Bennett Lee
Episode 256
25 DEC 2023
A catcher who this past June was chosen by the Detroit Tigers in the sixth round of the 2023 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft after having played collegiately, first at Tulane University and then at Wake Forest. Prior to that, he was a four-year letterwinner on the baseball team at Jesuit High School in Tampa, having been part of the team that ranked No. 1 in the nation in 2020, at 9-0, and that won the state championship in 2019, posting a 27-5 won-lost record. Away from sports, he is a convert to the Catholic faith, as heard in this discussion.
Notable guest quotes:
“My family’s Christian, and I went to St. Mary’s Episcopal Dayschool, so I was kind of raised in an Episcopal household and I learned a lot at St. Mary’s, and it was awesome, but my faith never really exploded the way it has until I got to Jesuit (High School) and was introduced to Catholicism.”
“Going into Jesuit (High School) as a non-Catholic I was not well read and well learned of the Catholic faith, and I had an incredible religion teacher my freshman year in Intro to Catholicism class.”
“Two really good friends of mine went through RCIA and converted to Catholicism… Seeing those two guys go through the process and ultimately get confirmed really sparked an interest in my heart to do it.”
“I’m very close with Father Hermes, who is the president of Jesuit (High School), and he has had a great impact on me as well.”
“Going into the season I was the third string catcher and then a couple weeks in I earned the starting role and kind of just went from there. It was really a blessing.”
“God has opened up a lot of doors and a lot of help from a lot of people that… it’s very significant and I’m very grateful.”
“Looking back on that time, it was all just God reeling me back in, just saying, ‘Hey come back to me. We know baseball isn’t all that important. I’m more important. Eternity’s more important.’ And all that kind of helped me, kind of grounded me and helped me to realize all that.”
“The Wake Forest (University) Catholic community was big for me in helping me stay in line with the faith through the whole season, through the whole year, and even today.”
“The Catholic faith wasn’t given to me from birth. I kind of discovered it – well, through the gift of God, but – on my own and I take ownership of it and that’s why I really appreciate all the things that Catholics have access to, all the sacraments and everything.”
“Now I feel very compelled to just walk one step at a time with God and allow wherever that takes me to take me.”
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