Josh Pope and his Parkland High School boys lacrosse teammates are the epitome of athletes hitting their peak.

Under Coach Brad Schifko, the team made it to the District 11 semifinals.

For one Sunday afternoon, on May 19, the team took time out of their busy schedule to help those playing in their own big game in a volunteer day at the Miracle League of the Lehigh Valley, in Heidelberg Township.

"The kids definitely teach us to be better people, and you learn lessons like to be patient with all the kids, and you definitely don't take anything for granted after seeing what some of these kids have to deal with on a daily basis," Pope said.

The Miracle League of the Lehigh Valley, founded in 2006, "serves a growing population of young people with various special needs and developmental disabilities," according to a league pamphlet.

The league provides young people of all ages the chance to put on a uniform, grab their bats and gloves, and play a game of baseball.

"It's tremendous just to see these kids and how excited they are to play, and to have people come and show an interest and be here for them, I think it is fantastic," Schifko said.

Angela Pope, Josh's mom, first proposed the volunteer day.

The Pope family has volunteered at the Miracle League for years, and Angela thought it would be a great opportunity for the lacrosse program to give back to the community.

"They [the team] don't normally get together as a whole group to do anything besides lacrosse, so when they do get together on something fun like this, it allows all the egos to be checked at the door," Angela Pope said. "By helping with kids like this, I think it allows them entry into a world they don't normally think about."

The world the Parkland players entered was full of endless smiles.

Miracle League players delighted parents, Parkland players, coaches and fans alike throughout the afternoon games.

Games took place at noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.

The first two were minor league games for players under age 15. The final major league game was for players 15 and up.

"[There's] no age limit. We don't deny anybody," Andy Squire, assistant director and volunteer coordinator of the league, said. "If they want to play baseball, we welcome them."

One player, Luke Indelicato, 10, who has spina bifida, played for the Detroit Tigers. All the players are placed on teams named after major league organizations.

Luke said he loved playing at the Miracle League, and especially enjoyed the combination of "baseball and food."

His father, Charlie, has accompanied his son as a coach for the past five years.

As a coach, his main job is to maintain the line-up, help players with batting assistance when needed, and most importantly, make sure everyone is having a good time.

Winning is not a factor, because in this league, everyone wins.

"It's been five years. I actually coach two teams now, and since there are no strikes, and there are no outs, and every kid gets to hit, and every kid scores, my record is 0-0-437," Charlie Indelicato said, with a chuckle.

The league runs on the strength of its volunteers such as Charlie Indelicato and the Parkland lacrosse team.

Along with the various jobs, such as manning the concessions stand, announcing the players' names and working the scoreboard, "Angels" serve a primary role in the league's success.

Angels are volunteers who are teamed up with a player with special needs or a developmental disability.

The Angels run the bases with the players, provide batting assistance, if needed, throw around in the outfield with them, and more.

"Without the Angels we couldn't do this because there are some 200 kids, and every kid gets an Angel," Indelicato said. "So that means we need 200 volunteers each week.

"Without support of individuals and teams like Parkland lacrosse, we couldn't do this."

Parkland's lacrosse team may have arrived at the field to serve as Angels, but they left with an extra reward at the end of the day: a smile.

"Not only do you help them, but they definitely teach you something too," Josh Pope said.

"If you've never seen a game, just come and watch out here and you'll see a child who…could not compete in Little League or any of the other pick-up games in the park," Charlie Indelicato said. "And, when he connects with the bat and he starts running, you'll see the smile on his face.

"No matter what kind of day you had, you're going to smile at that, too."

For more information about the Miracle League of the Lehigh Valley, contact Melissa Borland at melissa@miracleleaguelv.org or Andy Squire at andy@miracleleaguelv.org.