In the Big Inning: What Baseball, Faith and Coaching Taught Me About the Bigger Picture

One of the first things he ever said to me caught me completely off guard.

At the time, I was playing at Northwestern State University, and like many college programs, we had a strong connection with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

That’s where I met Gerald Long.

He wasn’t just someone who showed up once in a while, he and his wife were part of our environment. They were around the team, leading prayers before games, speaking to us during the week and creating moments where we could step away from everything the game demanded.

One day early in the fall, in one of those quiet moments, he looked at me and said,“ You know the Bible talks about baseball, right?” I paused, trying to figure out if he was serious, I asked him how.

And without hesitation, he smiled and said, “It’s in the first sentence… ‘In the Big Inning.’”

He was playing off the opening line of the Bible, “In the beginning,” turning it into something every baseball player would understand.

At the time, I laughed, but that moment stayed with me.

The Environment That Shapes You

At that stage of my career, baseball was everything. Competing, earning a role, proving I belonged, that was the mindset every single day, but running alongside that was something I didn’t fully understand at the time.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Every week, I was part of those meetings. We stepped away from the game, even if just for a short time and focused on something bigger than performance. It wasn’t loud or forced, it wasn’t about changing who you were overnight.

It was about perspective.

Before every game, I prayed, not because I was told to, because it became part of my routine. It gave me a moment to slow everything down before stepping into a game that never stops moving.

What FCA Is Really About

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is built around something simple but powerful. It creates a space where athletes and coaches can grow in faith while competing at a high level, without losing themselves in the results of the game. It doesn’t take away from competition, if anything, it helps athletes handle it better.

Because baseball doesn’t always reward effort the way we think it should. You can do everything right and still fail. That reality can break players if they don’t have something to fall back on.

FCA provides that foundation.

Through weekly meetings, shared conversations and pre-game moments, it reminds athletes that their identity is not tied to a stat line. It teaches them how to stay grounded, how to respond to adversity and how to carry themselves regardless of the outcome.

It doesn’t change the game, it changes how you handle it.

The Picture That Meant More Later

There’s a moment from that time that stands out more now than it did then. That picture, sitting alone, helmet on, bat in front of me, head down.

Praying before a game.

At the time, it felt normal, just part of my routine before competing, but that image ended up being displayed in an art gallery at the university.

And that’s when it changed.

Because something that felt personal… was now being seen from the outside. What I thought was just part of my preparation… Was actually a reflection of something deeper.

Faith in a Game That Doesn’t Guarantee Results

Baseball has a way of challenging everything you think you understand about effort and outcome. You can square up a ball and hit it right at someone. You can execute a pitch exactly how you want and still give up a hit. You can prepare, train and compete and still walk away without the result you expected.

That’s the game.

And it’s a hard reality for players to accept because we grow up believing that if we do things the right way, the results should follow.

But baseball doesn’t work like that and neither does life.

That’s where faith started to take on a different meaning for me. It wasn’t just about religion, it was about belief. Belief in the work, belief in the process and belief that what you’re doing matters, even when the results aren’t there yet.

Because in this game, belief shows up long before results do.

The Real “Verses” of Baseball

You don’t need actual baseball quotes written in the Bible to understand the connection. The lessons are already there.

• Patience looks like waiting for your pitch instead of chasing what isn’t yours.

• Discipline looks like sticking to your approach even after failure.

• Faith looks like stepping back into the box after a tough at-bat, believing the next one will be different.

These aren’t just baseball lessons, they’re life lessons and the longer you stay in the game, the more you start to see that.

Coaching With That Perspective

Now, as a coach, I see it clearly, the game is always teaching. It teaches players how to respond when things don’t go their way. It teaches them how to stay disciplined when frustration builds. It teaches them how to carry themselves in moments where no one is there to guide them.

And those lessons don’t stay on the field, they carry into everything else.

Coaching is not just about mechanics or strategy, it’s about helping players handle the game.

And in many ways… Helping them handle life. Because eventually, the game gives them a moment where no one is there to guide them.

A Lasting Impact Beyond the Game

There’s also something that needs to be said about Mr. and Mrs. Long. Their impact went far beyond a few meetings or pre-game prayers. The time, energy and care they gave to athletes was real, and it was consistent.

Even though they have both passed on, their influence is still present in the lives of so many players who came through that environment. They helped shape how young athletes think, how they respond to challenges and how they carry themselves both on and off the field.

That kind of impact doesn’t fade with time, it stays with you.

Often in ways you don’t fully understand until years later and it’s something that deserves to be recognized and appreciated.

Final Thought: The Big Inning

That line has stayed with me all these years. What started as a joke has turned into something I understand at a much deeper level now. Because the “Big Inning” isn’t just the beginning.

It’s the bigger picture.

It’s everything the game gives you beyond wins and losses. It’s the lessons you carry with you long after you stop playing. That picture of me sitting there, head down, preparing for a game… At the time, it was just a moment, now, it feels like something more and maybe that’s what he meant all along.

Not that baseball is written in the Bible, but that if you really understand both… You’ll start to see the same lessons everywhere.