Arizona manager Drew Breivogel delivered a viral moment during the 2026 Little League World Series West Region tournament. It happened when the Arizona team from Chandler played against Kawaihau Little League from Hawaii on Wednesday.
In the fifth inning with a 2-1 lead, Breivogel visited the mound to talk to his pitcher, 12-year-old right-handed pitcher Camden Burke, who had already thrown 82 pitches. The coach invoked “Jesus” in his 45-second viral talk.
“I’m so proud of you. Proud of you since you were eight,” Breivogal told Burke, via ESPN microphones. “Not a lot of people get to see the fruit of the labor people put in, right? Remember Zacchaeus in the Bible? Someone planted that tree 30 to 40 years prior so he could climb up into it. Salvation, we’re talking salvation. This is a baseball game, right? If you walk the next five batters, Jesus is still Lord. If you strike out the next five guys, guess what? Jesus is still Lord. I love you, have some fun.”
Breivogel referenced the biblical story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) to emphasize to young players the importance of maintaining perspective regardless of the outcome.
The faith-inspired message drew contrasting reactions from fans. While some praised the coach for motivating his pitcher, others believed he should have provided more tactical instruction during the critical mound visit.
“This is the way Coaching should be at this level and in every game. No one’s giving out College scholarships and he’s keeping it 100% real..It’s an honor to coach a group of young men (or women) and see their play develop, not to only get strikes,” one fan commented.
“then the next 3 hitters reached base safely because there was no gameplan instilled during the mound visit. This was a coach using TV to make himself look good he knew he was Mic’d up, that was his BIG moment,” one fan wrote.
What Happened After Arizona Manager’s “Jesus Is Still Lord” Mound Visit?
Arizona’s situation worsened after Drew Breivogel’s mound visit in the fifth inning.
With runners on first and second, Camden Burke allowed a game-tying single to Daeshaan “Bubba” Kuhaulua. He later loaded the bases with walks before Breivogel replaced him with Preston Esitpona, who walked in the go-ahead run.
Hawaii scored four runs in that inning and went on to win 5-2, eliminating Arizona from the West Region tournament. They will now face Southern California for a spot in the 2026 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
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