
Banana Ball players say the Lord helps them ‘keep coming up to the next at-bat’
From Church News by Church News
May 19, 2026 · 27 min · Episode 295
About this episode
Kaden Bowler and Bronson Balholm discuss their journeys as professional athletes and how their faith has influenced their lives.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints work in nearly every profession imaginable. Some, including the two guests on this episode of the Church News podcast are professional athletes. But Kaden Bowler and Bronson Balholm play in a unique league with equally unique rules in a spinoff of America’s pastime — Banana Ball. Bowler grew up largely in northern Utah’s Cache Valley where he played high school baseball before serving a mission on the other side of the world in Cambodia. Balholm is from Southern California. He played baseball in college, including time at Arizona State University. For Bowler, moving from the “darkest, loneliest time” of his life, to now being “super grateful for where I am,” was not an easy or predictable process. Balholm likewise had an unpredictable path that led to the two players meeting in Savannah, Georgia, where they attended the same young single adult branch. “There are going to be ups and downs,” Balholm said. “But the Lord’s always going to be there. You always gotta keep coming up to the next at-bat.” On this episode of the Church…
People in this episode
Host: Jon Ryan Jensen
Guests: Kaden Bowler, Bronson Balholm
Topics covered
- faith
- baseball
- personal growth
- mission service
- sports
- Latter-day Saints
Keywords
- Banana Ball
- faith
- baseball
- mission
- Latter-day Saints
- personal journey
- sports
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Places: Cache Valley, Cambodia, Southern California, Arizona State University, Savannah, Georgia
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