{"id":10196,"date":"2026-05-26T10:37:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T14:37:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.teamimpact.org\/?p=10196"},"modified":"2026-05-26T10:37:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T14:37:32","slug":"friendship-series-leading-by-example-brodyn-and-nate-akron-baseball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.teamimpact.org\/about\/blog\/friendship-series-leading-by-example-brodyn-and-nate-akron-baseball\/","title":{"rendered":"Friendship Series: Leading By Example \u2014 Brodyn and Nate, Akron Baseball"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We chose to participate in this program primarily for Brodyn to make friends with typical peers who lead with values and by great example,\u201d said Heidi, whose son, Brodyn, is matched with the Akron baseball team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNate Currah does that every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So when it came time to nominate his Teammate of the Year, Brodyn had no doubt Nate was his guy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Brodyn and Nathan, Akron Baseball\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6P2x7CJw0WQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nate and Brodyn\u2019s connection sparked pretty instantly as soon as Brodyn joined the team. What started as a new friendship turned into a heartfelt testament to the kind of leadership and values that define what it means to be a teammate. \u201cNate is just a fantastic young man, and he stood out to Brodyn among a field of other amazing young men,\u201d Heidi said. Brodyn joined the Zips when Nate was a freshman who was living away from his family in Canada for the first time. \u201cHe still had the courage to be a part of this program and to prioritize Brodyn,\u201d Heidi said, \u201ceven when he was going through his own obstacles and challenges being away from home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"857\" data-id=\"10200\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn4.jpeg?resize=800%2C857&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn4-scaled.jpeg?resize=956%2C1024&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 956w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn4-scaled.jpeg?resize=280%2C300&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn4-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C823&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn4-scaled.jpeg?resize=1434%2C1536&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1434w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn4-scaled.jpeg?resize=1911%2C2048&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1911w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn4-scaled.jpeg?w=1600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"660\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"10197\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn1.jpeg?resize=660%2C1024&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10197\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn1-scaled.jpeg?resize=660%2C1024&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 660w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn1-scaled.jpeg?resize=193%2C300&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 193w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn1-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C1192&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn1-scaled.jpeg?resize=990%2C1536&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 990w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn1-scaled.jpeg?resize=1320%2C2048&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn1-scaled.jpeg?w=1650&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1650w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn1-scaled.jpeg?w=1600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nate not only embraced Brodyn onto the team but also spearheaded so many moments of support off the baseball field. He visited Brodyn at home to celebrate his birthday, sent messages of encouragement when he wasn\u2019t feeling well, dressed up to take Brodyn trick-or-treating, and helped rally the entire Akron baseball team to volunteer for Brodyn\u2019s Challenger League baseball games. In fact, there wasn\u2019t a single fall ball game that Nate and the Zips didn\u2019t show up for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"783\" data-id=\"10202\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn6.jpeg?resize=800%2C783&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn6-scaled.jpeg?resize=1024%2C1002&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn6-scaled.jpeg?resize=300%2C294&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn6-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C751&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn6-scaled.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1503&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn6-scaled.jpeg?resize=2048%2C2004&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn6-scaled.jpeg?w=1600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn6-scaled.jpeg?w=2400&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"688\" data-id=\"10201\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn5.jpeg?resize=800%2C688&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10201\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn5-scaled.jpeg?resize=1024%2C880&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn5-scaled.jpeg?resize=300%2C258&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn5-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C660&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn5-scaled.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1320&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn5-scaled.jpeg?resize=2048%2C1760&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn5-scaled.jpeg?w=1600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn5-scaled.jpeg?w=2400&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"857\" data-id=\"10200\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn4.jpeg?resize=800%2C857&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn4-scaled.jpeg?resize=956%2C1024&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 956w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn4-scaled.jpeg?resize=280%2C300&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn4-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C823&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn4-scaled.jpeg?resize=1434%2C1536&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1434w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn4-scaled.jpeg?resize=1911%2C2048&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1911w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn4-scaled.jpeg?w=1600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Brodyn and Heidi, Nate\u2019s support has impacted more than their family. His leadership, commitment, hard work, and dedication have solidified him as a teammate, friend, and role model\u2014not only to Brodyn but to so many who know him. &nbsp;\u201cWe feel that Nate is Teammate of the Year,\u201d Heidi said, \u201cnot just for all the things he has provided Brodyn personally with his friendship, but also because of the impact he\u2019s made on so many other children as well. <strong>So many people have been impacted here in Akron by Nate and Team IMPACT and Akron baseball, and we are so grateful.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" data-id=\"10205\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn9.jpeg?resize=800%2C600&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10205\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn9-scaled.jpeg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn9-scaled.jpeg?resize=300%2C225&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn9-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C576&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn9-scaled.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn9-scaled.jpeg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn9-scaled.jpeg?w=1600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn9-scaled.jpeg?w=2400&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"460\" data-id=\"10204\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn8.jpeg?resize=800%2C460&#038;quality=89&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn8-scaled.jpeg?resize=1024%2C589&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn8-scaled.jpeg?resize=300%2C172&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn8-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C442&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn8-scaled.jpeg?resize=1536%2C883&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn8-scaled.jpeg?resize=2048%2C1178&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn8-scaled.jpeg?w=1600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.teamimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Brodyn8-scaled.jpeg?w=2400&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;We chose to participate in this program primarily for Brodyn to make friends with typical peers who lead with values and by great example,\u201d said Heidi, whose son, Brodyn, is matched with the Akron baseball team.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNate Currah does that every day.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":10203,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[33,17,18],"tags":[],"mens-teams":[],"class_list":["post-10196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-match-stories","category-success-stories","category-updates"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - 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