Military Baseball History

Grassroots Story

Military Baseball began in 2016 with a dream placed in the heart of a small Detachment 15 Chaplain. What started as a simple passion to serve Sailors, Soldiers, Marines, and Airmen during their off-duty hours became a ministry, a brotherhood, and a baseball organization built to share Christ both in and out of uniform.

During the daily rhythm of military life—missions, preparation, ramp-ups, deadlines, and operational demands—a Chaplain can sometimes feel like he is in the way unless the bullets are flying or the bombs are dropping. But often, the deepest moments of need do not come during the loudest parts of war. They come when everything gets quiet at night.

For many service members, there is no family waiting at home. There is only an apartment, a barracks room, or a quiet space filled with uniforms, clothes, memories, and isolation. In that silence, troops can wrestle with depression, loneliness, destructive habits, reckless sexual behavior, suicidal thoughts, or even the temptation to take their own lives.

The busyness of military life keeps people moving, but the quiet often reveals what they are carrying—children back home, broken relationships, loved ones far away, personal regret, trauma, and the deep desire to belong.

After 15 years as an Active Duty Chaplain, I learned that you cannot save everyone—but by God’s grace, you can reach some. That is why Military Baseball was created.

It became an outlet for military personnel to play a game they loved while finding brotherhood, purpose, accountability, and hope. For many, baseball became more than a game—it became part of what helped save their lives.

Many prayers, counseling conversations, and life-changing moments happened in batting cages late at night, sometimes until 10:00 p.m., where service members felt safe, seen, and trusted. Most people carry some kind of pain, but many avoid it, bury it, or hide it—especially men. The baseball field became a place where walls came down and honest conversations could begin.

All I knew to do was take my college baseball experience as a player at Lander University and Erskine College, combine it with my calling as a Chaplain, and bring the Gospel to the field. Many troops would never walk into a chapel service, but they would come to the ball field.

Military Baseball began as a vision to help military members fulfill their dreams of playing baseball at a higher level, while also helping them discover a purpose beyond themselves—a purpose found in the love, grace, and mercy of Jesus Christ.

Since then, Military Baseball has competed against MLB Minor League teams, spent two summers competing in the Jayhawk Summer Collegiate League, and played in the Texas Collegiate League. Along the way, the organization has reached thousands of young people for Christ through baseball, community service, youth outreach, and faithful witness through word and deed.

We have been blessed to see players move beyond Military Baseball into professional opportunities. Our hope is to continue opening doors for military athletes, collegiate players, and professional-level players to use baseball as a full-time platform to serve God, serve others, and represent the United States Military with honor.