VICTOR, N.Y. — Luke Bocach knows that a sport like baseball doesn’t just take practice, it takes determination. He’s 14 years old and was diagnosed with spina bifida, but he doesn’t let that keep him away from the baseball field.

“I love the sport, so there’s nothing to quit,” Bocach said. “If I love, no reason to quit.

When Bocach first joined Challenger Baseball, an adaptive program for children with disabilities, he was still able to run and walk. But when he met Pierce Meck, a volunteer for the program, the Meck family quickly realized it was Luke’s love for baseball that gave him the persistence to play the game.

“We were passing by and watched the game and Luke hit the ball and started running to first base and he fell about halfway to first base,” Pierce’s mother Julie Meck said. “And we all kind of held our breath because we didn’t know what was going to happen.He proceeded to army crawl to first base, got there, got himself up, turned around and was smiling from ear to ear.”

Luke and Pierce grew a strong bond over their shared love for baseball, but as Luke’s condition worsened over the years, he became unable to run the bases. The Meck family decided a baseball wheelchair was exactly what Luke needed and they found people to make it happen.

“We put out a message on Facebook," Meck said. "I think we got $3,400 within two weeks."

Now friends and family that have cheered Luke on in life can cheer him on in his new wheelchair from the sidelines. But his biggest motivation to keep playing isn’t the support or even the game itself.

“Probably Pierce,” Bocach said. He makes the sport fun when we hang out on the field and talk and laugh.”