May 1, 2023

By Melissa Verge

Canadian Baseball Network

Crack.

It’s the sweet sound of the bat as it connects with the ball.

William Lansley smashes a home run over his backyard fence into his neighbours’ yard.

“Just when I hear the sound when it goes “coom” it just feels great,” Lansley said.

Almost nothing can stop the 11-year-old from playing ball.

The wind, the rain, the walker he uses for cerebral palsy, only having one player - no problem. He adapts. He bats sitting down in his walker, and in situations where he’s short on players for his backyard baseball games - which happens frequently - he does it all. He’s both team's pitchers, with his imagination helping him do the rest. It’s only when his Dad calls him in for dinner that he reluctantly wraps it up for the evening.

He’s also the umpire, he can do that. Lansley (Burlington, Ont.) has won again! As a player for both teams, there’s no losing. Until tomorrow, backyard baseball field. Even dedicated young athletes have to take a break to eat.

The love for the game that leads him outside to practice almost every day in his backyard started as a six-year-old playing with the Blue Jays Challenger Baseball program. Since then, he’s been all about the sport, both from the playing side, and as an announcer. Whether he’s watching in the stands or on TV, the 11-year-old is right there with the play-by-play.

He’s grown immensely throughout his time as a Challenger Baseball athlete in Burlington, Ont. In the beginning, he was taking it all in and learning everything he could about the sport. He’s since taken on more of a leadership role, where he helps other Challenger Baseball athletes excel at the game in a welcoming and encouraging environment.

“That’s really exciting to see the evolution of him trying to understand the game to passing on some of his knowledge to other players and really helping them out,” his dad, Chris, said. “It’s really kind of a community out there on the field.”

He’s similar to the big-league players he watches on TV in both his dedication for the game, and in setting goals for the season. He met a few of the players at the Winter Tour this year - Santiago Espinal being one of them.

“I’m friends with Espinal now!” he said.

Interactions like these continue to fuel his love for the sport. He has big plans for this year. Although house renovations have put a slight damper on his backyard practice, he knows what he needs to focus on to improve his game. He wants to work on his speed, so instead of just getting a single, “I can go like around, like actually go for doubles and stuff,” he said.

The Challenger program, with its emphasis on practicing new skills, team bonding and inclusivity has given him the confidence to continue to play and grow with the sport. Playing mainstream ball is something that he has no doubt he would be able to do, Lansley said.

“And you know what?” he pipes up as his dad, Chris, is speaking. “I think I would have the ability even with the walker, I think I would have the ability because we don't do games, but I think I would have the ability to play with other full body people and play games.”

For the past four years he’s also had his heart set on being a play-by-play announcer. As a former athlete, he’d bring a lot of valuable insight to the booth. However, although the 11-year-old is approaching the ripe old age of 12 in September, he is not ready to join Ben Wagner and retire from his playing career just yet.

He’s still got a lot more to accomplish on the diamond with his Challenger Baseball teammates, and a lot more passion to bring to the field.

It’s always been about the sweet sound for him, that ball players across all levels of the sport - including his new friend Espinal - can relate to. When you connect at the plate, there’s nothing like it.

“Hitting the baseball, when the bat meets the ball, it's just great,” he said.