Crusaders Baseball

06/15/2026

Stop saying they "stuck" your kid in the outfield.

In youth baseball, there’s a myth that the "best" players only live in the dirt. But if you want to know who a coach truly trusts, look at who they put in the grass.

In the infield, you have to be quick.
In the outfield, you have to be elite.

It takes a different kind of athlete to track a white ball against a bright sky,
judge the spin off the bat in a split second,
and sprint 60 feet before the hitter even drops the bat.

The outfield isn't a "placeholder" spot.
It’s the Insurance Policy for the entire team.

Think about the math of the game:
If an infielder makes an error, the runner takes a base.
If an outfielder makes an error, the runner takes the win.

Coaches don't "hide" talent 200 feet from home plate. They place their highest level of confidence exactly where the stakes are the highest.

It takes a special kind of mental toughness to stand far from the action and stay locked in for every single pitch. It takes speed, it takes a cannon for an arm, and it takes the guts to be the last line of defense.

So, don't downplay that jersey in the grass.
Don't let them feel like they’ve been "sidelined."

Tell them they are the Guardian of the Scoreboard.
They aren't just "out there."
They are the only thing standing between a base hit and a loss.

06/12/2026

Chance Steel Carol Ann Steel I know our spotlight player was unable to make it in person today so I wanted him to know he made to the big screen 😎 Way to go Chance Steel!! You're an awesome player & we're glad to have you & your family be a part of Crusaders Baseball ❤️ come to the The Gentry Cinema in July to see who our next spotlight player will be!!!

06/11/2026

This is absolutely worth your time!!!

17 INCHES

Twenty years ago.
Nashville, Tennessee.
Over 4,000 baseball coaches packed a hotel.

I was just happy to be there.

Then I heard coaches whispering a name —

"John Scolinos is here?"
"Worth every penny of my airfare."

I had no idea who that was.
I was about to find out.

Coach Scolinos was 78 years old.
Five years retired.
He shuffled to the stage...
..wearing dark polyester pants,
a light blue shirt,
and a full-sized home plate hanging around his neck.

The room didn't know what to think.

He spoke for 25 minutes.
Never once mentioned the plate.

Then, finally —

"You're probably all wondering why I'm wearing home plate around my neck."

Laughter.

"I may be old, but I'm not crazy."

He looked out at the room.

"How wide is home plate in Little League?"

"…Seventeen inches?"

"That's right."

"Babe Ruth League?"

"Seventeen inches?"

"High school?"

"Seventeen inches."

"College?"

"SEVENTEEN INCHES!"

"Minor leagues? The Major Leagues?"

"SEVENTEEN INCHES!"

Then he got serious.

"What do they do with a Big League pitcher who can't hit seventeen inches?"

"They don't say — 'That's okay, Jimmy. Let's make it 18. Or 19. Or 25 so it's easier for you.'"

The room went quiet.

"Coaches… what do YOU do when your best player shows up late?
When your team rules say no facial hair and he shows up unshaven?
When he gets caught drinking?"

"Do you hold him accountable?
Or do you widen the plate?"

Four thousand coaches.
Dead silent.

Then he pulled out a Sharpie.

He drew a door. Two windows.
Turned the plate around.

A house.

"This is the problem in our homes today.
With our marriages. With how we parent.
We don't teach accountability.
We just widen the plate."

He added a small American flag to the top.

"This is the problem in our schools.
Education is going downhill.
We are letting others widen home plate.
Where is that getting us?"

He replaced the flag with a Cross.

"And this is the problem in the Church.
Powerful people protected.
Atrocities swept under the rug.
Our leaders widened the plate for themselves.
And we allowed it."

"And our government?
They make rules for us that don't apply to them.
They serve themselves.
And we watch our country fall into a dark abyss.
While we just watch."

I went to that convention expecting to learn
about curveballs and bunting.

Instead, an old man with a home plate around his neck
taught me something about life.

About accountability.
About leadership.
About myself.

He closed with this:

"If we fail to hold ourselves to a higher standard…
If we fail to hold our children, our families, our faith, and our government accountable…
There is only one thing to look forward to…"

He flipped the plate around.
The back was solid black.

"…We have dark days ahead."

Coach John Scolinos passed away in 2009 at age 91.

But his message never left the room that day.

And it should never leave ours.

Keep yourself at seventeen inches.

Don't widen the plate.

-Chris Sperry, former head coach at the University of Portland (with edits)

06/08/2026

Well today didn't end how we wanted it to. Started out with me unable to input information in game changer and finished with being sent home. It was a frustrating day for everyone involved. This season has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows. We have been a motor running on all cylinders all the way to a scrapped car with no motor. There are two life lessons that this game teaches very well: Resilience & consistency.

Resilience- for overcoming all the failures that come along with this game (not self destructing over a strikeout or an error), and also the revolving door of teammates/friends that their little minds have to overcome every time they change (wether expected or unexpected)

Consistency- learning that this game takes work, it is not given to anyone. That it takes consistent work on and off the field. Consistent preparation that when done correctly and continuously will lead to consistent success. Boys trust the process, and the consistent success will come.

These are life lessons that help us on our walks with Christ, because daily we all deal with the mess life brings us. Overcoming the failures in this life comes with having a consistent relationship with Jesus Christ. If we keep our focus on him this rollercoaster we call life starts to flatten out. Thank you Jesus for another day with the ability to Coach this amazing team and the boys ability to play the game of baseball. Also the opportunity to do both.

06/06/2026

Super proud of these Crusaders!!! They proved to be warriors today, playing with no reserves on the bench, went 2-0 in pool play only giving up 4 runs!!! Hopefully the weather will hold out so we can come back tomorrow to go for the GOLD!! JESUS IS KING OF KINGS!!!!! LET'S GO CRUSADERS!!!!

All things work for good for those who love the Lord Romans 8:28

06/05/2026

Well these Crusaders boys ended Checotah Rec league 7-2 today. We didn't end in the place we wanted to but the boys ended the season with a win!! Super proud of these boys and I think they shocked a lot of people. We will keep working and get ready for some more tournaments. We gotta get these 9U boys ready for the LLWS in a couple weeks. Thank you to all the parents for letting me Coach your kids. I hope they learned something this year and continue to grow in the game. ALL GLORY TO JESUS!!! LET'S GO CRUSADERS.

06/04/2026

Come on out to receive a great faith based movie and to see our spotlight player on the big screen ❤️

We have a free screening coming your way next Friday, June 12, at 3:00 PM. Who can guess the next movie in our faith-based movie series sponsored by Crusaders Baseball?

06/03/2026

06/03/2026

Mother nature tried to hold the boys down but they just pushed through and kept getting reps!! May have gotten a little muddy but they were tracking down fly balls like they have been doing it their whole lives.