Trojans get a real winner
Hunter Linam was the center of attention Monday.
Linam, 9, signed a baseball national letter of intent with UALR in front of an auditorium packed with classmates at William Jefferson Clinton Elementary Magnet School in Little Rock on Monday.
“It was pretty intense, but it was also really exciting,” Linam said in a news release from UALR. “It’s a really good feeling to finally be on a baseball team again. I’ve wanted to be part of the team since I was 4.”
Linam’s signing was facilitated by Team IMPACT, whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses. Linam was diagnosed in September 2014 with pre-B cell acute lymphocytic leukemia, one of the most common types of blood cancers for children today.
“It was an awesome event,” UALR Coach Chris Curry said in a news release. “What a champion Hunter is for what he’s going through, and he’s a real inspiration. Hunter is destined to be a big leaguer in my mind.”
Team IMPACT children are drafted onto college athletic teams, local to where they live, and to the greatest extent possible, become a member of the team from signing day through graduation.
Linam threw out the opening pitch at UALR’s Fall and Alumni Day in early October.
Curry said the Trojans will adopt him as their youngest player.
“He’ll show up to practice, and we’ll have ice cream parties with him and friends,” Curry said. “Maybe he’ll ride the bus with us on a game that’s close by. Basically, we want him to plug in with our guys and make sure they know how important and how much of a member of the family he is.”
Established in 2011, Team IMPACT has already matched over 700 children with collegiate teams at over 300 institutions in 43 states, improving the quality of life of hundreds of courageous children and touching the lives of more than 20,000 student athletes.
“I hope other kids can make it through as well as they can, and I hope they have someone to support them through all of this,” Linam said. “It’s really nice to always have someone by your side.”