The Rick Wilkins Collision and a Day in Galesburg- 6/27/26 Hill CC Update

Rick Wilkins had a modest baseball career.  

He spent most of his career with the Cubs organization which actually included a stop with the Peoria Chiefs in 1988.  Despite one big season with the 1993 Cubs, he is a career backup catcher that has been forgotten by most of baseball.  

Hitting 30 home runs was his biggest highlight of that 1993 season but there is one other play during his Cubs career that helped me fall in love with the game a little more.

Wilkins was catching and there was a play at the plate.  Wilkins caught the ball at the same time a runner was colliding with him at home plate.  Wilkins absorbed the hit and the runner was called out for the third out of the inning.  Wilkins then proceeded to get up by himself and spike the ball at home plate before walking back into the dugout.  

(I tried really hard to find a video or at least a mention of this somewhere on the internet but the memory of watching the game on WGN channel 9 is still fresh in my mind!)

That moment cemented my respect for Wilkins as a ballplayer and my appreciation for catchers whenever there is a play at the plate.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to catch one inning and there was indeed a play at the plate.  The ball and the runner arrived at the same time and there was a big league collision at the plate.  

I remember catching the ball and getting my glove up to tag the runner.  The only thing I remember after that was being on my back and looking at the sky and seeing a cloud that looked a little bit like Elvis.  

When I realized that I was still playing softball, I checked my glove and saw that I was still holding the ball and that the umpire had called the runner out.  I was still in a slight amount of shell shock in the moment so spiking the ball like Rick Wilkins didn't cross my mind until we were almost halfway home. 

Plays like that are some of the things that make baseball fun.  It is such a blessing that God has allowed me to participate in a ministry that I can use a love of the game to tell others about what His Son did on the cross so that we can know Him.  

Traditionally our travels take us East or South, but our journey found us traveling North and West to Galesburg, IL.  We met up at Calvary Baptist Bible Church and packed up the van for the day.  We prayed for the day ahead before departing.  We arrived in Galesburg on time and enjoyed a Hardee's breakfast before going to the prison.  The Hardee's breakfast was really enjoyable as a couple of us tried the Hot Honey Chicken Biscuits which I highly, highly recommend.  We had some time to talk as a team over breakfast.  After we were done eating, we made our way to the prison.  This was our first ever visit to Hill CC and the staff was excited to see us make the trip and the check in process went really smoothly.  We made our way out to the prison yard and got some throws in before the game started.  

The first game went well, and we coasted to an easy win.  David Stalter shared his testimony of how he came to know the Lord and how the Lord helped him through a season when he got hurt and was no longer able to play baseball.  Kyle Krall shared the Gospel.  We started a second game and we coasted again to a big win.  We circled up on the mound to hand out some award books to the umpires and team MVPs.  Kris Mettelmann did the closing circle and challenged the men to consider the Gospel that was preached to them.  

We then left the prison to go to a local Culver's for lunch.  The weather was pretty nice out so digesting a butter-burger and some cheese curds was actually something we could do!

We came back and the second team was starting to warm up.  These guys were a little tougher and gave us a run for our money!  The game went back and forth.  We were tied up after 7 innings.  Some of the guys were going to get called back so we broke for our ministry time.  Brent Gerber shared his testimony and Kris Mettelmann shared the Gospel.  

We were able to finish up the game.  We batted first and scored 7 runs and pulled out the win.  We played the fourth game of the day and won that one a little easier.  

We circled up on the mound and prayed with the men one more time before departing for the day.  

During our time at Hill CC, we handed out 76 Gospels and saw 14 men make professions of faith.  

After we left Hill, we stopped for a team meal at Jimmy's Pizza in Galesburg.  It was fun to have that team time and enjoying some pizza after a long day of softball.  

Our next visit is July 18th at Southwestern CC, however, there is a Crusade next week in Southern Illinois that I am going on.  I will be sending out some information about that soon!

Thank you for praying for our team yesterday!

I am thrilled that I get to serve the Lord on the prison softball fields!

God is Sovereign in Rain Delays and Bus Rides- Saints Visit Hill CC in Galesburg tomorrow!

The van ride to and from the prison can be used to discuss things like Cubs vs. Cardinals, Church polity, the recent Bears roster moves, parenting, and of course Saints legendary tales from years gone by.  

One of the Saints stories that came up recently was our first ever visit to FCI Greenville in 2012.  

On that July morning, it was pouring rain all the way to the prison.  The cool thing was that it did not rain at the prison and we played softball all morning.  Later on that same morning in 2012, we drove into the town and went to the local Subway.  While we were eating, it was pouring down rain.  When we got back, the rain had missed the prison.  

God could have allowed the day to get cancelled but He saw fit for us to be able to play softball and share the Gospel outside on the prison softball field. 

Psalm 135:6-7-  Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.  He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

The 2012 game is the most fun story to tell, but we could also tell of countless times where it rained and we had ministry opportunities in prison gyms or music rooms. God is sovereign over all and He has most certainly blessed us over the years as we have gone to prison to share about Him.  

This Saturday our Saints Prison Ministry Illinois softball team is heading to Hill CC in Galesburg, IL.  This is our first ever visit to this prison.  

We are planning on having two speaking times and will hopefully see around 100 guys.  

Like I mentioned, this will be our first time going to Hill CC, so please pray that everything goes well and that we are allowed to share the Gospel out on the prison yard.  

During our morning session, we will play two games and share the Gospel in between.  David Stalter will share his testimony and Kyle Krall will share the Gospel.  During the afternoon session, we will play another two games.  Brent Gerber will share his testimony, and Kris Mettelmann will share the Gospel.  

Thank you again for faithfully praying and supporting our team over the years.  It is a big encouragement, and I am looking forward to writing about how the day goes!

PRAISES

• During our last outing at IL River CC, we handed out 80 Gospels and saw 7 men make professions between the two prisons.
• The Texas Campaign in March went really well! We visited 3 prisons and handed out 632 Gospels of John and had 37 men make a profession of faith.
• Things are coming together for our upcoming trips to Southern IL, New Hampshire, and Angola, LA.  

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Pray that God continues to keep the doors open all year for us to minister
• Pray for all of the other teams going out this coming week.
• Pray for the hearts of the inmates we will see this summer. Pray that God draws their hearts to Himself.
• Pray that God provides more missionary athletes across the country for all of the opportunities to go in and share the Gospel!
• Pray for the hearts of our own missionary athletes and pray that we are bold in our prayer lives and bold sharing the Gospel this summer.

Defeating Skeletor Three Times and Winning Four Softball Games- 6/6/26 IL River CC Update

As of this writing, I have seen the new "Masters of the Universe" movie three times.  

Before you completely write me off as a dork, one of those times was last night when we went out for a dinner-and-a-movie night because our power was still out from the storms on Thursday.  

All three times He-Man defeated Skeletor, I enjoyed copious amounts of movie theater popcorn, and I had fun with my family.  

The movie was fun enough where it can be seen multiple times and still be enjoyable.  

This past Saturday (6/6/26) we visited IL River CC in Canton for the seventh time.  Canton is one of our most frequently visited prisons over the history of the Illinois softball team but it is always a fun trip.  

We get to sleep in a little bit longer, the drive is much shorter, and, since the drive is a simple one, we are less likely to get lost!  Beyond all of those things, the IL River CC date is always fun because the prison does a good job of making a fun day of the entire visit.  

The day of the visit we met up at a local Hardee's for breakfast before making the short trip to Canton.  Whenever we can have a morning breakfast, it is nice because that gives us time to catch up on what is going on in our lives and at our churches.  There is also some time for trash talking about where the Cubs and Cardinals are in the standings as well!

After we were done eating, we circled up and prayed for the day as a team.  We spent some time praying for the men we were going to visit and the other Saints teams that were on the road.  We then made the short trip to Canton and to the prison.  

One thing that made the trip extra special was having Bruce Buri and Wyatt Jicha come down from Wisconsin and join us for our trip.  Bruce and Wyatt have been on several trips over the years and they do such a good job with the ministry and are incredible teammates.  

We arrived at the prison on time and made our way through security.  The teams were already out on the field and were ready to go when we arrived.  After getting some warm up throws in, we circled up again as a team and prayed before our game.  

We found out that they had a softball tournament between the different teams and the winner of the tournament was the first team that we got to face.  

We jumped out right away with an 8 run first inning, but the IL River team kept chipping away at the lead while we failed to put up another big inning.  Eventually, we pulled away and won game 1.  

After the game was over, Kris Mettelmann shared his testimony and I shared the Gospel.  

We started game two and came out swinging and batted around in the first inning.  We won game two very decisively.  One thing that almost ended the day early for me was a small three foot snake that was slithering behind home plate.  The umpire and I saw the snake go down a hole near the chain link fence behind home plate.  The umpire and I both acknowledged that we don't like snakes, and that we would watch out in case the snake decided to come back out! 

After the game, we circled up with the team and gave out some MVP and umpire books.  We used this time to remind the men about the Gospel that was preached to them earlier and then we prayed with them.  

We then had time to have lunch with the men in the prison yard.  I had an opportunity to sit down and talk to the guys who had prepared the softball field for the day.  One of the men told me about how he came to know the Lord in prison but how he is worried about his 20 year old daughter and some of the decisions that she was making.  He asked us to pray for her and for her salvation.  I had a chance to pray with him before it was time to start getting ready for our third game.  

The third team came out a little tougher but we kept on hitting and won game three rather easily.  In between the third and fourth game, Bruce Buri shared his testimony and Brent Gerber shared the Gospel.  

By the time the fourth game rolled around, we were starting to feel the effects of the heat and being out in the sun all day.  We took control of the game early and didn't look back.  We finished the day strong and won game 4.  

We circled up with the men one more time and handed out some umpire books and the MVP for the second half of the day.  We prayed with the men one more time before packing up and heading out for the day.  

Overall on the day we handed out 80 Gospels of John and had seven men make professions of faith.  

At this point in the day, our team was pretty beat up from the heat and the four games.  We were trying to figure out what kind of food or snack to get on the way home and pretty much the only thing that sounded good to everyone was air conditioning and Gatorade!  We got some Gatorade and water from our van and prayed for the men one more time in the parking lot before we left.  We did make a quick stop at the local Canton Dairy Queen for some ice cream and some food.  

The van ride back to the Hardee's was short but it was still nice to hear the teammate talk in the van.  

Our next visit is 6/27 as we make our first visit to Hill CC in Galesburg.  This will be our first visit to Hill so it will be fun to go somewhere new and sharing the Gospel.  Please pray for the men we saw at IL River and please pray that God allows the doors to stay open at Hill!

"Finally Pray for Us"- Saints Visit IL River CC Tomorrow!

“How is that one celebrity doing in prison?”

When people ask about the ministry, that is the question I probably get asked the most.  

But, the most encouraging thing I hear when people ask about the ministry is:

“Hey, I’ll be praying for you guys when you go out this weekend!”

I always have a little extra bounce in my step after hearing that.  

Taking a traveling softball team to a government run prison to share the Gospel isn’t as easy it may sound, so when people tell me that they are engaging in prayer, it feels like they are walking out on the ledge with us when we go and do this.  

In 2 Thessalonians 3:1, Paul asks the church to pray for him.  He asks them to pray that the Word would go out and that people would respond.

2 Thessalonians 3:1-  Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you

I appreciate that people have been praying exactly this for our team and the rest of the ministry for years.  

Please continue to pray for tomorrow as we go in and share the Gospel at IL River CC.  We will have two speaking times and will see most of the same guys all day long.  Most of these guys will hear the Gospel twice.  

Of course, that is our plan but there could be issues with the administration and the weather that could affect those speaking times.  There could be issues this week that limit the crowd that gets to come out.  Please pray that we are able to share the Gospel to a crowd that needs to hear about the Lord.  

Please pray for the men that we see and that God works in their hearts so that they will receive the Gospel, repent, and put their trust in Jesus.  

We are planning on spending the whole day out on the prison yard with the men.  During our morning session, we will play two games and share the Gospel in between.  Kris Mettelmann will share his testimony and I will share the Gospel.  During the afternoon session, we will play another two games.  Bruce Buri will share his testimony and Brent Gerber will share the Gospel.  

Thank you again for faithfully praying and supporting our team over the years.  It is a big encouragement and I am looking forward to writing about how the day goes!

PRAISES

• During our last outing, we handed out 66 Gospels and saw 17 people make professions between the two prisons.
• The Texas Campaign in March went really well! We visited 3 prisons and handed out 632 Gospels of John and had 37 men make a profession of faith.
• Like I mentioned in a previous email, we have several young adults from our church involved in missions trips and camp ministries this summer. It is such a blessing to see God working in their lives. (I’m sure several of you have young people in your church doing similar things, so if you pray for our young people, I’ll pray for yours!)
• Lord willing we are visiting three more new prisons this summer and one prison we haven’t been to in over 10 years! Praise the Lord for opening doors this year!
• I am looking forward to going on two more (possibly three!) out of state trips this summer with the team.  God is opening up doors across the country for the ministry and it is so cool to see that happen!

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Pray that God keeps the doors open all year for us to minister
• Pray for all of the other teams going out this coming week.
• Pray for the hearts of the inmates we will see this summer. Pray that God draws their hearts to Himself.
• Pray that God provides more missionary athletes across the country for all of the opportunities to go in and share the Gospel!
• Pray for the hearts of our own missionary athletes and pray that we are bold in our prayer lives and bold sharing the Gospel this summer.