Leading up to the end of 2013, we'll be counting down the top 5 Off the Field stories of the year. The No. 1 story will be announced Monday, Dec. 30 at 3 p.m.

A seven-year-old Windsor boy with muscular dystrophy is living his dream, thanks to the University of Hartford’s baseball team.

Thomas Hastings became a Hawk when he signed his letter of intent to play baseball at the University on Saturday, Nov. 16. Thomas’s family and members of the baseball team cheered as he excitedly put on a Hawks cap and made it official. Congratulations Thomas! Watch the video of the ceremony  on YouTube. 

Team IMPACT, a non-profit that pairs children with life-threatening illnesses or life-altering chronic conditions with college athletic teams, brought Thomas and the baseball team together. To learn more about Thomas’s relationship with the players, as well as the men’s soccer team’s involvement with Team IMPACT, read this story that ran in the Hartford Courant in October.

More "Off the Field" Stories
No. 5 - Stony Brook Welcomes 10-Year Old Honorary Team Captain

No. 4 - America East Welcomes UMass Lowell