Sunday’s Indianapolis Star carried an inspiring story about 6-year-old Owen Mahan of Pittsboro and his special relationship with the UIndy baseball team.

Owen suffered severe burns at age 2, and life is a daily struggle for him and the adoptive parents who work valiantly to give him a normal childhood. Earlier this year, the young baseball fan was introduced to Coach Gary Vaught‘s Greyhounds, who had him sign a letter of intent to join the team and presented him with his own UIndy jersey, No. 1, which he wears in the dugout during games.

The boy’s presence has become a huge inspiration to the team over the course of the season, and brought a new perspective on life to players such as sophomore second baseman Anthony Asalon, a Criminal Justice major from Cincinnati.

“It’s hard to be down on yourself when you see the way a kid that doesn’t have what you have lives,” Asalon told The Star. “Everyone wants to be a champion. But when it comes down to it, every day that I can get out there and play is a success. … It makes me feel like I’m not just playing for a national championship. I’m playing for a little boy to have a good day, to have a good time … to smile.”

Owen’s family connected with the Hounds through Team IMPACT, whose slogan is “Matching courageous kids with college athletic teams.” This was the first Midwest placement for the Massachusetts-based organization.

Read the Star story and see more photos here.

Read about and watch a video of Owen’s signing with the Greyhounds here.

Read the team’s blog about Owen here.

The third-seeded Greyhounds (29-21, 23-12 GLVC) face Lewis at noon Thursday in Evansville in the opening round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament. Learn more at the Athletics Website.