Episodes

Lauren Hazbun

She is a current student-athlete, competing in the sport of volleyball. Away from the court, she brings her love of sports into her faith through a new non-profit that she is the founder and president of, called Field of Dreams Foundation: Catholic Sportsmanship in Action, Corp., which she talks about during this interview.  She also shares strong faith testimony as it relates to medical challenges that she has already been having to face throughout her young life.

Notable guest quotes:

“God really emphasizes how much family means and we are very Catholic based when it comes to our family.”

“I am a cradle Catholic. Both my parents have been Catholic their whole lives. God was a very big part of my childhood. I’ve been to Catholic schools my whole life.”

“I was always looking for something that I had a click with.  I tried dancing; I did dance for many, many years, and then I tried other sports to experiment.  That included figure skating, basketball, track and field, cross country, and at the young age of 10 years old I played volleyball for the first time, and I never let it go.”

“The Holy Spirit gave me that motivation, that push, that I needed to get through recovery, through physical therapy, and I felt that God put volleyball in my life to show me that it takes a team.  He gave me volleyball to create peace in my storm.”

“I love seeing how those girls or boys on the court have this strong love for each other and they look to each other once they know they did something right or wrong because it kind of shows that you can put your trust in other people and to me it shows me that I can put my trust in God.”

“In eighth grade, the morning after the sacrament of confirmation, my mom wanted to take one of my grandmothers to church, and I stood up to get out of bed that Sunday morning and I collapsed for the first time.”

“During that time, every lab or x-ray we would just pray and pray, and during my first MRI, my mom and I prayed very strong prayers like the rosary, and one of Mary’s strongest prayers.  And we, in this time, gave so much thanks to God for letting us find it and really giving me another chance to be able to find my purpose in life and find a way to help others and to give my whole life to God.”

“I began reading the Bible more often and I realized that the number three wasn’t a curse to me, it was a blessing, because, in the Bible, the number three signifies completeness.  It signifies the Holy Spirit and the harmony of life.  And I really was able to find the good in the storm and just find God through all of this struggle.”

“If God is telling me that this is one of the few things in life that is going to keep me calm, I know that I have to follow His orders and just stay strong.”

“As a kid I kept asking myself, if God gives everybody a purpose, like, what would be mine.  God put me on this earth to help others.  He asked me to spread positivity, to put smiles on people’s faces, and to just be there for people and show them that everything is going to be okay.”

“Catholicism can be spread through more than just the Bible.  It can be spread through more than just the church.  Catholicism can be spread through love, sportsmanship, and respect.”

“Remind yourself to be grateful for what you have and to talk to God and just ask Him for help and guidance.  I truly felt the Holy Spirit with me, especially during games, through that Bible verse.”

Related link:

Instagram account for Field of Dreams Foundation

JJ Niekro

He is a pitcher for the Mississippi Braves, the Double A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, with whom he signed as a free agent in 2021 after having pitched in the MLB Draft League. He then proceeded to post a 2.76 earned run average over 16 ⅓ innings in rookie ball.  He had played collegiately in Lakeland, Florida, and in high school as well.  Fans of Major League Baseball absolutely will recognize his last name, with his having had three different family members who all played in the big leagues.

Notable guest quotes:

“An extremely devout Catholic household… authentic and organic Catholic roots combined to produce me and give me such a beautiful Catholic environment.”

“I went to Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida which was absolutely amazing.  I met so many wonderful priests, teachers, friends and really developed a sense of Ignatian spirituality and working in the world and not away from it in my prayer life and my Catholic faith and how I treat others.”

“There’s a certain beauty in baseball as well.  There’s a saying I love that baseball is like church; many attend, few understand.”

“I think there’s two of their parallels that naturally jump out to me about baseball and specifically to spirituality and ultimately to Catholicism because that’s where all spirituality leads, but for baseball, there’s a reason why some of the old stadiums like Wrigley Field and Fenway Park are known as cathedrals.”

“I think the Lord really allowed me to use those dimensions to add to my spiritual life and it’s something I’ve even built into my own before I do any type of practice, game, interview, whatever it may be, there’s moments of silence proceeding that allow for me to really contemplate what I’m about to do and do it with the best of my mind and my heart.”

“Those times the Lord built in for silence in the morning, even that just speaking with Him allowed me to recognize how beautiful this life is, the pure joy that we receive, especially from our Catholic faith and how good our flesh is.”

“I think spiritually we have to create that spiritual arsenal from building great habits, building great virtues, from saints, from people in our life and most consistently from receiving the Eucharist.”

“He’s just been the best father figure and coach that I could ever ask for and I’m so eternally grateful the Lord allowed me to know him.”

“My uncle (Phil Niekro) said a quote that I quote often and I really, really love it because it’s true; he never wanted to be a Hall of Fame player, he just wanted to be a Hall of Fame person.  And that was the main goal and focus of his life and as I get older now… I appreciate obviously the chance to do that because I know how rare and fortunate I was to experience it.”

“Baseball isn’t everything.  In the end when you’re looking back at your life, on your deathbed, you want to know that you gave everything to Christ and being the best father you could, being the best, whatever your vocation is, to be the absolute best at it and feel exhausted that you loved to the very end.”

“The Lord even said that he will not be accepted in every place and every time and people will hate you because of his name, and fortunately I haven’t had any instances where people have gotten mad at me because, the way I encounter Christ and the way I encounter a lot of my teammates is they all come from different backgrounds.  I just try to love them the best they can to meet them where they’re at.”

“I just pray that all of us can realize the magnitude of our Catholic faith and how that it calls upon us to do this in every aspect of secular society.  Whether you’re a baseball player, whether you’re an accountant, whether you’re a teacher, we could all minister and help others to know and love Christ the way we do through how we act for Him.”

Related link:

JJ’s statistical bio on MILB.com

Mike Lynch

He is the head coach for women’s soccer at Belmont Abbey College, a Catholic college in North Carolina. Having started there in 2011, he has a .633 winning percentage and has earned two conference regular season championships, two conference tournament championships, and competed in three NCAA postseason tournaments. Prior to Belmont Abbey, he also held head coaching jobs at Nebraska Wesleyan University and Truman State University, and as an assistant coach at the United States Air Force Academy.  He had played college soccer at the United States Air Force Academy. After graduation, he competed for the active-duty USAF Soccer Team in 1984 and 1985, and was selected to the United States Armed Forces National Team in 1984. He served as Faith-Based Coaches Community Chair for United Soccer Coaches from 2017-2022 and is now on the Board of Directors. He has even completed several marathons, including the Boston Marathon.

Notable guest quotes:

“A cradle Catholic and I would say that probably the biggest memory I have growing up is just our Sunday Mass ritual.  I can’t remember us ever missing Mass, which is good, and that kind of built in me that this is just what you do and something I really appreciated as I got older.”

“We were in eight different locations in my first 18 years, so every two years we were in a new spot and certainly every military base will have a Catholic church… so that was always nice.  The other thing that was really great growing up was they always had excellent youth sports.  So, if you lived on base, there’s always a great youth sports environment and I found that to be really helpful for me as we kept moving around.”

“I played football, basketball, baseball, swim team… whatever season it was, we did it and I just loved them all.  And looking back on it, I think, I don’t know if that’s where the seeds were planted as far as being a coach, but I was always intrigued on just how each game was played, the simple tactics that you learn as a youngster in the sports.”

“I attended the Fellowship of Christian Athletes soccer camp in Daytona Ohio… and we’re starting with a faith huddle… they always start with a devotional and, of course, I grew up in a Catholic church and so… I’m, like, perfect, I’m not against it.  And so I was very open to it… it’s kind of a great way to start the session because not only would we talk about a scripture verse, but we would also then relate that to what does that mean to you as a person, you as an athlete.”

“From that point forward I really, really found my faith to be a great place to get my mind in the right spot.”

“The mind is so powerful and so now we know that obviously our mind is a huge part of our faith.  It is our faith.  It’s our connection; this is where we’re praying to God and not asking for good performances, but just asking to be able to be present – to be present to what God has available for us.”

“It allowed me to start playing with less stress, I mean, no longer was I playing for the identity or playing for the outcome.  I was just playing to hopefully glorify God, hopefully do it in a way that, you know, help my teammates, those kinds of things, and it really, really made a difference to me.”

“I had ideas and places that I wanted to go play, and things I wanted to do, and I really just kept that door open, and I thank God for that because if I had closed that door early in the recruiting process maybe I would never have been recruited.”

“That… is when I really started to say, ‘You know what, I’m going to incorporate my faith life into my sports,’ and so that’s what I really started to focus my team on.  I knew that if I, you know, you train them up in the way that you go and when they’re older they won’t depart from it.”

“I kept thinking to myself, ‘God will provide.  God will provide.’  I just have to be loyal to the call.  And at that time, I was also doing Adoration hours.”

Related link:

Mike’s bio on Belmont Abbey College website

(This episode contains a prayer from the National Catholic Coaches Association’s “The Leadership Papers,” although originally credited in there to The Coach’s Bible.)

Dr. John Acquaviva

He played college baseball and then following his senior year took an offer to play professionally in Italy. He was educated in the field of fitness and exercise physiology and is a Catholic speaker, professor, and author, having written three books, the latest of which just came out in February and is called, “Improving Your Sportsmanship Through Catholic Teaching…and Common Sense: A Practical Guide for Athletes, Parents, Fans and Coaches.” His faith walk includes having entered the seminary to study for the priesthood, and present day he teaches at Wingate University in North Carolina and is the host of “Faith and Sport” on Radio Maria.

Notable guest quotes:

“My mom worked really hard and was really good about directing us toward Catholic school… she was determined to have her kids, especially the latter five, graduate from Catholic high school.  So I was (grades) one through 12 at the Catholic school.”

“I served as an altar boy from, like, fifth grade through eighth grade and looking back on it, I thought that was an important part of my faith life.”

“I started playing baseball.  And then by the time I was in eighth grade, I was a basketball player.  I was a football player.  And I did the same thing in high school.  I played all three of those sports in addition to running track for a couple of years.”

“I had literally prayed to our Lord to have the opportunity to play professional baseball.”

“That’s why the scripture says don’t just pray but pray specifically on what you want.  I said, I want to play professional baseball.  God goes, I’ll send you to Italy.”

“I’d been thinking about the priesthood.  And I started talking to a good priest friend of mine, Father Gregory, about it.  And he said, I think this is a genuine call that you have.”

“I said, ‘I think I’m going to apply to the priesthood.’  And the biggest reason was, I not only felt it in my heart, and in my head, but when I was at church, I would often listen to the readings, and then I would start developing what I would say for the homily.  And I remember I told my friend, Father Gregory, and he goes, ‘John, that’s something because I never did that.  And I’m a priest, right’?”

“Once you commit to this life, there is a certain level of responsibility that you have.  And what I mean is, you’re not asked to just sit back on what you were raised on and go to Mass one time a week and then that’s what the faith is.”

“There is no aspect of life where the faith doesn’t apply.  Like, whatever we are doing as a parent, as a coach, as a teacher, whatever we are doing.”

“Everybody has their own experiences, which are only unique to you, right?  My experience in sport, my experience playing baseball and rugby, I played for 15 years after college and so forth.”

“We need to apply our faith to sport… through the virtues of respect and loyalty and discipline and so forth.”

Related link:

John’s official website

Brad Wilkerson

He served one year ago as Assistant Hitting Coach for Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees.  He played for eight seasons in MLB, having been drafted in the first round of the 1998 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos and then going on to play for them and the Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, and Toronto Blue Jays. Along the way he earned the distinction of hitting the last home run in Montreal Expos franchise history, AND, following their move to Washington the next season, hitting the first grand slam by a Nationals player. He won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2000 Olympic Games in Australia. He was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012, two years after having been inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a “Gator Great.” Prior to his college career he played for the U.S. national junior baseball team and was the MVP of the World Junior Baseball Championship in 1995. Along the way he has also coached for USA Baseball and Jacksonville University.

Notable guest quotes:

“I went to Catholic school through fourth grade – Immaculate Catholic School… I grew up at that school and that church.”

“I lived right down the street from my grandmother she went to Mass every Saturday night.  We were right there with her almost every Saturday night… her and my grandfather really led our family and faith-based and the Catholic religion.”

“When I started my sophomore year, turning 15 years old, and I got invited to go to Team USA as a 15-year-old in baseball and I kind of, when that started, you know, we went to the World Series when we were 12, and, you know, didn’t really see it then, but I knew I was pretty good.  But then once I did that at 15 I kind of figured out, hey I might be alright at this baseball stuff.”

(while away at college) “I think I stayed active in my faith, and, you know, I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t have got to do what I did, without the supports around me and people keeping me grounded.”

“I really leaned on my family.  I remember back then I used to go to Confession a lot more.  My grandmother would push that.  I leaned on her, I leaned on my immediate family, and they always kept me grounded and always made sure that I was putting the time in at church and putting the time in in prayer.”

“Every game during the National Anthem I always say a prayer, like, every night, every game, I’d always say a prayer, and I would always pray that, not that God would give me hits or God would give me, you know, great performance or whatever, just give me great wisdom to make great decisions… and great reaction during the game, and thank you for the opportunity.”

“I stay grounded through my faith and through my family and without them I wouldn’t have anything.  They supported me no matter where I went.”

“You deal with adversity, and you can either use that adversity as motivation – where, you can go pout and you can go in the corner and start feeling sorry for yourself, and – I tried to use it every time for motivation.”

“I used to visit churches on the road.  I would go to different cities, and I would go to these cathedrals or some kind of Catholic church.  It was unbelievable… I just really felt revived and really put everything in perspective of why I was here and what I was doing with my life.”

“I just want to see kids smile, you know, and we would bring them to the game with the tickets, whether it be that or the Wounded Warrior Project that we did in Dallas… and we built a baseball field back in my hometown.  I was very proud of that, partnered with MLB on that, and it’s always been a passion to give back.”

Related link:

Brad’s career stats on MLB.com

Thomas Morstead

He is the punter for the New York Jets, entering his 17th season in the NFL.  He was chosen in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints and went on to play his first twelve seasons with them before playing for both the Jets and the Atlanta Falcons in 2021, then the Miami Dolphins in 2022, and back to the Jets last season. He is coming off a 2023 season during which he set four New York Jets franchise punting records.  He had played collegiately at Southern Methodist University, and on the faith side has a conversion story that involves a familiar name from this show’s guest list.

Notable guest quotes:

“I went to church every Sunday.  My mom was very active in Sunday school, and it wasn’t a sometimes thing, it was an every week thing, and it was a very serious part of my upbringing and I’m very grateful to my mom, specifically, for always making it a priority.”

“I played basketball, did karate.  And really soccer was always my main thing.  I just loved soccer.  It was my favorite sport growing up and I was very good at it, scored a lot of goals.  And football, I did seventh and eighth grade.  I broke my leg at the start of ninth grade in a scrimmage and then didn’t really play after that ‘til I went out for the team my senior year of high school.”

“My dad was actually a professional cyclist and very easily could have pushed me into the cycling world and never ever did that. I’m sure he would have loved for me to pick up cycling and then all to do that with him.  But he just let me do my thing and at the same time, I would say both my parents were extraordinarily encouraging and continue to be to this day.”

“I almost quit football after the first three or four weeks of my freshman year.”

“I almost transferred after my first year to another school close at home… not getting opportunities on the team that I felt like were deserved.”

“We did our marriage prep with Monsignor Christopher Nalty down in uptown New Orleans.  And he really was the first person that got me persuaded, intrigued, curious.  He answered some questions for me about some of my hiccups with the Catholic faith that were never answered until I had that conversation with him.”

“NFL life is kind of a preparation for the aging process in life.  And I think when you get towards the end of your time in the NFL, probably just the same as in life, it’s an encouragement to let people know that they’ve positively influenced the direction of your life and your family’s life and how you do things.”

“We were able to go underneath the Vatican on a scavi tour and get a look at St. Peter’s remains.”

“I find that game day can be a spiritual experience for me.”

“And a lot of times, I’m in my own space – kind of like when you should pray quietly by yourself and not for everybody to see – a lot of times during the game, that’s kind of how I pass my time, is, just what’s kind of little prayers throughout the game.”

“I feel like God’s put me there that day to do a job.  And I’ve done all the preparation.  I did all the work, the rest, the recovery, the nutrition, all the things that are required for me to be my best.  And I almost feel like the results are not up to me.”

Related link:

Thomas Morstead bio on nfl.com

(This episode contains a prayer attributed to a blog published by the National Catholic Register, as seen in Play Like A Champion Today’s prayerbook for sports, God, Be In My Sport)

Fr Jason Nioka

A former judo champion who has walked the path from seminarian to the diaconate to – 48 HOURS BEFORE THIS INTERVIEW – ordination, while being in charge of the largest contingent of Olympic chaplains, about 40 Catholic priests, nuns, and lay faithful. This role of service to the world’s elite athletes is under the banner of the Holy Games, a project led by the Conference of Bishops of France. Holy Games is the programme of the Catholic Church to spiritually accompany the world of sport and major sporting events.

Notable guest quotes:

“Effectively, I was raised in a Catholic family, and I did not go to Catholic school, but I attended public schools through my entire schooling… and I was baptized when I was 14 years old.”

“I went with my family every year on pilgrimage in Lourdes.  It is for sure from that moment that something started to happen regarding my relationship with God.”

“I started judo when I was 3 years old.  This sport was recommended to my parents by my psychologists in order for me to express myself and for being self-confident.  This sport offers also great values.”

“I competed last November with my club.  We had the Paris Championship and we won with my club, so, I am a Parisian champion.”

“I was in such peace in Lourdes when I was there with my family, and I started to wonder how could I serve Him.  I did not know how, but I always felt in peace and that is why I started to ask myself why not become a priest.”

“Sports give me values which are the same that we also need as a Christian, like perseverance, self-control, orderliness and sovereignty – many qualities we need to give the best of ourselves.”

(for athletes at the upcoming Olympics) “There will be Mass in many languages such as French, English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese.  It will depend on the demand we have.  We will try our best to offer the possibility to attend Mass in all languages that we can.”

“We did realize that following athletes in a spiritual way is very important.  This program will last and get developed in the future.  It could even be a source of inspiration for the Olympics in LA in 2028.”

“When I was an athlete, a judo champion, my faith helped me to be the best… Faith always helped me to give the best… plus for me faith was very useful during my defeats.”

“For me it was very important to have, like, 30 minutes with the blessed sacrament and just to pray (to) God and to ask me, to give me the strength, to give me the peace, and just to trust Him in what He wants for me.”

Related link:

Holy Games website