Riley's Winning Catch – Good Character Prevails

Riley's Winning Catch
154 Pages
ISBN 978-1-950794-00-3

Riley is a typical thirteen-year-old girl. She loves reading, singing, and sports, but her favorite thing in the world is softball. She loves everything about softball, from watching games on TV to dreaming of being on the local girls' recreational team. But Riley has never played softball. The closest she's gotten is catching a tennis ball with her dad once in a while.

And there's another thing keeping Riley from pursuing her dreams: she's afraid of being rejected by her teammates and the coaches, because Riley has Down syndrome. That means she's a little different from other teenage girls. It's sometimes difficult to understand her when she speaks, and her coordination and demeanor isn't quite like the others.

Still, unbeknownst to her parents, Riley has been watching the local girls' team practice and play games for the last two seasons, and one day, the head coach encourages Riley to join the practice and soon the team. The coach instills good character values in her team, along with some excellent softball skills. That's when Riley learns of the Miracle League for special needs children, and it's like all her dreams have come true.

Doug Coates

About Doug Coates (Cincinnati, Ohio Author)

Doug Coates

Riley's Winning Catch; Good Character Prevails is the author's second book promoting character education to youth. Riley wants to belong on a girls' softball team but is afraid of rejection and teasing. Her skills aren't the same as other girls. Riley has Down syndrome.

The author's first book, Pitching for Success: Character Lessons, the Joe Nuxhall Way discusses the importance of excellent character and sportsmanship nestled in a story about a little league pitcher. He enjoys giving character presentations to elementary children in the classroom and baseball/softball teams.

The author lives in Hamilton, Ohio, Joe Nuxhall's hometown. He is a current board member and past Treasurer of the Joe Nuxhall Miracle League. The author has brought into each book his experiences as both a baseball and softball coach for over twenty years. Besides writing, he enjoys watching baseball, softball, collegiate, and pro football. The author loves researching ancestry and family histories.

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