Being different is nothing new for five-year-old Jordan Marotta.

Marotta was born with symbrachydactyly, a congenital condition which causes a child to be born with short or webbed fingers. In Marotta’s case, he was born with no fingers on his left hand. His family calls this his “nubby.” 

Despite his one hand and a decade age gap, Marotta’s maturity and personality has allowed him to bond with the Stony Brook baseball team. After months of tagging along at practices and forming friendships with the players, Marotta was officially signed as a Seawolf in late January.

“We are so lucky to have him around,” head coach Matt Senk said in an interview with The Statesman. “We love having him around and I think he really enjoys being around the guys.”

The Marotta family — who are Long Island natives — were paired with Stony Brook through a partnership with Team IMPACT, a non-profit company designed to link children with disabilities and college sports teams. 

“I have some friends that were involved with Team IMPACT,” Ashley Marotta — Marotta’s mom — said. “I didn’t even know what it was so I looked it up and it is this great, amazing non-profit based out of Boston. What they do is they match children who have either visible or invisible differences like Jordan. They find kids who maybe feel like they don’t fit in or aren’t part of a team and match those kids up with a local college sports team.”

For the Marottas, the signing was anything but purely symbolic.

“These kids become fully embraced in the program,” Ashley Marotta said. “They’re part of the team, they’re contracted by the team and they truly feel like they are a member of that given team.”

While the contract provided by Team IMPACT lasts a maximum of two years, Ashley Marotta believes that her son has created a bond with the Seawolves that will last beyond 2026.

“This is his one-and-done with Stony Brook,” Ashley Marotta said. “But to be honest, these kids have been so amazing that I can definitely see a future beyond the contract of Team IMPACT. They sort of plant the seed and make it official but I can see this being more of a long-term, life-changing experience for everyone.”

From Stony Brook’s perspective, signing Marotta was an easy decision for the Seawolves.

“We said, ‘Yes,’ right away,” Senk said. “It was a no-brainer as far as setting this up.”

Marotta and Senk first met on Oct. 23, 2024 at a fall practice, and the two have formed a strong bond in the ensuing months.

“He’s a smart kid and he’s full of energy,” Senk said. “He loves baseball and is super personable and outgoing. He was a little shy at first, as is every five-year-old, but once he got comfortable around us, he has grown to really like being around the guys.”

As far as his connection with the players, the team named four ambassadors to help acclimate Marotta with the program: shortstop Matt Miceli and pitchers Eddie Smink, Matt Canizares and Erik Paulsen. Paulsen especially has formed a special bond with his newest teammate.

“He is an extra big brother,” Marotta said. “He makes me feel happy and part of the team.”

The relationship between the two goes both ways.

“Jordan is such a sweet kid and lightens up every room he walks into by creating a fun and positive environment,” Paulsen said in an interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “He is an inspiration due to his courage and determination throughout his journey. We are all looking forward to making memories with Jordan that will last a lifetime.”

The Seawolves have not just welcomed Marotta, but embraced the entire family, as they invited Marotta and his eight-year-old brother, Jacob Marotta, to the team’s Bat Blast event in the fall.

“They are very welcoming,” Jacob Marotta said. “They make my brother feel so happy and it’s so amazing that my brother gets to do this.”

In May 2024, the Marotta family added an interesting wrinkle to the story with what Ashley Marotta called Marotta’s “glorified toy.” With the help of Open Bionics, Marotta became the youngest-ever recipient of a bionic hand that he got customized to mimic his favorite superhero: Iron Man. 

According to the company’s website, the bionic technology is “suitable for adults and children as young as eight.” Nonetheless, Marotta was finally able to gain a second set of fingers on May 22, 2024.

“It’s cool,” Marotta said. “I like when I use it to play and it helps me hold things.”

Even though Marotta has a literal superhero arm at his disposal, it is seldom used. He recently picked up tee-ball and soccer, but does not use his additional hand in game action.

“It would slow him down,” Ashley Marotta said. “He has to really think about how to open and close it, so he’s faster and better off without it when it comes to sports.”

In his time on the diamond, Marotta has adopted a unique style of throwing, using the same hand to both throw and catch. Naturally, Marotta is a righty and after catching the ball in a right-handed mitt he flips the glove under his “nubby,” and then proceeds to throw with that same right hand. 

“We had him out at an intrasquad game in the fall and in between innings I would say to him, ‘C’mon, get your glove,’” Senk said. “So he’d pick up the glove, go to throw and do the Jim Abbott.” 

Abbott — like Marotta — was born without a hand and still managed to pitch 10 years in the big leagues, even throwing a no-hitter while pitching for the Yankees in 1993. Whereas Abbott spent two years of his career in the Bronx, Marotta’s affinity lies across town, as he roots for the Mets. He looks up to his two favorite players: shortstop Francisco Lindor and first baseman Pete Alonso.

As Marotta has gotten an incredible chance to be a part of a special connection, Senk believes that their relationship is symbiotic.

“I thought that this would be a great opportunity for our players,” Senk said. “Sometimes 18 to 23 year-olds need a little perspective on some things and he’s got our guys thinking about how lucky they have it, and really we are so incredibly lucky to have him.” 

The big day came on Jan. 23. 

To Marotta’s complete surprise, he opened the door of a conference room in the Stony Brook Athletics building to find his teammates seated and chanting his name as he walked in. He then met Senk at the front of the room, where he signed his letter of intent, officially making him a Seawolf. 

Part of the ceremony included Marotta receiving his own Stony Brook jersey, which dons the number 16, a nod to his birthday.

“It was really special,” Senk said. “The whole evening did not disappoint. He got to experience what all of our guys experience when they sign with us in high school, so to have that little ceremony for him was really exciting.”

Throughout the night, the smile on Marotta’s face remained, which ultimately extended to his parents. 

“Like every kid, he cries when he gets on the school bus,” Ashley Marotta said. “So to see that smile, the confidence and the way he felt like he was on top of the world that night when he walked into a room of college kids cheering his name, the only word that comes to mind is priceless.”

Marotta’s father, Josh Marotta, spoke to the level of comfort and camaraderie that Marotta displays whenever he is around his team. 

 “The way he acts around the Stony Brook baseball team is the way he acts around his brothers or me and Ashley,” Josh Marotta said. “Oftentimes he gets put into situations where he knows that he has to push himself. He knows that people are going to look at him, but he doesn’t feel that way [with Stony Brook].”

After the ceremony, Marotta was given the chance to deliver the game ball to the referees at the start of the Stony Brook men’s basketball team’s game against Campbell.

“He just walked onto the basketball court without me and Josh,” Ashley Marotta said. “He just walked out there like he owned the place with a smile on his face. He just exudes this confidence that is so wonderful.”

For Marotta, his high-tech Iron Man-themed gadget often steals the show. However, for the Marottas, the story is that of the team.

“It’s not about [the arm],” Josh Marotta said. “This is about how a team of college athletes came together to embrace a child that is going through something and I think that is really special.”