West Virginia Pitcher Grounds Identity in Christ—Not Baseball

Published: June 8, 2026

By Mallory Mattingly

West Virginia Mountaineers Pitcher Chansen Cole found peace in baseball when he gave his life to Jesus.

“In high school, baseball was everything for me. My cousin actually went to Clemson to play baseball in high school, so I always looked up to him and wanted to be like him. To say my identity was in baseball would be an understatement,” Cole admitted on “The Walk” podcast. “I mean, my identity was fully in baseball, nothing else.”

The athlete grew up attending church his, but as he got older, church began to feel like a chore rather than something to look forward to.

“We would get up and go to church. It was just something; it was a routine that we did. And then it got to where it was so much of a routine that I almost kind of forgot what church is all about,” the pitcher continued.

When Cole transitioned to college, he was away from his family and friends, which encouraged him to rely more on his faith. That shifted his identity from baseball to Christ.

“Yeah, it all changed when my identity flipped from baseball to in Him, and whether I’m playing or not, I was able to go home each night and lay my head on the pillow with the fact that I’m a son of God, and nothing is ever going to be better than that,” Cole said.

Now, he uses every opportunity he gets to reflect Christ in all he does.

“I think it all goes back to what you’re doing behind closed doors,” Cole explained. “I mean, are you truly spending time with God because eventually everything is going to come out in public? And I mean, if you’re spending quality time with Jesus in your room alone when nobody’s watching, I think you’re naturally going to want to live a life like Jesus lived.”

“Because I mean the sacrifice that He paid for all of us, it’s definitely worth giving your love to Him because He’s loved us unconditionally,” he added. “So I think just in your personal time, just when you spend quality time with Jesus, it’s going to come out naturally and what people see in you publicly.”

Last week, Cole delivered a spectacular performance on the mound when he threw for six innings, allowing only one run with 10 strikeouts.

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As the Mountaineers continue to chase after a National Championship in the College World Series, Cole will keep his eyes on his main goal — glorifying God every time he takes the mound.

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