There were a few University of Iowa basketball stars who switched sports for a day as they teamed up with the Miracle League, in Marion, Iowa. The message of the Miracle League is pretty simple and it's pretty straightforward, "Every Child Deserves a Chance to Play Baseball."

Kiwanis Miracle League

The Kiwanis Miracle League had an incredible day of fun at the ballpark. This past Saturday (September 23), despite the cloudy weather, the Miracle League was able to play every game on the schedule, and there were lots of smiles going around the ballfield.

12 Saturdays a year, the Kiwanis Miracle League makes dreams come true for these special kids, who never got the chance to play baseball. This weekend, they had some pretty special guests who wanted to join in on the fun.

Iowa Hawkeyes

According to CBS Iowa, there were some Hawkeye basketball players who left the basketballs at home and grabbed their bats and gloves for a day of baseball. Senior Guard Tony Perkins, starting forward Payton Sandfort, and Senior Patrick McCaffery were all on hand to be the "buddies on the field" for the Miracle League.

Tony Perkins and Payton Sandfort both spoke to CBS Iowa and talked about giving back to the community. Tony Perkins said

We all look to always give back and always help where we can and be available to the community.

Payton Sandfort also added

There are so many fun people to be around and the smiles on their faces put a smile on our faces every time, so I thought it was a cool experience for us. We have such a big platform. It's a blast getting to interact with all sorts of different people and it was awesome.

The league commissioner is Byron Tabor he told CBS Iowa, that the kids might've had a little more fun this year.

The kids were a little more excited today than they have been in the past. They usually have a lot of fun but it added an extra dimension of fun to have the Hawks out here.

The Miracle League has not only continued to grow in the state of Iowa but also across the entire country. According to Miracle League, there are over 350 Miracle League Organizations across the country, including Puerto Rico, Canada, and the newest member in Mexico. The league serves over 450,000 children and adults with disabilities.