Travel Ball and the Quest to Keep the Sabbath

All of Lorraine Hess’s sons played travel baseball. She shares how she nurtured their faith while navigating the demands of the sport.

My husband and I are proud parents of four very accomplished baseball players. Two of my sons played in college; a third was All-State in high school and had two college offers; and the fourth (who had no interest in college ball) was the ace pitcher on his high-school team and made the All-district and Metro teams with state honors. Their baseball journeys each began at the age of five, and my husband and I have been baseball parents for 28 seasons!

By the time our third and fourth sons were born, we were spending most of our springs and summers at the ballpark. I think our youngest took more naps his first summer in a stroller, a car seat, or someone’s arms than in his baby bed. I’m exaggerating, but not that much! It was chaos, but we loved those years that created friends for life.

Jesuit High School, where our sons went to school, has one of the best baseball programs in the state of Louisiana. My children always knew they wanted to attend Jesuit for its academic excellence, and they knew that if they wanted to make Jesuit’s prestigious baseball team, they would need experience in highly competitive leagues. Despite the chaos of four children in travel ball through lower and middle school, we allowed it because it gave them exercise, it kept them out of trouble, they learned invaluable life lessons about teamwork and respect for authority, and it kept them away from video games and television.

The biggest challenge in travel ball was not trying to stay cool in 90-degree Louisiana heat. It wasn’t the laundry. (Holy cow, the laundry!) The greatest obstacle wasn’t even the impossible search for healthy food on the road. The hardest part of travel ball was working Mass into the weekend. We often felt alone when no other team parents were taking their kids to church. It was frustrating when coaches thought baseball was the only religion.

Navigating Mass when baseball is often plagued with rain delays and extra innings was like working a Rubik’s Cube. Most tournament schedules gave no consideration for the Sabbath, with games beginning as early at 8:00 AM. We were swimming upstream.

The Struggle is Real

You may be challenged by the same struggle with your kids’ activities. Our journey wasn’t perfect, and as I look back over 28 years of baseball, I share my experience: a combination of failures and successes.

First, we never wavered in the commitment to get to Mass. If we had given in to skipping Mass, our kids would have learned that Mass was optional. Many times, they went to Mass in their baseball uniforms. MassTimes.org became our friend. On one occasion, we had to take our family to a Spanish Mass. We don’t speak Spanish. I still remember the eyerolls.

Often, our family of six would attend Mass at three different parishes. Often, we didn’t get much out of Mass because of a pouting child who was worried he would be benched for being late. I should have been more compassionate with my kids about how this might impact them, instead of eyerolling when they eyerolled me.

Second, be strong but kind in your convictions, even if it means coaches don’t understand. I think deep down, even if coaches don’t agree with you, they will respect you. And if they don’t, remember Jesus was treated worse.

Third, even if your children disagree with you, they will one day respect the structure they had in their lives. We make them go to school, do their homework, practice piano, and obey a curfew. We have the authority to make this non-negotiable. Acknowledge their point of view and let them express themselves about it.

Fourth, forcing children to go to Mass as an obligation does nothing for their relationship with God. We should teach our kids that we get to go to Mass. We go because we love God, and God deserves our time. Losing our temper or stressing about it adds tension to the situation, a test I often failed.

It’s Worth the Effort

Occasionally, our example gave other parents courage to do the same. Our experience wasn’t perfect, but recently, one of my adult sons told me, “Mom, we gave you a hard time about going to Mass, but I’m glad you made us go.” As I look back, I can say the struggle was worth the effort, despite the eyerolls! God entrusts these precious souls to us, so let us pray for one another for the courage to choose God as we support their activities.

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Copyright 2026 Lorraine Hess
Images: Canva