Former Texas Rangers David Murphy and Chris Davis will be guest speakers at Marty B’s men’s Bible Breakfast on Tuesday morning to share their stories and talk about College Baseball Fellowship.
The event will start at 6:30 a.m. with breakfast tacos and coffee provided by Marty B’s and sponsored by Legends Comanche before a short worship session around 7 a.m.
Murphy and Davis will share stories from their careers and how their faith impacted their experiences and helped them navigate life during and after baseball.
“The guys always talk about being a ‘former’ baseball player a lot longer than being a baseball player, so that really puts it into perspective the identity aspect,” said College Baseball Fellowship Founder Steven Van Ooyen.
Davis helped form the fellowship group after Van Ooyen reached out and asked if Davis would talk to the baseball team at Baylor University, sharing his story and what it means to have faith while playing baseball.
After speaking to the Baylor team in the fall of 2024, Van Ooyen asked Davis if he would be interested in speaking to other local baseball teams and possibly setting up a retreat similar to College Golf Fellowship.
“Chances are, if you’re playing college ball, you are at tournaments on Sundays and at practice Wednesday nights, so you don’t get a lot of church,” said Van Ooyen. “We’re trying to fill that gap and give that opportunity to the players.”
Davis prayed on the opportunity, Van Ooyen said, and eventually agreed in January. Since then, Davis and Van Ooyen have traveled to other colleges, such as TCU and Texas Wesleyan, and shared insight on staying faithful through college athletics.
Since starting in January, Davis has helped recruit other former and current Major League Players like current Rangers pitcher Cody Bradford and former Rangers pitcher Shawn Tolleson.
Van Ooyen said he hopes the fellowship group will eventually have multiple traveling chaplains, that are all former baseball players, that can host bible studies for college athletes all over North Texas.
“What you’re getting is guys who have done it,” said Van Ooyen. “They’ve climbed the mountain, made it to the big leagues and saying that’s not all there is.”
Often the players talk about priorities related to baseball, faith and life.
“Quite often, those guys are talking about their struggles when they’re there and what a challenge it was to be there,” said Van Ooyen. “You’re not going to get your ultimate fulfillment from the game of baseball. In fact, it’s going to be really, really tough along the way.”
In the fall of 2025, Van Ooyen said they have six campuses lined up that the pros will visit and speak at.
Van Ooyen praised local entrepreneur Marty Bryan for his personal dedication to creating space for faith in the community. He has hosted a men’s Bible Study for the last four years and attendance has grown to more than 250 at times.
Steve [Van Ooyen], David and Chris wanted to be able to create a platform using their notoriety and their amazing careers in the MLB to create messaging to bring people to the Lord,” said Bryan. “I know they’re probably very thoughtful about where they go, so we’re super proud and happy to be able to have them.”
The fellowship group also started a podcast, “Crossing Home Plate,” where Davis and other big leaguers share their testimonies and experiences.
An upcoming episode will feature Murphy, Davis and Tolleson talking about parenting young athletes and the pros, cons and struggles of the process.
For more information, visit College Baseball Fellowship’s website.
