Young LSU baseball fan fights cancer, supports Tigers heading to College World Series

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A 7-year-old boy from Covington who was diagnosed with cancer has found a source of strength through the LSU Tigers baseball team.

Caden Templet was diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma in July 2024. By December 2024, Templet rang the bell, signaling he had completed treatment and recently got his chemo port removed, according to his mother.

Thanks to Team IMPACT, a national nonprofit that matches children with chronic illnesses or disabilities with college sports teams, Templet has found joy through the LSU Tigers. Since matching with the Tigers in December 2024, Templet has become a familiar face around campus, even celebrating his 7th birthday with the baseball team.

“Caden was referred by his hospital’s child life specialist, and then we were able to work with area schools and identify a school that was appropriate and available in his area, which is how we landed on LSU Baseball,” said Senior Case Manager Lynn LaRocca.

According to LaRocca, the partnership is a two-year agreement between the collegiate team and the family to participate in the program. Templet’s mom said the pairing with the Tigers has been great for their family.

“It’s been great just having the time together, something to do together as a family. We’ve really enjoyed it, celebrating the team,” his mom said.

Templet said that being picked by the Tigers and sharing his experiences with the team makes him feel great. During game delays, Templet said he and some players played ping pong until the rain passed.

Templet attended the recent matchup against West Virginia. He shared that he ate his favorite snacks as he watched the Bayou Bengals clinch the victory, sending them to Omaha to compete in the College World Series.

The 7-year-old cheers on the Tigers as they face the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, June 14.

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