CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Corpus Christi Hooks were needing a win on Thursday to get back on track, down 2-0 in the series against Northwest Arkansas. 10-year-old Jace Clement from Calallen hoped to be the difference, while the Hooks' team made the difference for him through Make-A-Wish.
"It's definitely a like a mini dream come true for him. He's been talking about it, teasing his brothers," said Jace's father Jay Clement. "It doesn't show, but I promise you deep down inside he's having a blast."
Jace got the full tour of Whataburger Field, and a trip to the team store.
"This little mascot," Jace said. "I named him Bob the Builder 2.0."
He checked out the top views, met Hooks manager Ricky Rivera, and even got a Star Wars jersey signed by the entire Corpus Christi team, including new catcher Garret Guillemette.
"It definitely brightened our day, especially for me. Kind of quiet and then he kind of opened up a bit and started smiling," Guillemette said. "I think it's great for him to be around us, and kind of see what we do. We're big fans of Jace, and we're supporting him through his journey."
Jace's journey began when he was around 2-years-old. Diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis with respiratory symptoms, but since then he's been doing very well at Driscoll Children's Hospital.
"It's come a long way, and when he first got diagnosed you know it's such a scary disease when you see how bad it could be," Jay Clement said. "We've got to meet other families that have the same diagnosis and see where their kids are. You feel blessed to see where we are."
Jace received this behind the scenes adventure through the Make-A-Wish Texas Gulf and Louisiana Foundation.
"Just to see the kids shine, and have that hope that I'm going to get my wish it's just a wonderful blessing," said Make-A-Wish Giver Debbie Hoffmann Solis. "That an organization will spend the time and money to grant these wishes for the children."
Jace also threw out the first pitch, and stood by players for the National anthem.
"His older brothers are jealous let's just say," said Jay Clement. "They've already told him that's not fair that he gets to come do all of this and they never got to do it."
The Hooks pulled off the 4-3 win on Star Wars Night over Northwest Arkansas. The Naturals lead the series 2-1 going into Friday's game four starting at 7:05 p.m at Whataburger Field.
