BELLINGHAM, Wash. — On Saturday afternoon, the Western Washington University softball team took the field not just for another game, but for a cause close to home.

Led by sophomore pitcher Alli Kimball, the Vikings hosted their first-ever Autism Awareness Game as they faced Montana State University Billings. For Kimball, the day went far beyond athletics — it was about honoring her older brother Joey, who is on the autism spectrum and is one of the team's most dedicated fans.

"To me personally, it means the world," said Kimball. "My brother is one of the closest people to me and just being able to have a game in support of him, in support of his friends, and in support of people all around the world that also have autism — it's huge."

The event was the result of conversations between Kimball, her family, and WWU Softball's coaching staff. With full support from her teammates, the idea quickly came to life.

"Autism awareness is something that's always been really important to me," said Kimball. "Specifically, just because my older brother Joey does have autism and it's something that my family spreads a lot of awareness for. My family and I were able to talk to Coach, and I think that everybody on the team kind of has this common understanding of wanting to raise awareness for autism."

To mark the occasion, the Vikings wore custom-designed Autism Awareness jerseys donated by the Kimball family. The uniforms featured colorful puzzle pieces — the recognized symbol for autism awareness — and an inspiring message on the back, "Our differences are our strengths."

Adding to the exciting nature of the day, as the Vikings got ready to take on MSUB after Friday's 2nd game 2-0 loss, Kimball's brother Joey threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Both teams stood on opposite baselines and cheered as Joey threw to his sister Alli. 

Joey has been excited for the past 5 months, said Joe Kimball, the siblings' father.  "As soon as we talked about it with Sheryl, he's been talking about it non-stop to his friends and to our clients"

Attending as many games as possible, Joey stands as one of WWU Softball's biggest supporters.

"He's the loudest person out there," said Alli Kimball. "He's always cheering for everybody — he's cheering for the other team sometimes. He just loves being there and loves the environment."

Kimball hopes the game helped fans walk away with a greater understanding of what autism is and why awareness matters.

"Autism is something that many people have around the world, and it shouldn't be shunned against or looked down on," said Kimball. "The biggest thing for me is that people with autism — it's different, not less. I just want people to understand that they're human too, and they have such great characteristics to them."

She also pointed to a few resources and events that help promote inclusion and education.

"The number one would probably be Autism Speaks, which is where I've learned a lot about autism," said Kimball. "Also my family, because their business is a really big advocate for autism awareness. And another thing — this is more of an event — is A Night to Shine. It's a prom every year for people with special needs. My brother goes every year. It's a big opportunity for people to be a mentor to a student with special needs."

For the Vikings, Saturday's game was more than just softball — it was a celebration of differences and community.