Gus Kimbrough, a 13-year-old Bryan native and great-grandson of Aggie legend John Kimbrough, was added to the Texas A&M baseball team as an honorary member on Monday.
Gus, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of seven, will be joining the team for games and practices throughout the 2019 season. The signing was made possible by Team IMPACT, a nonprofit that works to better the lives of children fighting severe illnesses by connecting them with college teams.
Gus’s mother, Alissa Kimbrough, said she learned about Team IMPACT through a Facebook page for mothers who have children with Type 1 diabetes. Alissa said she knew the Kimbroughs and Team IMPACT were a good match after a few emails, and the A&M baseball team jumped at the chance to bring Gus on board.
“It kind of makes your heart melt as a mom,” Alissa said. “Knowing that there is a team that has such good values and that I hold in very high regard to take in your kid and just say, ‘hey, he’s going to be part of us; he’s going to be one of us’ and just take on all of his unique challenges.”
A&M head coach Rob Childress said the Aggies are excited to have Gus join them this season because of the effect he will have on the program.
“We’re honored to be a part of Team IMPACT and partner with them and have a young man like Gus Kimbrough in our program,” Childress said. “He’s got the opportunity to be impactful to our guys … and our 35 guys have an opportunity to make an impact in a young man’s life.”
Senior infielder Chandler Morris said he could already see the impact Gus will have on the team.
“He’s going to be our thermometer; he’s going to be the bar we’re trying to get to every day in terms of energy, in terms of motivation,” Morris said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun to have him around day in and day out, games and practices alike.”
Childress said having Gus around raises the bar for the players and reminds them that their influence on the community is about more than baseball.
“Our goal is to win each and every game, but if we got an opportunity to impact a young person’s life, then we’ve won,” Childress said.
The Aggies will kick off the 2019 season on Friday with the first game of a three-game series against Fordham at Blue Bell Park.