UConn Baseball Team Signs 5-Year-Old Leukemia Patient

Grayson Hand has seen a few curve balls in his five years, and the UConn Huskies have seen some curve balls too.

So the young leukemia patient from Sturbridge, Massachusetts, makes a good match for the college baseball team. To formalize it, UConn coach Jim Penders gave Grayson a letter of intent Monday, “signing” him to play at UConn.

“We hope to have a very long relationship and fruitful one with Grayson as a part of our team forever, because we know that the best teammates are teammates forever,” said Penders.

He also gave Grayson a UConn shirt and hat, and the baseball team showered Grayson and his family with support. Grayson’s father said it’s something the family really needs, because – in his words – they all suffer from cancer.

"His is in his body, ours is emotional and on our shoulders,” explained Grayson’s dad, Nathan Hand. “But it is, again, as a team that we kind of work through this.”

Grayson was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia a year and a half ago. A couple UConn baseball players found the boy through Team Impact, an organization that matches college teams with children suffering from chronic illness.

Contact Us