Common name, uncommon bond

April 11, 2013

By Marvin Pave, Globe Correspondent

Tyler Smith , a sophomore at Massachusetts Maritime Academy from Bellingham, and 11-year-old Tyler Smith of Falmouth share a name and a special bond.

The former has twice been named to the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference honor roll, after pitching the Buccaneers to wins over Geneva College and Emerson College.

He met the younger Smith last fall when Mass. Maritime “drafted’’ him through Team IMPACT, a Quincy-based nonprofit that partners with colleges to improve the quality of life for children facing adversity.

The younger Smith, who is battling leukemia, signed his “letter of intent’’ in October at home plate on the academy’s Commodore Hendy Field in Wareham.

“Tyler’s dad’s name is Brian, who also went to Mass. Maritime, and that’s also my father’s name, so it’s quite a coincidence,’’ said the elder Tyler Smith, who was a three-sport athlete at Bellingham High.

“We stay in contact mainly through texting. He’s a huge Bruins fan and he wears uniform No. 4, which is the same number I wear. I’ve visited Tyler at his hockey practice with three of my teammates, and it was a great surprise for him.

“Knowing him has meant a lot. He was diagnosed when he was quite young, but he’s always upbeat and he has made me put life in perspective.’’

Baseball coach Bob Corradi said Smith worked on improving his arm strength in the offseason, and that preparation was evident when the team headed to Florida in February.

“I’ve really worked on my off-speed pitches and going after the batter,’’ said Smith, a Tri-Valley League all-star as both an outfielder and a pitcher.

“Tyler is an effective leader who is mature beyond his years,’’ said Corradi, “and words can’t describe the pure joy that he and everyone on our team and in our community felt in welcoming young Tyler to our family.”