Phill Shallenberger

No one could write this story… but GOD DID! 🙏 The best way to describe it all came from my dad…. “I thought I was attending a baseball tournament and walked out of the stadium feeling like I left a REVIVAL! 🤲 When you truly SURRENDER with “Open Hands” God does the work!

Working with an SEC coach today, we got into a real conversation about evaluating hitters in the recruiting process. What we found in the margins: You can get ahead simply by knowing what you’re actually looking at. Sounds simple, but anyone can watch a hitter perform. Not everyone can project talent. Not everyone can see what a player can become. That’s where programs separate. The ability to identify future growth — not just current results — is what leads you to the players who change the trajectory of your program.

@KWBaseball If I could repost this 50 times I would!

Messiah Baseball takes a 5-4 lead over York in game two on this three-run home run from Nick Moyer! #GoMessiah | #d3baseball

Messiah Baseball scores a run in the bottom of the third on this solo home run from Drew Hurst to cut the Spartans lead to one! #GoMessiah | #d3baseball

Messiah Baseball scores seven runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 8-2 lead! The runs were highlighted by this no-doubt grand slam from Isaiah Parido! #GoMessiah | #d3baseball

Sean McVay on creating "togetherness": When you love the person next to you, effort stops being a requirement, and it becomes a reflex: ⚙️ Connection creates an extra gear. 🤝 Standards become shared, not forced. ❤️ Culture isn’t built in meetings, it’s forged thru relationships. You rise to the level of the people you’re connected to!

yet in the middle of my sin, imperfections, and countless mistakes—He still pursues me, still calls me, still draws me closer to Him. That’s grace. That’s love.

God never stops reminding me of His relentless, never-giving-up love for us. Every year our team does a cross run—carrying crosses, walking through Scripture, and taking communion. And every year, I’m overwhelmed all over again by the depth of His love. I deserve nothing…

ICYMI Messiah Christian Foltz, pitched the 36th perfect game in DIII history and the first in over three years as Messiah defeated Hood 6-0 on the final weekend in March. Release: d3baseball.com/notables/2026/… #d3baseball

Pretty surreal moment! Continually in Awe of what God is doing with these guys! 🙏 #JesusOverEverything

The @NCAADIII Baseball Championship is returning to Northeast Ohio at Classic Auto Group Park from May 29 – June 4. ⚾️ Watch the nation’s top 8 teams battle it out for a national title in this can’t-miss showdown. For more information: bit.ly/4sxt431

More leaders—coaches and beyond—need this mindset when working with young people. Grace over quitting on someone after they mess up. I know I wouldn’t be where I am today if people had walked away from me in my failures. 👇👇👇

Messiah Baseball's game versus Penn St. Harrisburg has been moved to Thursday, March 19 at 3:00 PM! #GoMessiah | #d3baseball

Anchored ⚓️ Scripture: John 16:1 — “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away.” Baseball is a game of ups and downs — filled with failure, slumps, and tough stretches. The question isn’t if a player will fail, but when. I’ve yet to see a hitter go through a full season without a slump or a pitcher who never has a rough outing. What I’ve learned over the years is this: The best players aren’t the ones who never fail. They’re the ones who know where their anchor is when they do. Our team has a motto: “Fight the Drift.” A boat doesn’t fight the current by trying harder — it fights the drift by dropping its anchor. The anchor keeps it steady when the waves and current try to carry it away. Hitters drift. Mechanics drift. Confidence drifts. Focus drifts. But the great ones have something that brings them back quickly. An anchor that recenters them, reminds them who they are, and pulls them back to the foundation that made them successful in the first place. They may drift — but they don’t stay there long. Jesus speaks directly to this in John 16:1: “I have told you these things so that you will not fall away.” In other words, He gives us truth ahead of time so when the storms come — and they will — we have something to hold us steady. As followers of Jesus, our anchor is the Word of God. Just like in baseball, the question in life isn’t will we fall. The question is where will we go when we fall? The enemy wants us to drift toward guilt, shame, and the lie that we’re unworthy or too far gone. He wants us stuck in the slump. But Jesus invites us to run immediately back to Him. To anchor ourselves in truth. To remind ourselves of what God says about us — not what failure says about us. When we drift, we don’t fix it by trying harder in our own strength. We fix it by dropping our anchor deeper into God’s Word. The storms don’t mean you’re weak. The drift doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It simply means it’s time to anchor again. So when the slump comes. When the rough inning hits. When life knocks you down. Don’t drift into shame. Don’t drift into isolation. Drop your anchor. Run back to Jesus. Hold fast to His truth. And let Him steady you once again. Fight the Drift. Stay Anchored.

@hankster38 Amen. This is a reminder I need daily!

@CoachPhill_S I needed to read this this morning. Being focused on Jesus Christ is always a great way to start your days. It is also a great way to lead others.

The Lie Coaches Believe About Success Scripture: Luke 10:40; John 15:5 As coaches, we live in a world of checklists. Practice plans. Recruiting calls. Film breakdown. Player meetings. Lineups. Travel. Fundraising. There is always something that needs done. Luke 10:40 says Martha was “distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.” Not bad things. Not sinful things. Just… things. Meanwhile Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus. Present. Connected. Listening. Martha wasn’t lazy. She was busy. And busyness pulled her away from the very Person who could actually give her life. Sound familiar? How often do we fall into the same trap as coaches? “If I just grind a little harder…” “If I spend more time in the office…” “If I work one more hour…” “If I do more, we’ll see more fruit…” I’ll be honest — that mindset used to define me. A few years ago, God grabbed hold of my heart through one verse that has become my life verse: John 15:5. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” That verse didn’t just encourage me — it changed my life. I realized I had been trying to produce fruit through my own effort instead of through my connection with Christ. I was coaching hard. Working long hours. Grinding nonstop. But slowly drying up spiritually. Here’s what Jesus makes clear: Fruit doesn’t come from grinding harder. Fruit comes from staying connected. Branches don’t strain to produce grapes. They simply stay attached to the vine. The vine does the work. And I love this promise in that verse: Not “you might bear fruit.” Not “there’s a chance you’ll see fruit.” You WILL bear fruit. But only if you abide. So many of us are out here coaching like disconnected branches — hustling, sweating, forcing outcomes — while replacing presence with productivity. We substitute: 👉 effort for abiding 👉 busyness for intimacy 👉 striving for trusting And then we wonder why joy fades. Why burnout creeps in. Why pressure keeps rising. Martha was doing good things… But she missed the best thing. Connection always comes before production in the Kingdom of God. Your leadership. Your impact. Your influence on players. Your fruit in the locker room. It all flows out of your relationship with Him. Not your grind. Yes — work hard. Yes — be excellent. Yes — steward your role well. But never let “what needs done” distract you from Who you need most. Because apart from Him… You can do nothing. But if you abide? You WILL bear fruit. Not because you forced it. Not because you hustled harder. But because you stayed connected to the Vine. ⸻ Coach’s Prayer Lord, Thank You for reminding me that real fruit comes from staying close to You, not striving harder. Help me to choose connection over distraction, presence over busyness, abiding over grinding. Shape my heart as a coach to lead from a place of intimacy with You.

Unworthy — And Yet… Scripture: Romans 3:23–24 (NIV) — “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Devotional: For many of us, seasons are rolling, practices are in full swing, and life quickly becomes one task after another — practice plans, games, recruiting, meetings, and family responsibilities. While structure and hard work are necessary for success, the danger comes when we never slow down. When we don’t slow down and become present with God, we begin to lose sight of where our true strength comes from — Jesus. And when that happens, the enemy is quick to capitalize on our vulnerability. Our guard drops because our work becomes the most important thing in this season of life instead of God. Before we even realize it… we drift. Prayer becomes less frequent. Time in the Word fades. Our thoughts begin to control us instead of us taking them captive. And then the enemy starts whispering shame: “Who are you to lead this team?” “With your past… with your current struggles… you’re not worthy.” “You’re inadequate as a coach, a leader, a man of faith.” Here’s the hard truth — on our own, those statements are true. We aren’t worthy. We are inadequate. Our strength, wisdom, and ability fall short. But that’s not the end of the story. We are made worthy because of Jesus. It has nothing to do with our performance — on the field or in life. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. But through Him, we are redeemed, strengthened, and made new. There isn’t a single coach, player, or person who is blameless or deserving on their own — and that’s the beauty of grace. We don’t have to have it all figured out. We don’t have to be perfect leaders. We simply have to be faithful and trust the One who is. And that is incredibly freeing. ⸻ Coach’s Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your grace that covers what we cannot. Help us to slow down, fix our eyes on You, and lead from Your strength instead of our own. When shame tries to creep in, remind us of the truth of who we are in Christ — redeemed, called, and loved. Teach us to trust You in every season and to be faithful with the players and opportunities You’ve placed before us. Amen.

Messiah Athletics Mourns the Passing of Former Messiah Baseball Student Athlete, Tyler Moody. Moody, a beloved teammate and friend, played baseball at Messiah from 2013-2016 and graduated with a degree in Sports Management. #GoMessiah gomessiah.com/news/2026/1/23…

Preseason D3Baseball.com Top 25. Defending champs @UWWAthletics hold the top spot. @ECGulls, @DenisonSports, @KeanAthletics, and @SUSeaGulls round out the top five. #d3data #d3 #d3sports #d3baseball @ulv_athletics @CentreAthletics @UWOshkoshTitans @Sagehens @AdrianBulldogs @PSHbgAthletics @mcmsports @UWLAthletics @KCGiants @GoETBUTigers

“Expectations that Distract” Scripture: “And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. ‘Who touched me?’ Jesus asked… Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet… He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.’” Luke 8:43–48 (NIV) Devotional: Every coach walks into the day carrying expectations. A practice plan that needs to be dialed in. A lineup decision that won’t make everyone happy. Emails to answer. Reports to finish. Somewhere along the way, expectations start to feel like pressure, and pressure can quietly become a distraction. Expectations aren’t always bad. In baseball, standards matter. Preparation matters. Excellence matters. But when we’re not careful, the expectations placed on us—or the ones we place on ourselves—can distract us from who Jesus is asking us to notice today. One of the most impactful books I’ve ever read is One At a Time by Kyle Idleman. In it, he explores why Jesus is the most influential person to ever walk the earth. His conclusion is simple, yet deeply challenging: Jesus changed the world one person at a time. Luke 8:43–48 gives us a powerful picture of this truth. Jesus is surrounded by a crowd. People are pressing in on Him from every direction. Important expectations are pulling at Him. Yet when a woman touches His cloak, Jesus stops. He asks a question no one else thinks matters: “Who touched me?” He refuses to let her slip away unnoticed. Most people already believed she wasn’t worth the interruption. Jesus thought differently. As coaches, how often do we let the expectations of the day distract us from the one player who needs us most? The hitter who asks for extra cage work that slowly turns into a one-on-one conversation. The player who stays late, not because he loves reps, but because he needs someone to listen. The athlete who doesn’t need another drill, but needs to be seen. Meetings, budgets, administrative work, scouting reports, recruiting calls—all of it matters. But none of it matters more than the person standing right in front of us. Jesus never hurried past people to stay on schedule. He never allowed the crowd to dictate His compassion. He noticed the one. Maybe the question isn’t, How do I meet every expectation today? Maybe it’s, Who is the one Jesus is asking me to notice? Reflection: Who might you be unintentionally overlooking because of the expectations on your plate? Prayer: Lord, slow me down enough to notice who You place in front of me today. Guard my heart from being distracted by expectations and help me invest faithfully in the one You are calling me to see. Amen.