COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – While thousands of fans counted down the hours until Saturday’s sold-out Savannah Bananas game at Kyle Field, a group of players spent their Friday night doing something a little different — bringing their faith to the Brazos Valley.
Savannah Bananas player Coach RAC, along with several teammates and players from the Texas Tailgaters, hosted a free community worship night at Central Church in College Station on Friday as part of their traveling faith movement, Sandlot Revival.
The heart behind Sandlot Revival
For Coach RAC, the night was about something far greater than baseball.
“The only thing that will satisfy your soul is the relationship with Jesus Christ, and that is the heart behind this,” RAC said.
Sandlot Revival began as a team Bible study in 2024 before launching as a formal, city-to-city worship tour in 2025. Since then, the movement has reached more than 5,000 people across the country.
Savannah Bananas players trade the ballpark for a night of worship in College Station(KBTX)
RAC said the idea to bring worship nights to every city the Bananas visit was something he felt called to do.
“We’re traveling to so many different cities all over the country, and I thought, what if we had a worship night in every city that we go to?” Cruz said. “The objective is simple. We don’t care if 10 people show up or 5,000 people show up. It’s about connecting people in every city we go to with their local churches and presenting them with the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Cruz also reflected on what the night means personally for him and his teammates, who are often away from their home churches while on the road.
“We often don’t get to be a part of a local church because we’re on the road so much,” Cruz said. “To be able to sing songs of praise and read scripture together, it feels like we’re connected to the greater body of Christ.”
Central Church opens its doors
Central Church Lead Pastor Philip Bethencourt said he was thrilled to host the event and welcomed the opportunity to bring the community together around faith.
“Tonight’s not about baseball, it’s about worshiping Jesus and making his name known,” Bethencourt said.
Bethencourt added that one of the highlights of the evening was hearing the personal testimonies of the players.
“So often people can see them on the big screen and think they might have had perfect lives or easy backgrounds,” Bethencourt said. “But the Lord has really shown up and taken them in a new direction through a relationship with Jesus, and we’re going to get to hear all about that tonight.”
Bethencourt said partnering with the Savannah Bananas players was an exciting opportunity to share a message that goes beyond the ballpark.
“We love every chance we can get to bring our community together to share with them the life-changing message of relationship with Jesus,” Bethencourt said. “To partner with some of the players is just an exciting opportunity.”
Players come together in worship.(KBTX)
For young fans like Beau Montgomery, Friday night was a chance to worship alongside the players they admire.
“It’s a great way to worship God, and I love that we get to experience this with all my friends and really everybody who wants to watch them,” Montgomery said.
A Message Beyond the Game
Coach RAC closed with a message for anyone watching or following along.
“The most important thing in this world is not you, it is the God who created you,” Cruz said. “If we can learn that we are loved by a holy God and we don’t have to do anything to earn his favor, but Jesus has accomplished everything on the cross, then we will live a life that is far less us-centered, and we can serve other people in a way that’ll be nourishing to our souls in a way we didn’t even realize.”
Weekend full of fun
The Savannah Bananas will take the field Saturday night at Kyle Field in College Station. Gates open at 4:30 p.m., the show is expected to start at 6:30 p.m. and first pitch is set for 7 p.m. The game is expected to draw more than 100,000 fans.
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