It was homecoming night, and Michael Lorenzen and his buddies from California’s Fullerton High School ventured out onto nearby Huntington Beach Pier as they often did.
Lorenzen, a high school baseball star, had grown up in a home absent from church and broken by alcoholism and divorce. The baseball diamond, along with alcohol and drugs, was a nice escape.
But this night suddenly became different than all the others at the pier. An older man approached the teens and asked if he could share a story about Jesus with them.
“The Holy Spirit convicted me as I was high on weed, listening to a story about a Man who died for my sins,” Lorenzen says. “I knew it wasn't right for me to do what I was doing, and I realized that I had a false sense of who God really was. I don't think any of my friends had the same conviction. We didn't talk about it at all, and I kept it internalized that whole night.”
A couple days later, Lorenzen, acting upon the Holy Spirit’s prompting, went to Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa with his brother, Matthew, and gave his life to the Lord. His route was forever changed, all because the Holy Spirit gave one man enough courage to share the Gos-pel with a group of strangers.
“Just thinking about it,” Lorenzen says, “motivates me to continue to preach the gospel, whether I feel like it or not.”
• • •
Following his conversion to Christ near the end of his junior year in high school, Lorenzen—already one of the best baseball players in the state—took it to another level. No longer shackled by the pressure to fit in, he was free from drugs and earned all-state honors by hitting .455 as a senior in 2010. The Tampa Bay Rays selected him in the seventh round of that year's MLB Draft, but Lorenzen said no to the contract and opted to attend Cal State Fullerton.
Former Cal State Fullerton Titan Michael Lorenzen
“I had a great opportunity to play professionally for a good organization, but the value I set for myself to sign a contract wasn't met,” he says. “God gave me a real peace that His will for me was to attend college. My spiritual maturity and relationship with the Lord have grown so much over the past three years in college, and I don't believe that could have happened if I had signed with the Rays.”
Lorenzen joined FCA early his freshman year and felt an instant connection and a great comfort and blessing with his fellow Christ-followers. No longer did he feel out of place.
“The heart and passion for people that our FCA leaders have shown since I've been involved is really the best part of FCA,” he says. “I've never seen such hearts devoted to sharing the Gospel through athletics, and it's become an organization that's proven attractive to other student-athletes, even if they're not familiar with Jesus.”
The soon-to-be star batted .342 during his first season with the Titans, earning Freshman All-America and Big West Freshman of the Year honors. Off the field, he thrived spiritually, leading Bible studies and serving as a member of the Cal State Fullerton FCA leadership team.
In 2012, Lorenzen's sophomore season, his on-field accomplishments piled on top of one another. He started every game as the Titans centerfielder and added 20 appearances as a reliever, notching 16 saves in 17 chances and earning double All-Big West honors as both an outfielder and closer.
“Michael is the poster child for what a student-athlete should be,” Cal State Fullerton coach Rick Vanderhook says. “He knows when and where to share his faith with his teammates and is without a doubt the best athlete I've ever coached.”
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Late in games Vanderhook needed to bring in his closer. As with most hard-throwing, shutdown relievers, that move is accompanied by a song piercing through the loudspeakers. (Think Mariano Rivera and “Enter Sandman.”)
As Michael Lorenzen emerged from the bullpen, a chorus of children’s voices rang out through the Goodwin Field speakers proclaiming, “Our God is an awesome God.” Christian rapper R-Swift takes over from there, kicking off a bass-fueled anthem that praises God’s glory before 3,500 adrenaline-filled fans.
Lorenzen, the undisputed on-field leader for the Titans, wouldn't have had it any other way.
“Ever since I gave my life to Jesus, I knew my calling was to use baseball as a platform to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with a lot of people,” says Lorenzen, whose walk-up music for at-bats was Viktory's “Do it for the City.” “My songs are extremely important, and there's a lot of time and prayer that goes into choosing them. I want to use songs that share the gospel and come from artists I know are solid in their doctrine.
“When people hear my songs, I want to open their eyes and ears to music that's like what they already listen to, but that comes straight from God, not from the world.”
The walkout music was just an appetizer of Lorenzen’s personality that had FCA’s Brad Stanfield calling him “the Tim Tebow of college baseball.”
"I have never seen someone in baseball make this kind of impact for Christ as early in his life,” says Stanfield, an FCA North Orange County Area Representative. “He's one of the fiercest competitors and lives his life, leads his team, helps lead FCA, and gives back to the community in ways that [make him like Tebow].”
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With talent oozing out of him, it’d be easy for Lorenzen to have an inflated ego, but he chooses to deflect the praise elsewhere.
“Mike's a gifted, hardworking player who led his team in home runs, RBI and batting average, while closing out games with a fastball that's been clocked at 98 mph,” Stanfield says. “Because of that, a lot of praise, glory, and attention are given to him.
“But through the Christian music he picks for games, the countless autographs he signs, or his adding of Scripture to gloves and apparel that he gives away, Mike is able to say so much without even speaking. And it’s all about the high ground he's found in Christ.”
During college, Lorenzen spent many Tuesday nights in Cal State Fullerton's FCA Huddle, helping his fellow student-athletes pursue God’s Word, serve the community, and support one another through their daily struggles. The weekly gatherings proved a welcome respite from the temptations that typically surround star athletes on a large university campus.
“Many colleges teach students to be their own god,” Lorenzen says. “When I say that, I mean it's all about self-centered living and doing things that make your flesh feel good, when Jesus says we should crucify our flesh daily.
“My girlfriend, Dominique (a soccer player and FCA Huddle member at the University of Missouri), and I have been together for more than four years. Through the strength of Jesus we've been able to stay pure and, God willing, she’ll be the one I start my family with one day.”
God’s grace is even evident in Lorenzen’s once-unsteady family life. He and his brother, Matthew, continue to push each other toward Christ and share Him with other family members. Their mother, Cheryl, has been alcohol-free for a year and a half, and Matthew said the changes he's seen in his younger brother’s life are truly heaven-sent.
"It's a different type of motivation when you play for the Lord. I no longer play baseball for myself and what's in it for me. I play so I can have the opportunity to help others." - Michael Lorenzen
“My hope and prayer is that people are attracted to the joy and hope that lives inside of Michael,” he says. “He knows there's nothing good in him but the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and that's what gives him the boldness to speak to people about the God who saved him from sin and death by faith alone.”
An avid Twitter user, Lorenzen (@Lorenzen55) regularly shares Scripture with his followers. He also writes a daily email devotional to a group of 50 to 60 high school, college and professional baseball players.
“One day, God put it on my heart to send out a devotional to a group of five or six high school kids,” he says. “I wanted to give them a better understanding of what the Bible says and break it down for them using my own personal experiences. I wanted them to really get in the Word, and I knew this was a way to encourage them to do so.”
And it doesn’t just encourage others to get in the Word; it also keeps Lorenzen accountable to study Scripture and apply the Bible daily, he says.
Lorenzen's ministry has expanded as other players, including 2013 first overall pick Mark Appel and UC-Irvine's Jimmy Litchfield, have now sent devotionals to the group as well.
During his final season with Cal State Fullerton, Lorenzen led the Titans in home runs and saves and was drafted 38th overall by the Cincinnati Reds. Scouts vary on whether his long-term future is on the mound―slinging high-90s fastballs or tracking fly balls in the outfield. But Lorenzen looks forward to whatever God has in store for him.
“I've always wanted to play pro ball, so starting my career has been a dream come true,” he says. “Baseball is a platform for me to share the Gospel, so I'm going to work as hard as I can to get to the big leagues. It's a different type of motivation when you play for the Lord. I no longer play baseball for myself and what's in it for me. I play so I can have the opportunity to help others.”
That, Lorenzen said, is a mindset God began to grow in him more than three years ago, when he passed on a pro career with Tampa Bay to follow Christ’s calling to Cal State Fullerton, where the Titans and FCA helped him sharpen his physical and spiritual disciplines.
“FCA is the face of faith in sports, and it’s encouraged me to continue living out God’s will in my life,” he says. “I've dedicated my life to Jesus, so now I’ll take Him wherever I go. Whether that’s in baseball or not, I know my ministry is to create disciples of all nations through the leading of the Spirit.”
• • •
To this day, Lorenzen’s mind still wanders back to homecoming night on the Huntington Beach Pier, where a stranger’s willingness to open up to a group of wayward teens changed his life forever.
“If that man wasn’t bold enough to share Jesus with me, then I wouldn't be saved today,” he says. “I want that same boldness. I just pray that I live a life dedicated to His will. By doing that, everything else will take care of itself.”
Originally Published: July 2013
Photos courtesy of Matt Brown/MattBrownPhoto.com