Taylor Justus, a 2024 Biola graduate from Thousand Oaks, California, is now a professional Banana Ball player. Growing in his faith on the field in La Mirada propelled him with Banana Ball, a non-traditional game of baseball with a set of its own unique rules. Now living in Fort Worth, Texas, Justus felt called to move after graduation. His fiance was also an incentive, since she had been working in Dallas for the past few years.
Justus received the opportunity to play for the Bananas a few summers ago and was blown away by how exciting it was. Connecting with fans and utilizing the work he had been putting in at Biola, in Texas, was rewarding.
“After I graduated, I told them I wanted to play with them professionally and God gave me the opportunity,” Justus said.
Biola Baseball has undoubtedly taught Justus lessons that have shaped him to where he is now. Baseball is a game that involves constant failure, and things don’t always go as planned; applying these to life is key. He credits his coach, Jesse Rogers, and teammates for helping him through times of trial.
“Coach Rodgers always said your previous strikeout just means you’re one step closer to a hit,” Justus said. “That team taught me to live in and enjoy the moment and to play for God’s glory and not my own.”
BASEBALL AS MINISTRY
Justus views this sport differently than many who play it. He does not want to glorify baseball or make it the determining factor of his life. While it is important to him, it is not the main point.
“Baseball is really just a game to me. I don’t want to put it on a pedestal; it’s a way where I can connect to people and share the Gospel,” said Justus.
He has used baseball as an opportunity to travel all over the country and spread the gospel with teammates and fans.
“Being a part of a team is great because you get to know everyone at a deeper level,” Justus said, “I get to understand people and what they believe and why they believe it.”
Fostering a diverse perspective in ministry is vital, specifically within the field of sport. Understanding points of connection with others creates opportunities for sharing the gospel.
“I want people to know the Gospel,” Justus said. “Baseball is a great thing, but it is not the ultimate thing. Play for God and the rest will come as according to the will of the Father.”
Sharing the gospel became personal for him. Justus recalled one of his worst starts to the season in his last year at Biola. Having idolized baseball, he went through the process of discovering what baseball truly meant to him and for the glory and honor of Christ.
“I felt like I was letting the team down, myself down, and my family down,” Justus said. “When letting that fear of failure and expectation of results go, I began to see why I play for the glory of God and how in the grand scheme of God’s redemption plan for humanity, my base hit or strikeout really doesn’t matter.”
This became an instrumental part of his testimony, using his talents for the Lord, but also viewing his shortcomings through the eyes of God’s redemptive power. Justus was able to see how in his weakness, the Lord is strong.
His community of believers and personal faith have grown him to see baseball as more than a sport or identity. For Justus, whether it’s at Biola Baseball or Banana Ball, it is a field of faith.
