When a young baseball fan gets the chance to hang out with professional athletes, you’d think it’s the boy who’s thankful for an opportunity to meet the players.
But if you ask the State College Spikes, they’ll tell you that Josiah Viera has done more for them than they could ever do for him.
Viera is an 11-year-old who was diagnosed with progeria shortly after birth. The rare genetic disorder causes symptoms that resemble aging. The average life expectancy for a child with progeria is about 13 years although some live several years longer.
But Viera is making the most of his time, enjoying the things he loves most in the world. His passion has always been baseball, which he picked up in 2010 when two neighbors came by to play with him.
“They did a little bit of tee ball with him and he just kind of fell in love with the game,” says Dave Bohner, Viera’s grandfather. “They asked one of the coaches if Josiah could go play a game with them, and they were very reluctant to let him play. They eventually let him play one game and that’s how he fell in love with it.”
What was supposed to be just one game of Little League baseball turned into two and three and four. Viera picked up on the sport quickly. Bohner says his brain is like a computer when it comes to the sport, and he understands it very well for his age. While the progeria has rendered him small and weak, Viera is the complete opposite of that mentally.
“Everybody kind of fell in love with Josiah and his spirit and tenacity,” Bohner says of his interactions with the Spikes. “It’s kind of surreal — everything that’s happened — to realize the impact he’s had on players.”
Bohner says Viera is brutally honest with the Spikes players. In one instance, a pitcher went through a bad inning. When he went back to the dugout, the pitcher got in an argument with a manager and yelled at him.
“Josiah goes up to him, slaps him on the leg, and says, ‘Darren, suck it up,’” Bohner recounts, laughing as he discusses his grandson’s antics.
Viera’s relationship with the team dates back to the 2013 season, when he joined the Spikes as part of the Children’s Miracle Network.
“Josiah has been a tremendous inspiration to not only our players, but also our fans and to us here in the front office for the past two seasons,” Spikes media relations manager Joe Putnam says. “He struck up an immediate friendship with the entire team, and has been a nearly constant presence during weekend and some weekday home games since then.”
His presence isn’t just as a fan, but as a member of the team. Viera has a locker in the clubhouse and his own personalized jersey. He often serves as an honorary bench coach with the team, offering the manager advice on his lineup and other baseball decisions.
Thanks to his connection with the Spikes, who are a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, Viera had a chance to visit the major league team. He met star players including Adam Wainwright and Matt Holliday. After a week with the team, Bohner spoke with Cardinals manager Mike Matheny.
“I thanked him for letting Josiah be here,” Bohner says, “but he said, ‘No. Thank you. They love this guy here. We’ve been following him and he’s an important and integral part of this organization.’”
At the St. Louis Baseball Writers Association of America’s annual banquet in January, Viera was given the Harry Mitauer Good Guy Award along with former Spikes manager Oliver Marmol for providing inspiration through his battle with progeria.
The honors for Viera don’t stop there. On Friday, which is Opening Night for the State College Spikes as they face Williamsport at 7:05 p.m., Viera will take to the mound for the ceremonial first pitch. He will also serve as the team’s honorary bench coach, which has become a regular occurrence — though he and his grandfather leave the dugout for cheese fries in the third inning of every game.
“Everyone who has come in contact with Josiah leaves with a smile, no matter how young or old, whether player, coach, staff member, or fan,” Putnam says. “His personality is infectious, and we are truly blessed to have him on our team and in our lives.”
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