Ethan Chapman with wife Kylie ... (Photo Courtesy: Ethan Chapman)
Ethan Chapman’s dream to make it to the Big League level hasn’t happened yet. This past Winter, Ethan signed to play 2017 in the Mexican League (AAA level) with the Vaqueros Union Laguna club where he just began his season last week.
Off the field, he’s a husband and a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. His faith is at the center of who he is as a person.
Today is the second of a season-long diary that Ethan is going to share with us as he continues his battle through minor league baseball and his quest to make it to the Big Leagues.
Sunday April 16, 2017 — I am writing this on Easter Sunday. This is the first Easter since my mother passed away last November. She loved Easter. She always made a big deal out of it, just another reason to spoil us and show us her God given ability to sacrifice and give! Even last year my mom and mother in-law put together a surprise Easter egg hunt for us “kids.” The youngest being 22 years old of course. I was honored to be raised by her and the way she treated people, truly impacted me and I will be forever grateful to her.
Ethan at his wedding with mother Gayle Chapman – 12/20/13
This week we are playing away which means leaving my wife behind in an unfamiliar city. Thankfully a pitcher lives next door with his wife and son which means she won’t be completely alone. My wife, Kylie has spent 5 seasons saying goodbye to me. While I have traveled the country in pursuit of my dream, she has stayed in our hometown, working as an full-time registered Nurse in the emergency department to support the minor league baseball lifestyle. Needless to say, she deserved a little time off. So she traveled all the way from Southern California, a layover in Houston, then into Torreón which is in the middle of Mexico, all while trying to manage out 1 year old French bulldog in the airplane cabin.
We knew we both had some big adjustments coming, since we had never spent a season together or played in a foreign country. There are many things people don’t realize that help us as baseball players. At the top of the list is how important our spouses are to making sure we’re prepared for games each night. Kylie takes the pressure off me so I can focus on baseball. I think her favorite job as a baseball wife is keeping our family informed on everything, she is my very own publicist (unpaid ?). It’s truly a blessing to have her with me this year. I don’t know where I would be without her.
One of the cities we played in this week is Campeche, Mexico and it is absolutely beautiful. While we were there I learned about the history, tried some amazing fresh fried fish and won all 6 games we played on the road. Campeche is a little more humid than in Torreon, similar to Florida. I’ll post some picture below so you can see how amazing it is.
The places baseball has taken me and my family are truly a blessing. Who would of thought playing a kids game I would be able to play in 3 different countries, 20 different states, countless small cities and obtain my Mexican citizenship!
Baseball is more than just a game. It brings people together! It’s something to fall in love with, get excited about, show emotion, to play and watch with passion! I’ve gone through streaks of hating the game but it’s never really been about the game itself, it’s more about my mindset or outside influences. The game in itself is pure and perfect!
Hope everyone had a great Easter and an amazing week! Please message me with any other topics or questions you would like answered in next weeks journal! God bless!
Through 16 games for Vaqueros Union Laguna, Ethan is currently batting .308 with 16 hits, 5 stolen bases, and 5 RBI.
Jason Adam pitching in the 2025 MLB All-Star Game. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING JASON ADAM
Jason Adam is a pitcher with the San Diego Padres. He was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 2010 MLB Draft and made his big-league debut with the team in May 2018. In addition to the Royals and Padres, he has also pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays. He was selected to his first MLB All-Star Game in 2025.
Today on the podcast, Jason Adam joins Matt Forte to discuss progress in the recovery of his quad tendon rupture from September 2025, how God has helped him through it, dealing with doubt in his career, and the beauty of being a girl dad.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING ADAM WAINWRIGHT
Adam Wainwright is a former MLB pitcher who played 18 years with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2005 to 2023. He finished his career with 200 wins, three All-Star selections, two World Series championships, two Gold Gloves and the 2020 Roberto Clemente Award.
In retirement, Wainwright is now serving as an analyst with Fox Sports’ MLB coverage while also pursuing a country music career.
Today, Adam Wainwright returns to the podcast to talk with Matt Forte about his journey of faith, retirement from baseball, using his platform to share the Gospel, his evolving music career, and balancing life as a broadcaster, husband and father.
Two great shows so far in Illinois. First stop was in Bloomington and that was amazing! Tonight we were in Effingham, and tomorrow we’ll be in Marion at the Marion Culture and Civic Center! Y’all come check us out. Here is a little clip from tonight! Thank you Effingham!!! pic.twitter.com/iNge5hN6qU
From left: Christian Pulisic, VJ Edgecombe, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Hannah Hidalgo, Jaxon Smith-Njigba. (AP Photos)
Welcome to 2026!
As the calendar turns over, an exciting year awaits for fans and athletes alike. Records will fall, champions will be crowned, and the desire to win will push athletes to their absolute limits. Many of those athletes will also seek to glorify Jesus through their words and actions over the next 365 days, and Sports Spectrum will continue to cover all that God is doing in the world of sports.
To get the year started, we’ve compiled a list of 13 such Christ-following athletes (in no particular order) set to make headlines in the sports world this year.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, NFL
As this third-year pro has played a crucial role in helping the Seattle Seahawks become one of the best teams in the NFL this season, he’s become one of the league’s best wide receivers. A Pro Bowler in 2024, Smith-Njigba leads the NFL in receiving yards, helping the Seahawks become the league’s No. 2 scoring offense. At only 23, many bright days appear to be ahead for JSN. But catching touchdowns is not his deepest purpose. “I just want to have my hand in this community and build it and share my testimony and my faith in God,” Smith-Njigba said earlier this season. “Just be on the highest stage and praise His name, because that’s what I feel I’m ultimately here to do.”
Christian Pulisic, U.S. men’s national team
For the U.S. men’s national soccer team, 2026 is a make-or-break year. The Americans are hosting the 48-team FIFA World Cup (along with Canada and Mexico), and much of the weight for the U.S.’s performance will fall on the shoulders of this 27-year-old. Considered the best player on the national team, Pulisic (who plays for Italy’s AC Milan) said he’s grown in his faith while playing in some of the biggest soccer leagues in the world. “Something that I’ve grown a lot closer with this past year is my belief in God, especially being alone over here,” Pulisic said in January 2021. “I feel like I always have Someone who’s with me. I don’t know how I would do any of this without that feeling that He’s watching over me and there’s a reason why I’m here.”
Hannah Hidalgo, women’s college basketball
Powered by this dynamic two-time first-team All-American, the Notre Dame women are on their way to a fifth consecutive 20-win season and NCAA Tournament appearance. Hidalgo’s career highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals are all in jeopardy of being broken this season, and the Fighting Irish are expected to vie for the ACC regular-season title. The junior is not yet eligible for the WNBA Draft, but she’s proven she’s one of the most explosive scorers in women’s college basketball. And she knows it’s all a gift. “Christ is my everything,” she said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in 2024. “He’s my Lord and Savior. He’s the reason that I fight, the reason that I do everything, the reason that I’m able to do what I do. He’s just everything in my life, and I wouldn’t be able to do anything without Him.”
Mark Scheifele, NHL
Back in 2011, this Jet was Winnipeg’s first-ever draft pick after the team relocated from Atlanta. Now 15 years later, the 32-year-old is still making plays. He recorded a career high last season with 87 points, and he’s Winnipeg’s career leader in numerous statistical categories (including games played, goals and points). Now, the big question is whether he can lead his team to its first-ever Stanley Cup. But whatever happens this year, he will praise his Father in Heaven. “Praise Him when things are good and praise Him when things are bad,” he said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in 2024. “I feel so lucky that I was raised in a home where faith was important, and it’s kind of like hockey. Hockey is always a game that you can always grow at. … And faith, it’s the same thing.”
Will Anderson Jr., NFL
This Houston Texans’ edge rusher is wrapping up his third season, once again proving he’s one of the best in the NFL at getting to opposing quarterbacks. The former No. 3 overall pick set new career highs in both sacks and total tackles this season, and he’s a captain for the top-ranked defense in the NFL. Anderson’s performance is likely to earn him a massive contract extension this offseason, but he’s concerned primarily about God’s acceptance of Him. “My focus is just less on what everybody has to say and more on God,” he said in July 2024. “I think my biggest thing is knowing that, like I always tell y’all, my approval comes from Him. Ultimately, everything that I achieve in this lifetime, I’m putting Him first for it, because He’s the reason why I’m here.”
Ethan Holliday, MLB prospect
The Colorado Rockies landed not only an elite baseball prospect, but a son of one of the best players in franchise history when they drafted Holliday with the fourth overall pick in July’s MLB Draft. The son of legendary Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday, Ethan is hoping to replicate his father’s baseball success. The 18-year-old is also hoping for a similarly rapid climb through the minor leagues as his older brother, Jackson. The entire Holliday family is known for declaring their faith in Christ publicly. “I knew there were going to be pressures, expectations, but being able to come and find my identity in Christ has taken so much weight off of this journey and I feel free,” Ethan told Sports Spectrum. “It’s a peace you can’t explain. … Navigating through sports and life, if I didn’t have Christ as my center, I don’t know how I could ever do it.”
Jordyn Tyson, NFL Draft prospect
This fourth-year receiver from Arizona State continued to climb NFL Draft boards after putting together another impressive season: 61 receptions, 711 yards and eight touchdowns in nine regular-season games. Many expect Tyson to be one of the top receivers selected in April’s draft, and to provide immediate versatility to an NFL offense. Whatever happens between now and April, however, his full trust is in God’s good purposes. “Regardless of what happens in my life, I’m still gonna be a follower — still gonna have that faith,” he said in October. “Yes sir, I fully trust [God’s plan.] There’s obviously some stuff that I want to happen, but it don’t work like that all the time.”
VJ Edgecombe, NBA
This rookie shooting guard is off to a hot start with the Philadelphia 76ers, sliding right into the starting lineup for a team on track to far eclipse its win total from a season ago. Philly’s first-round pick and the No. 3 overall selection out of Baylor (and the Bahamas) in the 2025 NBA Draft, Edgecombe is still just 20 years old, and NBA fans are excited for his future. For him, however, his one season with Baylor, in the program’s culture of J.O.Y., was significant in giving him an eternal perspective. “I promise you, basketball is going to stop,” he said after Baylor’s loss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. “How I’m going to approach life after that? I just want to be the best man I can be. I just want to stay connected to God, and if you want to stay connected to God, come to Baylor.”
Mallory Swanson, U.S. women’s national team
This 27-year-old of the Chicago Stars will have at least one more fan cheering her on in 2026, as she and her husband, MLB shortstop Dansby Swanson, welcomed a baby girl, Josie James, in November. Mallory is known for her prolific goal-scoring abilities, and she will try to return to form rapidly in 2026 after missing all of the 2025 NWSL season due to her pregnancy. She and Dansby have sought to center their marriage and parenting on Jesus. The importance of a relationship with God was impressed upon Mallory a few years ago, when she was struggling with injuries and inconsistent play. “My faith in Him has grown immensely,” she said in 2022. “Me getting injured and me missing the Olympics, and me kind of finding myself on the field again, it really started because I found myself in Christ even more.”
Bennett Stirtz, NBA Draft prospect
In less than half a season, this Iowa Hawkeye is making quite a splash in the college basketball world. Stirtz began his college career at Northwest Missouri State in 2022 before eventually transferring to Drake in 2024 and finally Iowa in 2025, where the Hawkeyes are eyeing an NCAA Tournament appearance. Everywhere the 22-year-old has been so far, he’s impressed, and NBA scouts are taking notice. Stirtz regularly appears near the top of NBA Draft boards, and he knows that as his fame grows, so grows his ability to point others to the only One who can save. “I think God’s given me a platform, and that’s one of the reasons why — and probably the biggest reason why — I play basketball,” he told Sports Spectrum, “just having the platform and using the platform in the right way to give glory to Him.”
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., MLB
The Toronto Blue Jays and their superstar slugger experienced heartbreak in the thrilling, seven-game World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025. Now in 2026, with the return of key players like Guerrero, Toronto is again expected to be amongst the World Series favorites. In order to finish the job this year, Toronto will need its 26-year-old five-time All-Star, who still might not have reached his baseball prime. He knows the long climb back to the top of the baseball world begins with his daily routines, and the one he values above all is his time in God’s Word. “Jesus Christ is everything,” he said before the 2024 All-Star Game. “I read the Bible before every game, when I wake up. I pray and read the Bible before bed.”
Veronica Burton, WNBA
The Golden State Valkyries’ guard is a rising star in the WNBA, having been named the league’s Most Improved Player in 2025 and being an all-defensive second-team selection. In addition to her exploits for the Valkyries, the 25-year-old has also been busy building up her international basketball resume; she won gold at the FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup in November, and she participated in the women’s national team training camp in December. Burton credits it all to the work of God in her life. “The one thing that I try and thank Him for every day is just the opportunities that He’s presented for me,” she said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in 2023, “because I’ve been able to experience a lot of great things, and things have worked out in my favor. And a lot of that has to do with Him and the grace that He has for me.”
Ty Simpson, NFL Draft prospect
Despite a season-opening loss to Florida State, this redshirt junior helped Alabama right the ship and make the 12-team College Football Playoff as the No. 9 seed. After passing for 3,056 yards on 256 completions with 25 touchdowns and only four interceptions during the 2025 regular season, Simpson is projected to be selected near the top of the NFL Draft. But no matter where his vast football abilities lead him, his identity will remain firmly in Christ. “Football means a lot to me, don’t get me wrong,” he said in August. “I’m going to make sure I do everything, because He’s given me this platform and He’s given me this opportunity. But no matter how many touchdowns I throw, no matter how many wins I have at the University of Alabama, I’m a Christian first.”
