DBU Baseball Continues Ongoing Partnership with Mercy Street

For more than a decade, the Dallas Baptist University Baseball team has partnered with Mercy Street, a ministry serving youth and families in West Dallas through Christian mentorship, leadership development, and athletics. Each year, the Patriots trade their collegiate field for a neighborhood park, joining local coaches and young athletes for a weekend filled with baseball, encouragement, and the love of Christ.

This special partnership began in 2013 when DBU Baseball joined forces with Clayton Kershaw's Challenge and Mercy Street to host a baseball camp for kids ages 7–18. What started as a single community outreach has since grown into a meaningful tradition, one that reflects DBU's heart for service and discipleship.

Each fall, the entire Patriot team travels to Mercy Street's fields, helping lead stations in pitching, hitting, and fielding. But beyond skill-building, the camp focuses on mentorship and faith. Players share testimonies, pray with the kids, and spend time simply connecting, offering a glimpse of Christ's love through their actions.

"Partnering with Mercy Street and Clayton Kershaw to host this camp is something we look forward to each year," said Coach Heefner. "Baseball is our passion and it is a blessing to be able to use the game to build relationships, encourage young people, and point them toward the hope we have in Jesus. We are grateful for the opportunity to be part of what God is doing through Mercy Street and Kershaw's Challenge."

Mercy Street's mission is to "to cultivate mutually transforming relationships with inner-city youth through Christian mentorship." The baseball program in particular gives kids a place to grow in both athletic fundamentals and faith. For DBU's players, stepping into that mission is both humbling and inspiring.

Through this ongoing partnership, DBU Baseball continues to live out the University's mission of producing Christ-centered servant leaders, on and off the field.