For 10 seasons, Madison Boatright rounded the bases for Buddy Baseball with a buddy at her side. This fall, she’ll navigate a college campus six and a half hours from home with a new set of helpers down the hall.
Madison, 19, of Wesley Chapel, has Williams syndrome. She graduated this month from Cypress Creek High and is headed to Auburn University’s Eagles Program, a two-year program for students with intellectual disabilities. Before she left, the Temple Terrace-based league sent her off with a first of its own: Madison became the inaugural winner of the Spirit of Buddy Baseball Award, a $1,000 scholarship created this year for a player.
The award grew out of a simple question.
“Lisa Boatright (Madison’s mom) asked me if we ever give scholarships to the players,” said Russ Oberbroeckling, the league’s founder and executive director. “I said that we haven’t, but we could. I made an application for her, and they filled it out. Our board of directors approved her application.”
Buddy Baseball has long offered scholarships to its buddies, the graduating high school students who help disabled players run the bases and field throws. Those awards, renamed this year the Excellence in Service Award, honor Sarah Otteson, an original buddy when the league started in 2009 and now a coach. Since 2013, the league has given $44,550 to 123 graduating seniors who played at least three seasons, Oberbroeckling said.
“We changed it this year to the Excellence in Service Award because some kids may not go to college,” he said. “They may go into the military, get a job, etc.”
War Eagle
For Madison’s parents, finding a college equipped for her needs was far more complicated — and just as rewarding.
Williams syndrome, also known as Williams-Beuren syndrome, is a rare genetic and neurodevelopmental condition marked by distinctive physical features, delayed development, cognitive challenges and cardiovascular abnormalities. Named for Dr. John Cyprian Phipps Williams, a New Zealand cardiologist who first described it in 1961, it can stunt childhood growth, and most adults with it are shorter than average. The condition occurs in one in 10,000 births, John Boatright said. Madison was 3½ months old when she was diagnosed, her parents said.
The family learned about Auburn’s Eagles Program from others who pointed them to a website called Think College.
“You can filter certain programs,” Lisa Boatright said. “There are community colleges, technical colleges, all kinds of things you can search through by state, if you want your child to live on campus. It links you directly to these programs.”
Only 11 students were accepted for the coming school year, Lisa Boatright said. The process included extensive paperwork documenting an intellectual disability, followed by a two-day interview in which Madison completed reading assessments and tasks around campus so staff could gauge how she functioned. The family visited Auburn, where Madison met students in the program, and she attended a summer camp there last year.
The Eagles Program is not a traditional, degree-seeking track but a two-year program for students with disabilities. Auburn also offers a four-year version.
“There are a lot of supports in place for her to work on living independently, because she will live in a dorm with her peers,” Lisa Boatright said. “But they also work on social and job skills. So she’s not going to college. It’s a different program. But she has access to everything the university offers that every other student would have access to. It was a great fit for her.
“It’s an amazing program. They support the children in all aspects. And as the children grow, they back off of those supports as needed.”
The Boatrights are often asked about sending Madison so far from home.
“We are concerned, but there’s no program like this that’s near us,” Lisa Boatright said. “Once you meet the people that run this program and you see all the support they have in place, it’s a game-changer because five or six years ago we never thought this was an option for her.”
Madison can do laundry and household chores, her mother said.
“A lot of our concern is the big world around her, that people take advantage,” Lisa Boatright said. “She’s never lived on her own. It’s the same for any parent sending any kid to college. It’s scary for the parent. But we just came back from orientation last week, and you have those doubts of course, can she really do this? And they said she’s exactly what they’re looking for.
“They have typical college peer students called Wings that mentor them and they offer that support. If they need to go to the grocery store there’s a Wings person they can call to take them. If they want to go to the movies a Wings person can take them.”
Fly, Eagle, fly
Madison took classes with other students with disabilities at Cypress Creek. Beyond her 10 seasons of Buddy Baseball, she spent four years in Special Olympics, competing in softball skills, basketball skills, cheerleading and weightlifting. She won the state deadlift competition this year.
She also spent four years in the Best Buddies Club at Cypress Creek and was nominated to the Friendship Ball Court — the club’s version of a homecoming court — as a junior.
At Auburn, Madison will live in a regular dorm alongside other Eagles Program students, with Wings mentors down the hall.
Described by her mother as social and happiest among friends, Madison said she’s looking forward to the experience.
“It can be a little nerve-racking at times thinking about going away, but I’m going to get used to it pretty soon,” she said.
Her mother sees familiar feelings.
“She’s very excited,” Lisa Boatright said. “Anything new can be a little scary. I remember feeling that way when I moved away to college. She has those normal feelings of being away from us and home for the first time. But she’s met all her roommates, and they spent some time together. She seemed to enjoy that a lot.
“They really want to work on the kids making their own decisions because the people that run the Eagles Program understand that she’s been in a bubble with us and we’ve made most of those decisions for her. But they offer that support. So while she can say I want to go out to dinner, that comes with time and her earning the ability to be more independent.
“They told us for the first couple of weeks they have to walk around campus with somebody, whether it’s a teacher, a Wing, until they have shown they can navigate the campus by themselves and make those decisions. They have everything in place for all these scenarios.”
Madison will also be able to join clubs, from dance to sports.
“They have requirements where they have to join a club because they don’t want them sitting in their dorm,” Lisa Boatright said. “They don’t want them to have a lot of down time. They want them out in the community and on the college campus exploring and learning things.”
As a sophomore, she can join a sorority if she chooses.
Thanks, Buddy
Much of Madison’s confidence traces to her years in Buddy Baseball and her bond with her buddy, Abby Alvarez.
“She’s always proud of herself when she hits the ball,” Lisa Boatright said. “And the camaraderie with the kids, the buddies and the coaches. It’s an amazing organization.”
Madison’s acceptance into the Eagles Program was a proud moment for Oberbroeckling, too.
“One of the greatest joys of Buddy Baseball is watching our players grow in confidence, build friendships, to be accepted and included in the community,” he said. “Madison has been an inspiration to our entire league and perfectly embodies what Buddy Baseball is all about. Seeing her become the first recipient of our Spirit of Buddy Baseball Award and continue her journey at Auburn University makes all of us incredibly proud. We are so excited for her and wish her the best of luck.”
FACT BOX
What is Buddy Baseball? A noncompetitive, recreational league in Temple Terrace, founded in 2009, that gives boys and girls with special needs (ages 8 to 22) the chance to play organized baseball in a supportive, inclusive setting. Each player is paired with a “buddy” (ages 10 to 22) who helps on and off the field. Players come from Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk and Pasco counties.
How it works: Spring and fall seasons run about seven weeks each, with one-hour games every Saturday and a 15-minute practice beforehand. Teams field six players, six or more buddies and coaches.
Where they play: Temple Terrace Family Recreation Complex, behind Lewis Elementary School, 6700 E. Whiteway Drive. A second ADA-compliant artificial-turf field opened in 2026 so all participants can play on safe, accessible surfaces.
Cost: Players with special needs, $30; buddies, $15; coaches and volunteers, free (financial assistance available).
Sign up: The Fall 2026 registration deadline is Aug. 17.
Contact: Russ Oberbroeckling, 813-416-5742, Russ@BuddyBaseball.org; buddybaseball.org