Striking Out Addiction One Ball at a Time!

In Colorado Springs, a unique softball team is stepping up to the plate – not just to win games, but to transform lives. One of their players, Shane, explains it this way, “I'm over nine years sober at this point. Um, and without any of this, none of that's possible. You know, I give all the glory to God.” Another player, Jody, emphasizes the relationships that are built on the field. “The connections that we build with people especially for folks who are trying to figure out what their life looks like after addiction, I think are really important because when you shift into a healthier lifestyle, you have to rebuild everything, not just yourself.”

Meet Recovery Rebels. Founded in 2020 by Rob Decker, personal trainer and addiction recovery coach. Rob says, “I wanna see people change their identity and what they attach themselves to. That's the goal. Meeting people where they're at and bringing the light of Christ to them so that they can start to change their identity.” Rob is also a baseball enthusiast who had his own battle with addiction. It started when he was 14 and lasted 20 years. He recalls, “Baseball for me was my first love.  I played up in the high school, but the problem was I got to a place as a teenager into drugs and alcohol that there was no way I was getting good grades, and my parents weren't home. They were divorced. Like, there was complete chaos in my house. You know, baseball was a pipe dream at that point. 'cause at this point it was just survival. That's what it was for me. And just trying to get by and, um, numb. Numb myself.” Once, he even tried to end his life by diving out of a 3rd story window. Rob recalls that night, “So I clipped an awning. Um, the awning, you know, changed my fall a bit, and I ended up hitting concrete, severing my L2, my spine broke, both arms, and collapsed my lung.”

Even then, Rob would hang on to his addictions another four and a half years – until the day he surrendered his life to God at the age of 34. He says, “There was a lot of brokenness that was inside of me that I wasn't handing over to the Lord. I saw how He was patient and loving with me.  He gave me the clarity and the strength to walk through all of it, knowing that He was always there for me and I had to stop throwing my life away.” 

Years later Rob found his way back to the diamond playing recreational softball where he met guys working through similar things he did. Rob recalls, “I had some friends here in Colorado Springs that were struggling with drug alcohol addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder. Um, they were internalizing a lot of things. I developed some deep intimate relationships with them, and they were both ex baseball players.” It was then Rob found a way to turn his pain into a purpose. He formed Recovery Rebels, a softball team that would help others find healing and ultimately, a relationship with Jesus. He believes, “The end game is to heal, right? And so, we have to create those safe spaces where people can start trusting again. People struggle, they have trauma, they have brokenness, and they're running to substances and alcohol. And so, you know, we want to change the con conversation. We want to change the narrative. But also too, I come from a camp of, you know, who the son sets free is free indeed. I believe that wholeheartedly he did that for me.”

The response was overwhelming. Brett, one of the players, explains it this way, “The only reason why we're here and breathing and able to play this game is because of Jesus. So, we praise, praise Jesus. And, and thankfully, uh, we're still here doing it and alive. A lot of us shouldn't be alive at this point.” Another player, Jonathan, a retired military vet, explains the importance of Recovery Rebels to vets. “I think that, uh, the, the military team is such a, a good outlet for guys that are, may be dealing with, uh, some issues like mental health issues. This is a, a brotherhood that we can all be there for each other and recover from any mental health struggle that they might be dealing with.”

For Rob, this is about shining a light in the darkness, showing the broken that they’re not alone. It’s a mission he feels Christ called him to. Rob says, “Love comes from human connection. That's how the Lord created us, was for us to connect with each other, to love each other, to support each other, to lift each other up, to encourage each other.” The players and coaches aren’t the only ones being affected. After every game, both teams meet at the pitcher’s mound for prayer, which opens the door to deeper conversations. The player, Shane, says, “You have that guy saying, Hey man, I do think I have a problem with this, um, or I'm struggling with this. And we're like, Hey, here's some resources. We have tons of resources with Rob and Derek and all those guys just have so much to, you know, to offer somebody to, to give 'em a place to go.” Brooke, another player, says, “We're wired to have human connection and so it's important to have like minds around you and, you know, if you fall down, like there's less judgment from people who have been through similar things and it's easier to get help, seek help, and also you got all these like, bodies around you to help you.”

To the folks in Colorado Springs, Recovery Rebels are more than a softball team —they’re a family, a lifeline, and a testament to the power of faith, community, and second chances. 

They’re rewriting the playbook for recovery—one game, one prayer, one life at a time. Rob concludes, “I just want to shine the light on those that are struggling with their mental health and their spiritual wellbeing, right? I just want people to see hope and at the end of the day, it all points to Jesus 'cause he is our hope.”

To check out The Recovery Rebels click the LINK!

To purchase God's Awning: From Rejection to Redemption, created by Rob Decker, click the LINK!