Lipscomb Baseball Joins Vanderbilt In Prayer During Powerful Moment After Nashville Shooting At Covenant School

As Lipscomb University junior Logan Van Treeck sat in class on Tuesday morning, his professor had to stop teaching. She has children in school in Nashville and found herself overcome with emotion after the tragic events that occurred on Monday morning at The Covenant School, when a shooter opened fire and left three children and three adults deceased.

In that moment, Logan Van Treeck felt the Lord call upon him.

Van Treeck pitches for the Bisons baseball team, which was scheduled to play at No. 4 Vanderbilt later that afternoon. He knew that there was an opportunity to put the sport aside and focus on something greater.

Having been raised in a Christian home, Van Treeck found his faith grow exponentially upon arrival to Lipscomb, a private Christian college. It was then two years ago that he experienced time with the Lord unlike any other.

He spoke words over me that I had never felt or heard. It was the most real thing that I had ever experienced in my life. And since that moment, it has been incredible seeing what the Lord is done.

Van Treeck believes that Jesus isn't just a part of his life, but the point of his life. And when he came to that realization, that's when everything shifted.

Logan Van Treeck's faith compelled him to take action in wake of Monday's tragic events.

After seeing his professor's pain on Tuesday morning, Van Treeck believed that the two baseball programs would have been remiss to just go through the game that afternoon. He wanted to take the time to sit with the tragedy and speak faith over the city.

From our campus, Covenant is three miles away. Seeing the effects of how this hit so close to home, how people are hurting, and how people are trying to process this less than 24 hours after it happened, it was a testament of the Lord to put it on my heart.
We had an opportunity, as two baseball programs in Nashville, to take a moment to acknowledge and pray for the families and the communities that are impacted by this tragedy in our city.

The Nebraska-native decided to take action with guidance from the Lord.

I can't take credit for anything that happened yesterday afternoon or any impact that has reached this campus or nationally, because that is 100% a result of what the Lord has done. I can tell you, honestly, for me as a person, that I could never have come up with that idea to pray together.
This is entirely His doing, through His work. Any comfort or love that people might have felt yesterday was (and is) not from me. It's not from human beings. I firmly believe that this is from the Lord, and that is what His Kingdom is about.

After taking some time to think about what to do, Van Treeck went to his coaches and asked if they would reach out to the Commodores. He wanted to know if they would be willing to let him lead both teams in prayer.

Vanderbilt and head coach Tim Corbin were on board.

Before the national anthem and first pitch, both teams formed a circle. They linked arms, and shared an extremely powerful moment of unity with Van Treeck at the center.

Before asking players, coaches, staffers and umpires to bow their heads, Van Treeck spoke about how important it was for both teams to lean on each other, and a high power, to bring the community together.

People often as 'what can we do?' Especially as two baseball teams that are trying to play a game.
In my mind, there are two things:
Number one is pray. The most that we can do for people is call all on God and ask Him to do what He does in healing, sitting with people in their pain, and restoring comfort.
Number two is, as men, standing up and looking for ways to serve our community. We have an opportunity to use our platform to serve people, and to be with those who are hurting.

Van Treeck relayed that message to his teammates and opponents before leading both sides in prayer.

Both teams, and those in attendance, took part in a moment of silence for the victims.

All proceeds from Tuesday's ticket sales were donated to the Caring for Covenant fund.

Van Treeck had no knowledge of that before asking the two sides to come together. It was something that he was compelled to do by a higher power.

Logan Van Treeck leads Lipscomb and Vanderbilt in prayer. (Photo via Lipscomb Athletics)

Lipscomb's foundation in faith transcended through Van Treeck.

After bringing the Commodores and Bisons together, multiple players on both teams thanked Van Treeck for his leadership. However, he cannot take credit.

It was entirely His doing in His work.
It's so hard because there's pain and there's hurt and there's death. And that's not the Kingdom of God. That is not the Lord.
It serves as reminder that this place is not our home, and we weren't designed to experience that pain. We weren't designed to experience death. There will be a day when He returns and He claims the throne and we won't experience death or pain or hurt anymore.

Van Treeck is full of gratitude toward Coach Corbin and the Vanderbilt program. He understands what a powerful gesture it was to allow him to lead prayer on their field.

I am so grateful that Vanderbilt was willing to take the time to do that with us, and agree to be a part of that. It made the entire moment super powerful, and I am so appreciative of Coach Corbin and their staff, and everyone involved to allow time and space for that moment.

As the Nashville community continues to process and recover in the wake of Monday's tragedy, it is in moments like what happened on Charles Hawkins Field before Tuesday's college baseball game between two crosstown teams that serve as a reminder of a power greater than ourselves. Van Treeck hopes that his message, which came directly from the Lord, will help to heal not only those directly involved, but all those who have felt the impact.