LA MIRADA, Calif. --- On April 18, 2015, Biola University made history by signing the youngest player ever to its baseball program: five-year-old Colton Ribeiro. Throughout the years since his signing, Colton has left a huge impact on the men that come through Biola's baseball program.

Head coach Jay Sullenger first met Colton when Colton and Sullenger's daughter attended school together.

"When he heard about Colton's Mitochondrial Disease and how he loved baseball, Coach jumped at the opportunity to pour into him," said junior infielder Anj Bourgeois.

The team sees Colton about two times a semester, when he comes to a game or practice or when the Biola players go to hang out with him and his classmates at school. The team also participates in a Blaze Pizza fundraiser that raises funds for Mitochondrial Disease research.

"Every single fall he comes out and our coach introduces him to the new guys, because every year there's a new crop of guys that don't know who Colton is," said assistant coach Gabe Ihrig.

This year Colton came to practice and handed out green bracelets advocating for Mitochondrial Disease awareness and that's when Sullenger introduced him to the new team.

"It is very humbling to see how lucky we are to have the physical capabilities we have as college athletes. It makes us much more grateful for the gifts God has given us along with pushing us to use our platform to encourage and lift others up," said Bourgeois. "With it being so easy to get caught up on our own lives, meeting a kid like Colton reminds us all how there's a way bigger story God is putting together. Something I've heard Coach Sullenger say to his kids is 'It's not about you.' When Colton walks onto the field, it helps us to remember it's not all about us and encourages us to get outside of ourselves."

Not only does spending time with Colton give the players perspective, but he also helps them bond as a team. Ihrig sees some of the biggest impacts occur during the team's annual "Finding a Cure" hikes. The team embarks on these intense excursions at the beginning of each season, shortly after meeting Colton. Over the past three years they have hiked Mt. Baldy, Mt. San Jacinto and Mt. San Gorgonio. This year's hike took the players some fifteen hours to complete and required an enormous amount of teamwork.

Coming together in such a physically demanding way in support of something bigger than themselves is a powerful experience.

"It's a great team bonding experience grinding up a mountain with your brothers for hours on end," said Bourgeois. "It creates space for our guys to get to know each other better and prepare our mindset for the grind of the season. At the top, it's inspiring to see the sea of green clothes swarming the peak of the mountain as a physical symbol of what we are able to accomplish when we work together as a team."

The Biola baseball team will continue their relationship with the Ribeiro family for as long as Colton desires.

For more information on Mitochondrial Disease or to help the cause please visit www.umdf.org.