Alex Call, a World Series champion with the Dodgers for about a month now, spoke at River Falls High School for a different reason, sharing his faith journey throughout his life Nov. 26.

Kevin Westhuis conducted the interview with Call, which was streamed on the River Falls Sports YouTube page.

Before getting into how much of an impact faith had on his life, Call had the chance to reflect on his time in River Falls.

“My first experience that I can remember was playing tee ball at Glen Park when the field used to be there,” Call said. “I remember watching my parents play softball there on Monday nights.”

He won a middle school State tournament and still holds that memory close. As he got older, he remembers watching River Falls standouts Marty Herum and JP Feyereisen in awe. To play on the same team as those guys did, the dream was starting to develop.

Then, Call stepped into the circle of River Falls Head Coach Ryan Bishop.

“It’s tough to put into words just the impact that Ryan’s had on my life,” Call said. “Always being a supporter, always putting community first, always putting other people first. Seeing Ryan live out that example made me want to be like that in my life.”

The 31-year-old big leaguer is now a multi-year pro and a champion.

Call said when he was young, he wanted to be the next Brett Favre. Due to his size at 5-foot-11, Call settled on baseball. He would go to speaking events from professional athletes where they would share how they got where they are.

“I was just really impressionable and said, ‘Man, I’m going to listen to what they say,’” Call said. “If they say I have to outwork everybody, well, then I have to outwork everybody.”

For Call it was clear, everyone wants to be a World Series champion, so he had to do something to separate himself. After taking this hard work mentality one day at a time, suddenly Call found himself playing in front of soldout Major League crowds.

“My faith has continued to grow and transform from more of I go to church on Sunday, I don’t swear, I don’t drink, I don’t do all this stuff. Instead of just a list of I don’t do, it’s more of, oh, Jesus actually calls us all to be disciple makers,” Call said.

Originally, Call took that message as something for missionaries to keep in mind. He later realized this is a message for anyone in the faith. Getting a hit in the World Series and praising Jesus is one thing, but even more impactful is using the relationships with teammates, coaches, staff and fans to welcome people to the faith.

For many, going out on your own after growing up in a Christian household can leave people lost.

“I feel God’s peace in my life, and that only can come from him,” Call said. “We all have a God-sized hole in our heart, and it can only be filled with the love of Jesus. No matter if you win the World Series, no matter if you have all the money in the world, no matter if you have the best family ever, eventually there is going to be a time where you’re broken, and only Jesus can fill that hole.”

There are highs and lows in everyone’s life. Call said having an identity firmly rooted in Christ helps him stay grounded through it all. Just because he has a love of Jesus, he knows not every single life moment is going to be a perfect one.

“I already feel like I’ve won the World Series every day basically with Christ,” Call said.

Through one of Call’s worst slumps, he remembers praying to God to help him find a change in his process that could get him back to the top. That night, it clicked. He rearranged his hand placement, swung at more breaking balls early in counts, caught fire and was soon called to the big leagues.

The entirety of the livestream is available to watch on the River Falls Sports YouTube page on the “Live” tab.