We Are The Champions

There is quite a bit to get to in this post.

The loyal care of our elders:

This past Sunday, Luis Castellanos preached on the subject of prayer. I was scheduled to preach, but on Thursday afternoon, it became apparent that I would struggle putting something together. Typically, by Thursday, I have an outline and an introduction started. But last week was a challenge. We (UVC Baseball) played in the state semi-finals on Tuesday afternoon, and Wednesday and Thursday found me dealing with various denominational and church-related issues. We were doing our UVC Baseball Awards Night Thursday evening, and I was buried (panicked was a better word). Not to mention that when Saturday came, we’d play at 10:30 a.m. at PK Park in Eugene, then I needed to get home to spend the evening at the Lamb Show for my youngest daughter, Bethany, who was selling her lamb for her senior year (her last 4-H lamb). When I reached out to the elders on Thursday to tell them what I was facing, I asked if anyone had a standby sermon they could preach. Luis and Dave Quilla responded, and our elders thanked me for my willingness to ask for her.

This moment is another reason why I appreciate these men. I’ve been in churches where this kind of care was absent. I’ve talked with countless pastors who do not feel supported by their elders. But I can tell you that these men are not absent nor uncaring. They are loyal friends who love, hold me accountable, and relieve me when I need it.

The other thing these brothers did last week (and have done for my entire ministry at CLF) is support me in serving our community through baseball. For years, they have allowed me to coach baseball during the spring season, which has borne remarkable fruit.

These brothers are a rare gift to me and our church. I thank God for each of them.

UVC Baseball:

I’m not sure what to say. For the first time in school history, we won back-to-back state championships. To put this in perspective, we lost seven seniors from last year’s championship team. We started five sophomores, one freshman, and four seniors (including a DH). We also used a freshman pinch-hitter (our starting leftfielder until he was hurt in a game in April). This group finished 28-4 (the 2nd highest winning percentage in school history) and set several school records. We scored 316 runs and only gave up 61. We outscored our opponents by 255 runs! In the playoffs, we outscored our opponents, 36-3.

During the final week, we played Knappa (four state championships) and Kennedy (three state championships). To put our teams in perspective, the last time a 2A/1A championship happened without Knappa, Kennedy, or UVC was 2014. So, to win our 5th title, we had to beat historical champions. We beat Knappa 6-0 on Tuesday and then had to work to beat Kennedy 2-1.

I’ve had several seasons that made me proud as a coach. But this one was especially joyful because of the consistency of this group. They never quit, never went into mental funks, and just fought every pitch. They had great wins, incredible comebacks, and played the game the right way. To see them raise “Big Blue” was awesome.

This is my 5th time to coach a state champion. One of the areas of my heart that I wanted to ensure happened this time was to quietly and privately thank God and worship Him. Last year, I didn’t feel like I did that enough. I bowed in quiet thanksgiving this time, then enjoyed the dogpile and the awards ceremony. I wanted to enjoy it, glorify God, and hug my guys.

I’ve included many pictures to this email that I hope will give you a glimpse into our day.

Finally, as a dad, it was a sweet moment with my two sons, Nathan and Caleb. Nathan coaches outfielders and first base, and Caleb is our centerfielder and 5-hole hitter. Caleb went 2-3 with one run scored and an RBI, and Nathan’s outfielders made great plays all day (I see you, Noah Evans). To do this as a family was pretty sweet.