The Kingsmen have been on a roll to start their 2023 summer season. The Christian ministry baseball team has won all four of their games to date and are in the middle of their Alaskan tour. Not only are they playing winning baseball, but the team has begun to come together as a whole.
“Everyone seems to get along,” middle infielder Ryan Fluharty said. “There are good conversations flowing and I think everyone’s really starting to come together.”
Left-handed pitcher Tyler Overholt agrees with Fluharty’s assessment, and is encouraged by what he’s seeing after the team stayed together at Knotty Pine B&B in Palmer. “I think it’s really cool we get to stay in the same place when we go on these trips,” Overholt started. “It really helps us to mold together and grow together spiritually and as men. We get to talk to each other about these kind of things and grow together in fellowship.”
While the Kingsmen travel to play baseball, the spiritual aspect is of utmost importance to Head Coach Joe Hudak. The Founder of Kingsmen Baseball recently talked about how he created the team to help young men grow as athletes, but even more so as followers of Christ.
This is the purpose of the Kingsmen’s Alaska trip—to not only play baseball against competitive teams and see the world, but to embark on a spiritual journey together.
“It’s really helped me go deeper into my spiritual life especially with our bible studies,” Fluharty explained. “It’s been a great way to help me dig deeper in my faith.”
First baseman Colin Patterson echoed the infielder’s comments, saying, “I think it’s nice seeing people at different levels of the spiritual journey. I know myself, that was the main reason I decided to play for the Kingsmen—to grow spiritually. I think that’s an important thing for us as a team to continue growing on that journey together.”
Part of that journey is competing against teams with similar goals. Earlier this week, the Kingsmen squared off against the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks, an Athletes in Action team that shares individual testimonies with opposing teams prior to each game. The Kingsmen were fortunate enough to hear one of their stories and it had a particular effect on Patterson.
“I think testimonies are the biggest way we can help someone grow in their spiritual journey,” the Pennsylvania native began. “To see what Jesus has done in the lives of others, it can really help you take those next steps. When you can see how someone’s life has changed…you just want that for yourself so I think it’s really important we share our testimonies.”
Overholt shared Patterson’s perspective regarding testimonies, mentioning, “Vulnerability is probably one of the best things you can have when talking to people—especially people you don’t really know—because it shows you’ve been through stuff like everyone has.”
Baseball is a sport where a team spends an exorbitant amount of time together over the course of a season. It’s also a sport that breeds unavoidable failure—sometimes creating self-doubt in one’s own abilities. It’s why vulnerability and honesty are so important to any team. Finding common ground—especially in the love of Christ—can help a team overcome those inevitable mountains and valleys.
For example, Overholt was scratched from his first start in Alaska due to minor shoulder discomfort. Patterson doesn’t feel like he’s swinging at the right pitches. Fluharty, who had hit the ball hard to start the summer, has yet to see a ball drop in for a knock. Baseball’s a hard game—but one that becomes easier when a team comes together.
As Patterson would put it, “I think we’re starting to grow with our bible studies and our talks with Coach Hudak. I think everyone can help each other…especially with our spiritual life as long as we continue to seek that.”
It sounds like a team—who is already playing winning baseball to start the season—that is beginning to come together. With a weekend series in Fairbanks to close out their Alaskan tour, the Kingsmen are looking to keep the good vibes rolling.
Stay tuned for more Kingsmen news and updates throughout the rest of the summer.
