Titans Give Challengers a Turn at Bat

Chucky Egbert, 14 years old, with red hair and a sunny smile, mimicked the pitching motion of Cal State Fullerton junior Adam Johnson. Egbert rubbed the ball, then brought it up to his chin, rubbed it again, wound up and heaved the ball with all his might.

The ball rolled toward Johnson and Egbert clapped his hands. Egbert had made the pitch and nothing made him happier at that moment than the hug he received from Johnson.

Egbert, who is from Buena Park, is autistic and partially deaf. His father, Chuck, is the manager of the Challengers, a Little League baseball team for mentally and physically disabled kids. On Wednesday, the nationally ranked Titan baseball team gave a clinic for the Challengers. At different stations kids in wheelchairs, kids with impaired sight, kids with Down’s Syndrome listened carefully as the Fullerton players taught the bunt, showed how to bend down and field a ground ball, demonstrated how to swing through a pitch.

In return, the Challengers gave the Titans a pizza party and a sense of both happiness and thankfulness.

“You learn in one afternoon not to take anything for granted,” junior infielder David Bacani said. Bacani, who is from Los Alamitos and who had kids hanging from his arms, seemed a particular favorite. “I don’t know why,” assistant coach Rick Vanderhook said, “but the kids just love Dave.”

Last year Bacani was one of the four Fullerton players who had been arrested for throwing rocks off the top of a restaurant in South Bend, Ind., during the NCAA baseball tournament. Bacani and Johnson were among the Titans suspended for the regionals. The good news of a run to the College World Series was tempered by the bad look Bacani and Johnson had brought to the Titan program.

And we never miss reporting on the bad things college athletes do. We preach that these scholarship athletes have a duty to their school to play nice and behave impeccably. The Titans accepted their punishment last year and never complained.

Mike Yoder, the father of 10-year-old Joey, who is nicknamed “Little Hammer,” and who has Down’s Syndrome, sent an e-mail to The Times. Yoder said the Titans had come to him and asked to do this clinic. Yoder said he was impressed at how the Titans treated the Challengers when some of the Little Leaguers attended Fullerton games. Yoder said he knew how the Titans had gotten ripped for their behavior during the NCAA tournament last year and how he thought that the other side of these college kids should be publicized too.

Yoder was right.

This was not an unpleasant duty for the Titans. As they put arms around little shoulders, got down on two knees to look a chair-bound girl in the eyes, as they laughed with unabashed happiness when a boy with severe facial deformities made contact with a ball on a string, it was hard to tell who was having more fun, the Challengers or the Titans.

“Nothing is guaranteed in this life,” Bacani said while holding the hand of a little girl. “You watch these kids and realize how precious good health is. These kids don’t have it and they’re happy as can be to be out on this field playing baseball. You can’t leave here unhappy today. You just can’t.”

This season hasn’t gone totally to plan. The Titans were ranked in the top five nationally in the preseason, but have struggled to cling to a one-game lead in the Big West Conference and to hang on to a top-20 ranking.

“But you can’t stay in a bad mood around these kids,” Johnson said.

It was Vanderhook’s idea to have his team do the clinic. Some of the Challengers had come to another clinic the Titans had given. Vanderhook was impressed at how big an impression his players made on the kids. He was impressed at how many of the Challenger players would come to Titan games and cheer the Titans, win or lose.

“You know, my kids didn’t bat an eye,” Vanderhook said. “They wanted to do this. They were looking forward to this. And it’s not like they have many nights free. With games and practice and school and studying, they don’t have a lot of free time. They’ve been out on the field since 1 today and it’s 6:30 now. But look. You can tell they love it.”

George Carralejo, a junior pitcher from Buena Park, pointed to Joey Yoder. “That’s our Little Hammer,” Carralejo said. “There is no kid who is happier or more enthusiastic then Little Hammer. He comes to our games and nobody cheers harder. If it was just Little Hammer at this clinic I’d be out here for him.”

Carralejo remembers how, when he was young, he used to go to clinics at Cypress College. Just being on a big field was awe-inspiring, he said. He thought the Cypress players were the best he had ever seen. “It was the ultimate. Not that we think of ourselves that way,” Carralejo said, “but how these kids are looking at me today, that’s how I remember it was for me when I was young.”

Mike Yoder said that having his son on the field with the Titans, having Little Hammer sitting in the stands over the home dugout so close he can hear the Titan chatter, is as good as it gets. Chuck Egbert said that at first Chucky didn’t want to play baseball. But now, Egbert said, “All I have to do is show Chucky a bat and he’s practically out the door. He doesn’t talk, but he communicates. And look at him now.”

Egbert pointed to the infield where Chucky was learning to field a ground ball. “He’s communicating now.”

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Diane Pucin can be reached at her e-mail address: diane.pucin@latimes.com