VIDALIA — The Vidalia Girls Softball League’s new Challenger Division is still looking for players.

Brent Smith, who’s helping to organize the league, said there are at least 14 players currently signed up, but he’d like to get at least 20 people registered.

The Challenger Division is geared toward boys and girls ages 4 to 22 that are either physically or mentally handicapped. Smith said he was going to try and call the parents whose children had signed up Wednesday night to see if they knew anyone else that wanted to participate.

“Hopefully we can get started pretty soon,” Smith said. “We needed 20 to have two teams of 10, but I spoke to the Little League Headquarters in Williamsport, Pa., and they said if you have about eight on a team, that’d be perfect.”

Since there are usually helpers on the field along with the athletes, Smith said teams with less than 10 players might be advantageous in some instances.

After initially announcing the formation of the Challenger Division, Smith said there was a lot of positive feedback in the community.

“I don’t know if some of them forgot to send in their registration form or whether it got lost,” Smith said. “We had parents volunteering to put it on Facebook and help spread the word. We were also hoping to get ahold of someone from the Special Olympics.”

The Challenger Division would offer local handicapped youth a chance to play a sport that everyone should be able to enjoy, Smith said.

“It gives them something to look forward to, going out to the ball park and playing with the kids,” Smith said.

“If the kids from Special Olympics participated, they’d probably already know each other, and the families would know their families. Let’s get out and play ball, get hot dogs after the game and give out trophies after the season.”

Smith also said, after talking to the Little League Headquarters, that there’s a chance the league could be selected to participate in the next Little League World Series.

“They’d be able to represent Natchez, Vidalia or wherever they’re from,” Smith said. “That’s not set in stone, though.”

For more information or to register, contact Smith at 318-481-3073 or Greg Young at 601-807-6003.