A Godly, Glory-Giving Coach

Yes, the world is falling apart. Yes, there is corruption everywhere. Yes, politics can get ugly and churches sometimes miss the mark. But I praise God that there’s also a wave of Christians speaking up for God and the Gospel. There’s a fresh desire to glorify the Lord in all avenues of life.

Especially in the world of sports, we’re seeing many share their faith.

One of my favorite examples of this is Arizona Little League Coach Drew Breivogel. He doesn’t hide his faith; he shares it others, and especially with his team—the Chandler National All-Stars—in unique teaching moments. According to The Western Journal, in the August 2026 Western Regional playoff game against Hawaii in San Bernardino, California, Coach Breivogel noted in an ESPN+ interview that he had known the pitcher since he was eight years old, and he was thoroughly impressed with the young man’s hard work.

He respects his team, and the boys’ respect for their coach has no doubt grown as he shares truth wrapped with grace. He helps team members keep a healthy perspective on the game as well.

“I’m so proud of you,” he told his pitcher in a widely-shown video clip. “Remember Zacchaeus in the Bible? Someone planted that tree 30, 40 years prior, so he could climb up into it” to see Jesus pass by and he had the opportunity for salvation. “We’re talking salvation,” he said. “This is a baseball game. Right?”

The scoreboard during the coach’s pep talk occured when Arizona was up 2-to-1, but Hawaii’s bats were suddenly getting hot. Hawaii’s team went on to score four runs in the inning, and won the game, 5-2. Critics complained that the coach used the mound to preach rather than giving them advice about mechanics or strategies or buckling down or hitting spots.

But the coach had a higher purpose—building character and pointing the team to spiritual truths. In the viral clip, he told his pitcher, “If you walk the next five guys, Jesus is still Lord. If you strike out the next five guys, guess what? Jesus is still Lord.” *

Although the Chandler National All-Stars did not go on to the Series this year, back in 2007, they did. During a 2007 pre-game interview with KNXV-TV, Coach Breivogel explained his philosophy of coaching. “We’re a team rooted in Jesus Christ: the one true God, the living God,” he said. “We’re going to give all the glory to Him in everything that we do.”

Later, in an interview with Sports360AZ, the coach was asked how his faith shaped his personal journey and the team’s journey.

“Humility is something that we preach,” he said, “and the Bible is really, really heavy on . . . not boasting in yourself, but boasting in the Lord.” He referenced 1 Kings 20:11: “Tell the king, one who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.” It’s kind of like the modern-day “don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched,” he said.

He noted that just because the team gets accolades, they still have to go out and play the game. “Anyone can beat anyone on any given day,” he said. “So we’re not taking anything for granted.” But he also helped team members recognize that the postion they were in was because of their hard work—the fruits of their labor. “So humility is the one thing that the Lord has us leaning on—to be humble.”

He teaches his team members to be faithful in doing their best and pursuing opportunities God gives them. Humility is shown because every team member is an “alpha,” but they play for each other.

The key to Breivogel’s own success seems to be is his faithfulness to pursue the glory of God in everyday activities in sports. His attitudes and words keep point to the character of God. He’s not only a good example for his team, but for every believer.

*This is the video of Coach Breivogel addressing his pitcher on the mound (from SportsAndFaith on Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/p/DcUIC6FxZer/. This is the video of his interview with Sports360AZ: https://youtu.be/D30leo2CqNA?si=YAA3i5R3Qd6Rebib