Craig Eilbacher knows a little about softball. He’s coached his daughter Ella Grace’s travel teams for years. So when a friend approached him last winter about helping coach a Special Olympics softball team in Davidson County – the Thunderhogs – Craig didn’t need a day or two to think it over. He jumped at the opportunity.

“Just a great group of kids to work with,” says Craig, professor and chair of Guilford’s Department of Sport Studies. “I can’t wait to get back at it next year.”

Last month Craig was invited by the Davidson County Civitan Club to speak about sports medicine and the importance of staffing high school athletic events with medical personnel. The club was formed 22 years ago to serve the county’s special needs population and a few of Craig’s softball players from the Thunderhogs were on hand to hear his talk, which inevitably turned to his softball team.

There are obviously a lot of differences between coaching a group of elite softball players and coaching special needs athletes. But Craig, who has been on faculty at Guilford since 2002, told Civitan members there are just as many similarities.

“They’re just as competitive and want to get better,” Craig says of the Thunderhogs. “It’s been a blast. They love being out on that field, they love being able to compete. I treat them just the same as any other team. I’m there to coach them and they want to be coached.”

The Thunderhogs practiced every Monday evening for 10 straight weeks and last month competed in the N.C. Special Olympics State Games in Charlotte. They didn’t win a game, but Craig says that’s not the point.

“They got better as players and as a team and had fun,” he says. “I can’t wait for next season.”