Deciding where to go to college is one of the most important choices we make in life. Wanting to be successful—which looks different for everyone—can be a driving factor in choosing a school. For the first time we are on our own, every decision impacting the person we will become.

As a high school athlete, it was so easy for me to get caught up in the ambition to play for a Division I school. I believed I would be defined by what college or division I played in, and it was a major factor in my choice: “Do I really want to go play baseball for this tiny NAIA school? What would my friends think? What would my high school coach think?”

In retrospect, I know I could not have answered these questions without the influence of my brother, Steven. The Lord divinely placed him at The Master’s University two years before me and opened up a door that would change me in many ways.

I saw firsthand what TMU had done for my brother academically, athletically and spiritually. So, choosing TMU myself became an easy decision. I saw how Master’s played an active role in molding him into the man of God that he is, I watched how all his like-minded friends pushed him to be like Christ and I noticed the success he was having playing baseball while having fun and still pursuing excellence in the classroom. His experience was exactly what I wanted, and I knew I could not get that anywhere but Master’s.

I could not play for a better coach or with better teammates, athletes who love the Lord and still have the passion and desire to win games. I get to play for a coach that pushes me on the field and, more importantly, pushes us all to do everything for the glory of God.

Coach Monte Brooks has been one of the greatest blessings of my life, exhorting all of us to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). This is our team verse and Coach has used it to teach us that we must become slaves to Christ if we want to be excellent and successful in all that we do as Christians.

The baseball team has opened one of the largest doors to my spiritual growth. On this team I have been tested and established lifelong friendships with guys focused on Christ. If I had chosen another school, I would have missed out on my two favorite memories as a Mustang: throwing a perfect game with my brother playing in the outfield and being a part of a team that reached the World Series.

I am beyond grateful that the Lord’s plan for me included attending and playing baseball here. This university has completely shattered the roof of my expectations and has influenced my life more than I could have imagined, all by the grace of God. I am forever thankful for The Master’s University.