FERRIDAY, La. &045; Every time Hayden Luke connects with the ball off the tee, he’s in for a race.

And he’s got tough competition. He’s racing one of his coaches to first base. If he wins, they’ll try second, then third and maybe even home to score a run.

Hayden even holds on to his coach’s shirt while running to third, perhaps an attempt to slow her down. Yet she cheers him all the way.

Hayden, who suffers from ocular albinism with astigmatism, is legally blind but can see things up close &045; like coach Debbie Wilkinson’s hand or the tee when he hits the ball. And he’s done well this spring for the Ferriday Farm Equipment White Sox in the Ferriday Dixie Youth T-ball League.

After all, he’s still a normal 4-year-old boy.

&uot;He goes by my voice,&uot; said Wilkinson, who works with special populations children with the Concordia Parish School Board. &uot;Each time we’re running we’re racing. He’s racing me to each base. He’s doing just great. We’re just so proud of him.&uot;

That’s about the only difference Hayden has from others his age in the league. He plays in the outfield with Wilkinson’s assistance and can throw the ball just as anyone else.

He’s one of the more energetic kids on the field and truly enjoys it when it’s his turn to bat, his time to run the bases or his job of throwing the ball back into the infield. He totes his bat bag with his name embroidered on it into the dugout.

&uot;He does whatever any other children do,&uot; said his mom, Charity Luke. &uot;That’s my main thing. He said he wanted to play, so we’re playing. He’s surprised us all. He’s done really well. (The condition) is something you deal with. It could always be worse &045; that’s how I deal with it.&uot;

Although he has 20-200 vision, Hayden knows all about baseball and a number of other things kids his age might not know &045; his mom says he uses words like wonderful and delicious properly in sentences &045; and will start kindergarten in the fall.

He’s not afraid of anyone and will introduce himself to strangers without hesitation &045; &uot;My name’s Hayden&uot; &045; although most T-ball parents at George Perry Field already know who he is.

&uot;We didn’t know until after practice, and the coach came to me and told me,&uot; league president Gary Hinton said. &uot;He’s hitting the ball. At first he was having trouble, but he’s hitting the ball real well now. We’re definitely proud to have him. If a kid wants to play, we’ll do whatever it takes. We’re proud to have him, glad he stuck with it and is going to finish the year.&uot;

Play ball

All this may have started because of Hayden’s first cousin, Jon-Michael Cowan, whom he looks up to and idolizes. Jon-Michael has played baseball for a couple years now in Ferriday and plays with the Ferriday Kiwanis Club Indians in the 11- and 12-year-old league.

That was enough for Hayden to start talking to his mom about it regularly. It was a first for his mom, too, since he’s the oldest of three boys. But Charity and her husband of five years, Jonathan, decided to give it a try and see how things turn out.

&uot;He said he wanted to play ball like Jon-Michael,&uot; Charity Luke said. &uot;It was (a tough decision) for me because kids can be mean and you don’t want him to be made fun of. I didn’t know how well we would do, but he’s improved. He does really well as hitting the ball off the tee.

&uot;As far as outfield, Mrs. Debbie keeps him where he’s supposed to be. He’ll catch it and throw it hard. He doesn’t have the best arm in the world, but we’re working on that.&uot;

Fortunately in T-ball, folks care little about that and more about having fun. Wilkinson usually goes to right field with him and her son, Boo, just as other coaches do in the league when their teams play defense, and they’re out there giving pointers and being supportive.

And with Hayden, coaches have no problem.

&uot;Because of the fact he’s never missed a game or a practice, that tells you right there,&uot; Wilkinson said. &uot;He’s always the first one here, always with a smile and ready to play ball. He has a lot of fun out here. Every night he is anxious to play ball. He enjoys after the game getting his nachos and Coke. But he’s great, and I’m enjoying it.&uot;

Hayden’s condition limits him to what he can see on defense, so that’s where Wilkinson and his mom help out. He can see things close up &045; like the tee with a baseball on top &045; and picked up the ball during a play Tuesday and threw it back into the infield.

Wilkinson helps him out along other coaches &045; husband Jimmy and father-in-law Linous along with Tommy McCartney and Drew Harrison.

&uot;I always made sure I didn’t want to hover over him,&uot; Charity Luke said. &uot;We wanted him to know his eyesight was not an issue. He could do anything he wanted to do. The first practice we had I let Tommy McCartney know. He takes the time with him, and he’s like that with all the kids. He’s really good with them.&uot;

Said Hinton: &uot;Debbie and her husband both do really well, and all the coaches try to help him. They help him the best way they can.&uot;

Ocular albinism

Hayden’s condition is inherited from his mom’s side of the family. Charity Luke has ocular albinism, although her case is not as severe as Hayden’s.

The condition is carried on the X chromosome, meaning males have a greater risk of suffering from it than females do. Yet females will pass it only to a first-born son.

Hayden’s younger twin brothers, Mitchell and Mason, have normal vision.

Ocular albinism affects one in every 17,000 people; the eyes lack melanin pigment although the hair and skin show signs of normal coloration. The main problem is the lack of development in the fovea, the small area of the retina which affords acute vision, according to the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation.

&uot;He is legally blind,&uot; said Hayden’s doctor, pediatric ophthalmologist Dr. Niles Mungan with University Medical Center in Jackson. &uot;He sees 20-200, which is the cutoff. He can see only the biggest letters on the eye chart. If something is big enough, you can see it far away. What a normal person sees at 200 feet, he would have to be 20 feet away.&uot;

Hayden’s eyes are a bright blue, as are his mom’s, due to the albinism. Charity’s case is milder while her brother suffers from it as well.

Even after Hayden was born, it took a while before his parents were sure and came to grips with it.

&uot;I thought that he might because it is hereditary,&uot; Charity said. &uot;For a long time I couldn’t even accept it, but we’ve come to deal with it. I was in denial. I didn’t want to accept it. I felt like it was my fault. I felt like as long as he wouldn’t see a doctor he wouldn’t have it.

&uot;We went and saw Dr. Mungan a second time, and he had him declared legally blind. We deal with it &045; we buy glasses just like we buy tennis shoes.&uot;

Charity takes Hayden to see Mungan once every six months. It’ll be something Hayden will live with, although doctors in Asia are currently experimenting with a cure for his condition.

&uot;Usually it’s pretty stable,&uot; Mungan said. &uot;It stays the same. Some albinos have developed crossed eyes. He can drive a car, but he can see well enough to make out large print with the help of magnifying glasses or a closed-circuit camera system.&uot;

As for now, Hayden has too much energy and enthusiasm to worry about what he can or can’t do and what he’ll need down the road to read. He’ll enroll in kindergarten this fall, and T-ball may just be the start of a youth filled with sports &045; noting out of the ordinary for a 4-year-old boy.

&uot;He’s going to try it,&uot; Charity said. &uot;He’ll play T-ball, and then they play coach-pitch. That’s his decision. I don’t want him to feel he has to play. Another sport he wants to play is soccer. We’re going to find out and see if we can put him on a pee-wee soccer league team. He’s very interested. He’s the normal 4-year-old.&uot;