-305-5020
Practice Location
ALLPLAY Sports Complex
Nebraska Barons Field
6802 Harrison Street, Omaha, Nebraska
Links
Nebraska Barons Facebook Page
USA Wheelchair Softball
USA Wheelchair Softball Web Page
Allplay Sports Complex
AllPlay Web Site