Major League Baseball (MLB) players from the USA, affiliated with Christian group Unlimited Potential Inc (UPI), visited the Helderberg Pirates Baseball Club at Radloff Park in Somerset West on Monday 4 December, where they shared baseball knowledge with the teams as part of their Christian Community Programme.
The event comprised a short baseball-practice session followed by some testimonials and words of advice and encouragement.
Simon Guehring, a catcher at the MLB, has played two years of professional baseball in the United States, one year in the Netherlands and four years in South Africa. He moved back to Germany and has been the German national team captain since 2004. Guehring helps coordinate mission trips to Italy, Germany and South Africa.
Mickey Weston, a pitcher, is currently in his 20th season serving players as chaplain for the Chicago White Sox.
He was drafted in 1982 by the New York Mets and pitched for 15 seasons, and had parts of five years in the MLB with the Orioles, Blue Jays, Phillies and Mets.
Weston went on his first mission trip with UPI in 1986 to South Korea. That trip changed the trajectory of his life. He has since travelled to work in partnership with missionaries and local churches in ore than 40 countries around the world. Weston’s wife, Lisa, serves the women in professional baseball as the women’s ministry coordinator for Baseball Chapel and as women’s Bible study leader for the White Sox.
The couple has also served together on the board of directors of Pro Athletes Outreach for more than 30 years.
Speaking to DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette, the pair said they were travelling the world sharing the love of Christ, while at the same time interacting with baseball players to help improve their game.
“We’ve helped them with some pointers and showed them some techniques of the game, mostly in a supportive capacity for the coaches,” said Weston. “We have a passion to teach the game the right way, and if they can understand the game from a young age with the correct techniques then it will make a major difference to their performance.”
Guehring added that, like Germany, baseball in South Africa is not a very big sport as the culture levitates towards other more mainstream sport.
“I think the goal for Germany and South Africa is to get children to play baseball from a young age, to give them time to get into the game and really make it part of their culture.”
