Playing Ball and Changing Lives
Published: April 13, 2021
Eighteen members of the Greenville College baseball team traveled to the Dominican Republic during Interterm to play baseball and share the Gospel. Head Baseball Coach Lynn Carlson 93, Assistant Coaches Andy Rincker 09 and Dan Marsh 09, and former player Wes Letizia 11 led the team. Brian Reinhard 86, assistant dean of education and former head softball coach, assisted the team with his knowledge of the Spanish language and experience traveling in the Dominican Republic.
The Panthers wrote fundraising letters, sold athletic apparel, and worked one night a week during a six-week sports camp to raise support for the trip. About half of the current players were able to participate in the trip. The trip was planned through the organization SCORE International. The team stayed at the Highlands Complex in Boca Chica, which was built by the Rawlings Foundation and featured several dorms, a dining commons, and excellent baseball fields. They spent most of their time in Santa Domingo, but also traveled to San Pedro de Macoris and La Romana.
The team played ballgames and, afterward, talked about faith with their opponents and fans. One game attracted an audience of about 20 young children who stayed to hear the players present the Gospel.
The team also visited orphanages and sugar cane villages, sharing their faith with the people they met. One of the most impactful experiences for the players was the day they brought food to a remote village. In order to reach the village, the team had to travel over a mile by foot through fields of sugar cane because of heavy rains that had made the road impassable. Carlson says, We pooled about $400 together out of our pockets and bought some food. We were able to provide enough food to feed the entire village for a few days with the provisions that we purchased. We were able to share the Gospel with them as well.
The teams previous trip to the Dominican Republic took place in January 2008. Carlson hopes to continue to take the baseball team on a mission trip every 3-4 years, so that every player has at least one opportunity to travel overseas with the team. Carlson says, The major goal of our program is to honor Jesus Christ to bring him glory on the baseball field and off the baseball field. As competitors, we naturally want to win and we strive very hard to make that happen. But if we accomplish the goal of honoring Christ together, then we have accomplished something much more significant.
The baseball team will play their first game of the season later this month at Washington University in St. Louis on February 28.
