Logan Allen just completed his fifth season as Chaminade Julienne High School's Women's Basketball coach, during which he led them to their first State Championship in over 20 years!

Prior to coaching at CJ, he coached and was the President of the nationally known Dayton Lady Hoopstars.

Logan attended Catholic grade school at St. Rita in Dayton, OH, before attending Chaminade Julienne and then the Miami Valley School for High School.

Logan and his wife Lynzee are two people who invest in relationships in way I have not seen by many, and it is a core piece to what makes Logan the man he is today.

In part 1 of our conversation, Logan shared his journey to becoming the CJ Women's Basketball coach, the impact of his faith in all he does, and why relationships mean so much to him.

Be sure to hear the rest of the interview next week for part 2.

Owen Hull is a member of the University of North Carolina Baseball team after transferring from George Mason University, where he was an all-Atlantic 10 player and broke the school's stolen base record.

Owen is one of the key pieces to the Tar Heels being the number 2 team in the country at the time of this episode being posted, as he patrols centerfield and is one of the top hitters in the ACC.

Owen was a multiple-sport athlete at Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, VA, and is also a black belt in karate. Owen was an all-league and all-state baseball player at Bishop Ireton.

Throughout all of Owen's success in athletics, he continues to stay focused on his relationship with Christ and makes sure to glorify God with how he plays the game.

In this episode, Owen shares how he has handled moments of struggle and challenges in his life, and why Confession and Adoration are key to helping him stay focused on what is most important.

Fr. Ben Keller is a Dominican priest who is now serving at the St. Paul Catholic Center at Indiana University.

Before discerning a call to the priesthood, Fr. Ben played college baseball at Minnesota State University, Mankato, where he began to feel the Lord calling him to share His love with others.  

He then spent a year as a Missionary with FOCUS at the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND, as he discerned which order he would join to become a priest. During a "Come and See" weekend with the Dominicans, he knew that was home for him.

After being ordained in 2021, he spent three years as a parochial vicar at St. Tom's in West Lafayette, the campus ministry for Purdue University.

Using his athletic background and ability to connect with others, Fr. Ben has walked with many college students and specifically athletes, over his years serving on college campuses. Most recently, he and the Pastor at St. Paul Catholic Center, Fr. Patrick, were a part of the Indiana Football National Championship run.

Throughout our conversation, Fr. Ben does an amazing job of breaking open his own story while also helping to relfect on other topics throughout.

This special episode is the third session of the Know Your Worth Lenten Series that was co-hosted with Rachel Isaac from CatholicCounselors.com.

We sat down for a live interview with J.J. Niekro and Clay Tucker during our 2026 CAC High School Baseball Showcase, which we host for Ohio High School Opening Weekend. We bring 8 of the best Catholic High School Baseball teams together for their first games, and we have a Welcome Dinner with a featured speaker. This year, our featured speaker was J.J. Niekro.

During this roundtable discussion about athletic identity and finding worth beyond sports, the conversation centered on how athletes can maintain their identity in Christ when their athletic careers end due to injury or other circumstances, with Clay and J.J. sharing personal experiences about transitioning away from golf and baseball.

The discussion explored topics including the difference between redemptive suffering and passive suffering, the importance of finding identity in faith rather than in athletic roles, and the challenge of avoiding comparison with others. We also discussed the role of community and friendship in supporting each other's spiritual growth, and shared practical advice about maintaining spiritual routines and habits. 

Fr. Zach Edgar is a priest in the Diocese of Springfield, IL. He is presently on assignment outside his Diocese, serving Cardinal Raymond Burke and the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin.Fr. Zach was Ordained to the Priesthood in 2012 and has had multiple assignments that have allowed him to serve in collaboration with Catholic Athletes for Christ at the high school and professional baseball levels.

Fr. Zach still helps to serve the St. Louis Cardinals MLB Mass Ministry, and we continue to be blessed to have him attend when he is able, the CAC Baseball Retreat in California each Winter.

During our conversation, Fr. Zach shares his own vocation story and the role his family has played in that journey. He also shares more about the roles he has played in collaboration with CAC, and what he has learned in working with these athletes.

Fr. Zach discusses Holy Week, why it is the holiest week of the year, and we share personal experiences from over the years. We also discuss why a personal invitation is so important.

Lastly, Fr. Zach shares why he feels perseverance is a key virtue for athletes, and what makes a Virtuous Athlete.

Craig Stammen is in his first season as the Manager of the San Diego Padres.

Craig grew up in a small town in Ohio playing every sport he could in his youth and then at Versailles High School, he then played collegiately at the University of Dayton before getting drafted by the Washington Nationals in 2005.

Craig made his MLB Debut in 2009 with the Nationals and went on to have a 13-year MLB career with them and the Padres.

During our conversation, Craig shared many fun stories from his journey in baseball, from his mom taking his college recruitment to prayer, the recruiting story that could have led him to Ann Arbor instead, and how the Lord used his year of injury to help him find his wife and then begin a family while still playing.

Ultimately, Craig shares how he went from enjoying retirement while living mostly in Ohio to taking the San Diego Padres Manager role this season.

MJ Sweeney is in his first year as a Wichita State Shocker, after two seasons at Grossmont College in El Cajon, CA.

MJ is the son of Kansas City Royals Hall of Famer Mike Sweeney, who is also the Chairman of the Catholic Athletes for Christ Athlete Advisory Board.

During this episode, MJ shares the impact his parents have had on him over the years through his faith and becoming the man God is calling him to be.

Through success and adversity, his parents have made it a point to make sure MJ knows that his performance in baseball does not impact their love for him, even when others may do so as Mike Sweeney's son.

MJ has had quite the baseball journey with different forms of adversity to deal with over the years. However, through the adversity, he has turned to his faith each time to come out stronger on the other end.

Brion Treadway has been the Head Baseball Coach at Badin High School since 2012. Before coaching at Badin, he was a member of their last State Championship Team in 1996, and played collegiately at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. At Charlotte, he was a Freshman All-American and All-Conference Pitcher, before getting drafted in the 3rd round of the MLB Draft in 2000 by the San Fransico Giants.

Since taking over at Badin, they have won the Greater Catholic League (GCL) every year except one. Brion is a 7-time GCL Coach of the Year, they have been to 6 State Final Fours, and finished State Runner-up 2 times.

In addition to all of the success Brion has had on the field at Badin, he also works tirelessly to help develop his players off the field as well. The program is very committed to growing their faith together, especially when it comes to their prayer lives. Brion also works to teach his athletes how to play the game the right way.

Keith McCullugh played college basketball at Drury University and then MidAmerica Nazarene Univeristy, with an opportunity to play professionally. However, he decided to focus on the basketball training business he had started, instead of continuing to play professionally.

Keith grew up in a faith-filled home, with parents who loved their children but challenged them to be their best in sports, in the classroom, and in their faith.

In our conversation, Keith shares his personal journey of dealing with the many distractions in the world and giving in to the many temptations the world offers, and ultimately not being focused on the right things.

Now, Keith is very devoted to his Catholic faith and recently became a youth minister for the Church of the Ascension in Overland Park, KS.

Fr. Haan is the Pastor of St. Louis de Montfort Church in Fishers, IN, but before becoming a priest he was a walk-on quarterback at Purdue University, and set multiple State Records while playing quarterback at Lafyette Central Catholic High School.

Fr. Haan grew up on the farm in Indiana, where he learned the value of hard work and the importance of virtues. while focus on your relationship with Christ.

During our conversation, Fr. Haan shares a powerful prayer experience during his Confirmation retreat, the impact of many mentors in his life, and challenges coaches and others in a position of influence to take advantage of their opportunities to model a strong faith for others.

Fr. Haan also shares his vocation story from farm boy, to D1 Quarterback, to college student at Notre Dame, to discerning into the priesthood.