Baseball is a sport that requires talent and refined skills. To keep those skills sharp, they must be practiced constantly.
That is why successful baseball players, like many faithful members of the Church engaged in other activities, face a challenging dilemma when it comes to missionary service. The Lord requires sacrifice.But as is the case with most missionaries, those who set aside baseball careers to serve usually find that the blessings are generous repayment for the sacrifices.
BYU baseball coach Gary Pullins said: "We've never had a player who's gone out into the mission field, served a great mission and worked hard, and when he came back, if he still really wanted to play baseball, didn't play better."
His current team, which leads the Western Athletic Conference's Eastern Division, includes several returned missionaries. Two who recognize the role missionary service plays in their success are infielder Tyson Dowdell and pitcher Tom Gatten.
Their success in baseball created a conflict with their lifetime ambition to serve a mission, but they ended up doing what they knew was right.
For Dowdell, the decision was made in high school when professional baseball scouts began eying him and he had offers to play at big-time baseball universities such as Miami of Florida, Cal State-Fullerton and UCLA.
The final decision wasn't made any easier when, as a freshman starter at third base for BYU, he hit .330. That was a start worth sticking around and building on.
But, he said, he always knew service to the Lord was more important than baseball. He was more troubled by the thought of later regretting passing up a mission than by possibly missing out on baseball opportunities.
He also was able to learn from the example set by his brother, Travis, and Travis' good friend Brian Banks. Travis and Banks had outstanding seasons after returning from missions and played with Tyson during his freshman season.
Tyson's two years in the Venezuela Caracas Mission were enjoyable and fulfilling, he said, even though baseball was out of his life. He did admit to engaging in some baseball drills that could be visualized in his head.
Gatten was like many boys who dream from a young age that they will someday enjoy the fame and fortune of being a professional baseball player. As he approached missionary age, he showed that he had the potential to make the dream a reality.
"Baseball kind of got in the way a little bit," he said. "But really, that's not what my goals were all about. They were about serving my Heavenly Father."
He did struggle at the beginning of his missionary service in the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission, but was able to quickly get focused and "squared away." "The rest of my mission was just great," he said.
Pullins said some former players find the sport doesn't have the same priority in their lives after serving a mission. They choose to go other directions. But for those who still have the desire to play at the college level, they can overcome the lost time.
"Many of them are actually improved just because of the maturity," Pullins said. "They learned to be more dedicated, more focused."
The veteran coach didn't deny, however, that it isn't easy to regain the physical conditioning, quickness, hand-eye coordination, arm strength, and other skills and attributes needed to compete at the college level.
The task is made easier for hitters, he said, because their practice isn't limited. "He can hit until his hands are blistered and bleeding and never injure himself."
But for pitchers, practice is limited. Pullins said, "If a pitcher goes out there and tries to make up for lost time, he's going to injure his arm." But even with practice restrictions, a pitcher can regain his pre-mission stature over time, he said.
Coming back was a struggle for Dowdell. He returned from Venezuela in the summer and went right to work getting in shape and taking all the batting practice he could. But when he began playing in fall scrimmage games, he picked up only two hits in his first 15 at bats. "I thought, `Oh boy. I'm in trouble,' " he said. "It was really uncomfortable."
He said he stepped back again and thought about his decision to go on a mission. His conclusion was: "If I never played baseball ever again, it really doesn't matter. My mission was the best thing in my life."
Dowdell has since recovered nicely. He is hitting around .350 for the season, over .400 in the WAC. As of the beginning of the week, he led the team with 39 RBIs and a .503 on-base percentage. He also had nine home runs. In a recent game against the Air Force Academy, he had two home runs and eight RBIs.
"The Lord blessed me as a missionary, and I think it's carried over onto the ball field," he said. "I think I've improved, definitely."
Gatten's path back hasn't been so smooth. The left-hander had elbow surgery last fall and had to patiently come back a second time. He is still among the team leaders in innings pitched and hopes to move on to the professional ranks and then into coaching.
Meanwhile, he says he enjoys the blessings of his missionary service on and off the field. His greatest blessing, off the field, is his wife and baby.
Also, he said: "It really put my testimony on solid ground. To develop habits like reading the scriptures, prayer and fasting has been beneficial in my life."
