'God's timing is perfect' as St. Mary's Baseball signs local youth diagnosed with cancer

SAN ANTONIO — Buttoning up his blue No. 11 St. Mary's University Baseball jersey for the first time Tuesday evening, Jaxon Mungia glanced up toward his new Rattler teammates and flashed what has quickly become known as his trademark smile.
 
The 10-year-old's unwavering beam — a grin that somehow equally captures both the immense courage and youthful innocence that has shined through Mungia's recent cancer diagnosis — lit the room as he was welcomed as the newest member of Rattler family.
 
Working alongside nonprofit partner Team IMPACT, the St. Mary's Department of Athletics hosted an honorary signing day for Mungia, a San Antonio youth, as he was introduced as the 51st member of the 2024 Rattler Baseball team. The ceremony packed the house inside the Dickson Stadium clubhouse, where Mungia's locker and name plate were also unveiled before a crowd of nearly 70 that featured various members of the St. Mary's Athletics community and Mungia's family.
 
"God brings people into your life for a reason," St. Mary's Head Baseball Coach Frank Kellner told Mungia and the rest of the Rattlers during an emotional announcement. "God's timing is perfect. You're here at the right time for this group."
 
"What I want you to remember," Kellner added, "is you're inheriting a band of brothers. It's not just a team — these guys will be your brothers day in and day out. You and your family are part of this family. You're part of Rattler Nation for life."
 
Mungia, whom the Rattlers have gotten to know well in recent months over Zoom, was recently diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He lives with his parents, Crystal and Julian Mungia, and enjoys baseball, drawing, playing video games and loves animals.
 
While meeting his new teammates for the first time in person Tuesday, Mungia spoke of his love to "just play" baseball — especially his favorite part of the game: hitting. He even offered his veteran teammates some friendly advice nearly a week before they open the season, which begins Feb. 2 with a four-game series against Texas-Permian Basin in Odessa, Texas.
 
"Keep your eye on the ball," said Mungia, an all-around player who can pitch and hit, with a smirk.
 
For Coleman, the opportunity to partner with Team IMPACT and put Mungia in the Gold and Blue drew him back to the University's Marianist mission.
 
"I am grateful for the St. Mary's Athletics community and our Baseball program in particular, for embracing Jaxon as one of their own and lifting him and his family up," Coleman said. "The partnership with Team IMPACT will continue to reinforce the Rattler Athletics program's dedication to changing the lives of families, kids and student-athletes in the South Texas community."
 
Team IMPACT, an organization that matches children facing serious illness and disability with college sports teams, creates a long-term, life-changing experience for everyone involved. The organization provides a safe, supportive and encouraging environment for a child and their family to connect with a college athletic team and local campus community. 
 
"We are honored to be a part of Team IMPACT's mission to support children as they face extreme life challenges, and it is a clear example of the Catholic Marianist charism, where we are seeing students getting involved, connecting and giving back to the community," Coleman said. "The leadership, growth mindset, perspective-taking and sheer joy they receive from being such a big part of their young teammates' lives are unmatched."
 
As the ceremony came to a close, the Rattlers gathered around Mungia so he could break the team huddle.
 
"One, two, three — family!" they shouted together.
 
"You are going to have a wonderful time," Kellner told Mungia. "But we are the privileged ones here to be around you. You represent courage under adversity. You are an example. We talk about us being role models, but you are the role model to us.
 
"We believe that something special is going to happen this year — and you're a big reason why we believe that."
 
Starting with that unforgettable smile of his.
 
St. Mary's University, founded in 1852, is the first institution of higher learning in San Antonio and the oldest Catholic university in the Southwest. It offers 75 programs, including doctoral and law programs. Its vision, as a Catholic and Marianist liberal arts institution, is to become one of the finest private universities in the region, a gateway for graduates to professional lives as ethical leaders in Texas, the nation and the world.