With our demo fairly divided between Sun Devils and Wildcats, there’s one thing everyone can agree on right now. Everyone is cheering for Baby G.
Baby G is a little boy who has gone wildly viral, capturing national attention from Instagram feeds to major media, including the Today Show. If you’re a doom scroller, chances are you’ve paused on his face more than once.
But behind the views, the highlights, and the moment is a story that goes much deeper.
This Father’s Day, we’re spotlighting the young dad at the center of it all, Chaz McNelis, a University of Arizona baseball player living in real time the true meaning of what it takes to raise a child.
Because as his story unfolds on and off the field, one thing is clear: it takes a village.
Chaz was 19 when he found out he was going to be a father.
“It didn’t seem real,” he says. “It didn’t fully hit me until he came out. And then I was like, wow. It’s real now.”
There’s a version of this story people expect. The one where everything shifts. Where dreams get smaller.
He had that thought too, if only for a moment.
“One of my first thoughts was, I don’t want to have to quit baseball.”
But that’s not how this story unfolds.
“My mom was like, no. You can continue your dreams while also raising a kid. You’re going to have a bunch of support.”
Support became everything. Not just from family. From everywhere.
“My family has been awesome,” he says. “But it goes beyond that. It’s my teammates, my coaches, the training staff. People everywhere in Arizona and back home in Vegas. It’s been everyone.”
That word stays consistent when he talks. Everyone.
There’s also a question he gets often, especially as his story continues to grow.
Where is Baby G’s mom in all of this? Chaz is open about it. They dated in high school and are now co-parenting, focused on what is best for their son.
“We’re friends,” he says.
She remains largely behind the scenes, by choice.
“She loves it,” he says of the attention around Baby G. “She loves seeing how happy Baby G makes people. However, she personally prefers to stay more private.”
And while much of what the public sees centers around Chaz and the field, the structure behind it is shared.
Baby G lives in Las Vegas with his mom, surrounded by family, and travels back and forth to Arizona, where he steps into a completely different kind of family.
But before Arizona, before the viral video, and before Baby G became a name people recognize, Chaz had a story of his own. A story that has shaped him.
Chaz lost his father when he was just two years old. A car accident on the way home from work. His mom was pregnant with his younger brother at the time.
From that point on, everything he learned about resilience came from watching her.
“My mom could have given up, but she got up every day. She raised both of us. She never quit.”
That example shows up in the way he carries himself now: positive and unshaken.
“Life wouldn’t throw you these things if you couldn’t handle them,” he says. “I’ve always believed that.”
When Baby G was on the way, reality didn’t hit all at once. It came in layers. First the emotional weight, then the responsibility, then the unknown. And then something heavier.
Doctors discovered holes in Baby G’s heart before he was even born.
“Baby G had open heart surgery just weeks before I left for Arizona. They said he’d be in the hospital for a week, but got out in less than three days. That gave me a lot of fight.”
And yet, baseball never left. It sharpened.
At the College of Southern Nevada, everything changed for Chaz. He locked in, leaned out, and started playing at a completely different level, earning national recognition and quickly becoming one of the most sought-after transfers in the country.
But even as that momentum built, he never avoided the reality of his life. Every conversation started the same way. He told them he had a kid, and if it was a deal breaker, better to know.
However, it never was. If anything, it showed them who he was. Someone committed.
And Arizona saw that right away.
But of course, there’s a balance of being a young dad and being a young athlete.
During the week, he’s in the rhythm of baseball. Lifting, practice, everything that comes with playing at that level.
And then whenever he can, he’s a dad.
His life doesn’t look like most 20-year-olds. It’s earlier nights, different priorities, a constant shuffle that doesn’t really shut off.
“Diaper changes.”
But the way he talks about it, there’s no hesitation.
“When Baby G is in Tucson, he becomes part of everything. Breakfast at Bear Down Kitchen. Pancakes. Eggs. Yogurt. He’s a regular.”
Baby G is a part of it all. At the field before practice, taking swings, playing catch, right there with the Arizona baseball team. And that team is what changes everything, showing in real time what it really means when people say it takes a village.
“They’re his uncles. They feed him. They hold him. They cut up his fruit. They give him snacks. They teach him.”
In other words, this group of late-teen, early-20s guys show up.
“Every day is like a learning opportunity for them. To be ready to be dads one day.”
And Instagram has taken notice in a major way.
“One post got like 50,000 views. Then another got a million and a half overnight. Crazy. It’s proof people appreciate authenticity. And the strong majority are extremely supportive and have embraced it with such positivity.”
Chaz has nearly half a million followers.
A notable viral moment? Baby G’s first pitch.
“It was a packed stadium and people were so excited. He was saying hi to everyone before. He knew just what to do. When he tossed the ball, the crowd erupted. After the game, people lined up for his autograph. As a dad, it made me feel super grateful. Just seeing how much support and love we really have.”
Of course, this story is not about glorifying teen pregnancy. If anything, it’s about what happens when life doesn’t go as planned and you choose to step up instead of step back. It’s about a kid who lost his dad and is embracing the opportunity to be one. It’s about a village; family, coaches, teammates, rallying around him.
“Sure, with visibility comes noise, but you have to ignore it. You can’t let it get to you.”
Currently, Chaz is sidelined with a fractured fibula hoping to get back on the field soon.
“It’s hard. But of course I’m not surrendering my big baseball dreams.”
However, ask him who he is, and the answer does not waver.
“A dad. I never want baseball to be my identity. No matter what happens, I have Baby G.”
This Father’s Day, his story lands differently.
It's not about perfection. It's about presence. And the hope that starting young, sharing the game he loves, might one day bring them full circle.
“I want to be on the same field as him one day. Like the Griffeys.”
IG @cmcnelis41