26 NCAA softball players baptized together before going head-to-head in Conference USA tournament

A group of 26 opponents crossed team lines to get baptized together just days before they would become adversaries on the field.

Student athletes from Jacksonville State, Liberty University, Sam Houston, and Western Kentucky University decided to get baptized before the Conference USA women’s softball tournament. What made the event more interesting, though, was that the event was not planned, nor were their appearances predetermined.

WKU is hosting the CUSA softball tournament and organized a religious event beforehand called the “Worship on the Hill.”

The WKU Fellowship of Christian Athletes put on the event in partnership with a local church in Bowling Green, Kentucky. At the service, 29 college students were baptized. This seemingly inspired attendees from the Jacksonville State softball team, who were in attendance after having just played WKU to finish the season. WKU players had invited their opponents to the church.

The next day, players from Jacksonville State contacted the WKU players and asked them to help set up another baptism event and invite others to join. The event ended up hosting players from multiple teams in town for the tournament, a spectacular feat given that they are all set to compete against one another in the most important games of their lives, to date.

“On May 5th, we witnessed 29 baptisms at WKU on South Lawn. Several CUSA softball players attended the event, but they had to leave early, so they missed witnessing the baptisms,” the Fellowship of Christian Athletes wrote on Instagram.

“But God wasn’t finished with them. They were so moved by Worship On The Hill that the next evening on May 6th, 26 COLLEGE ATHLETES crossed from death to life and were baptized in a hotel pool.”

The video showed a number of female athletes receiving baptism at the event, which was surprisingly promoted by several of the schools directly on their social media pages.

‘You could sense the Lord in the room.’

“For the most part, the Lord just stirred on their hearts that night,” WKU FCA Director David Byrd told Sports Spectrum. “As they left and we were on the heels of the event, we thought this was another great event where God moved. Come to find out, He wasn’t done.”

“What made it really special is these softball players have been competing against each other all year,” Byrd added.

The organizer said the competitive spirit was not present while the women were at the church and that rather a feeling of calmness permeated throughout.

“It was peaceful. You could sense the Lord in the room.,” he concluded.

Liberty University is by far the favorite heading into the conference tournament, leading the conference with a 45-11 (23-3) record this season, eight games ahead of Jacksonville State and Western Kentucky.

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