A fusion of faith and armed forces

SAGU pitcher learns by hands-on experiences

The inside story of senior Tim Kolczak

WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- Tim Kolczak is as American as baseball and apple pie. The relief pitcher for the Southwestern Assemblies of God University Lions and former Army soldier is a creative version of Tim Tebow without the media hype.

He is known for meshing life-lessons from sports, the military and his faith.

Last spring, early in his junior season the colorful Kolczak (KOHL-zack) had quickly racked up four saves as SAGU’s closer. When asked about handling the pressure of pitching in such tense situations, he said, “Pressure? This is baseball. Let me tell you about real pressure.”

And he did too!

A native of San Antonio, he recently completed six years in the United States Army; as a reservist, then one and one half years in active duty, much of it in Iraq.

“Being in an infantry company overseas got me used to stress,” he said during a July interview. “Army life in general has a lot of external pressures. So, yes, being a soldier made closing (games as a pitcher) a lot easier.”

He compared the similarities and differences in the Army’s life and death and baseball’s win or lose dynamics.

“Being a (military) team leader is very complex. You have to realize your men's needs, while remaining calm and efficient,” he said. “You put everyone else's needs above your own at all times."

"Being overseas, it was very easy to get caught up in the stresses of being in a combat zone. You worry about yourself, your family back home, your team, the rest of your unit, and (you always want) everyone coming back home safe.”

“Being a closer, the pressure isn't as constant,” he pointed out. “You have one or two innings where you have to deal with the pressure. The team hands you a lead that they've worked for. Your job is to essentially to 'not mess it up.' As a closer, you want the ball in your hand in the last inning. As a soldier, you want the most dangerous jobs."

Kolczak is now practicing and competing to earn a position in the SAGU baseball bullpen under new Head Coach Jon Shockley. New recruits, a new system and increased competition has added fresh, new tension.

Adept a handling anxieties, Kolczak takes it in stride much like a swan; smooth on the surface, paddling like crazy underneath.

SAGU Athlete Spotlight Q & A  

Q: Name. Nickname. Birth.

Tim: Tim Kolczak. Black Beard, Kolzee, Zack, "K," Coldshack, the InTIMidator. September 1, 1987. San Antonio is my hometown.

Q: What can you tell us about your family?

Tim: My dad (Rick) is a Pastor at San Antonio Bible Church. He's also a buyer for a medical technologies company in San Antonio. My mom (Janet) is a housewife and an absolutely amazing cook.

My sister Bonni is 19 and just graduated from high school. She already has some college under her belt, thanks to dual credit classes. She's a Music Theory major and an incredible writer. She actually was nominated by a professor and won an excellence in writing award. We share that love for writing. She also teaches piano lessons. My other sister, Julie, who is 17, is still in high school. 

Q: How did you come to SAGU?

Tim: To be completely honest, growing up in South Texas I only knew about the major schools up here; like TCU (Texas Christian University), SMU (Southern Methodist University), UNT (University of North Texas), and UTA (University of Texas at Arlington). I didn't even know where Waxahachie was.

I hurt my shoulder my (high school) senior year and I knew my opportunities would be limited. I checked out 'SWAGU' and they offered me an opportunity. I latched onto it. And I have really enjoyed the small class size and the attention paid to one-on-one instruction.

Q: Your area of study and how it is helping prepare you for your career?

Tim: I'm a Communication Arts Major with a specialization in Digital Media Arts.

The instructors here at SAGU have been incredibly integral to my academic growth. Rob Price has been my favorite professor in the department. I really feel like he cares about each student. He expects a lot out of you, but he offers a great amount of knowledge in return.

There is so much hands-on instruction here! I feel like it easily rivals the best comm arts schools in Texas. I've met a lot of people at my internship who haven't had nearly as much hands-on, practical instruction as I have.

Q: Describe your experience at Southwestern. What has made it a positive one for you?

Tim: The positive things here at SAGU have far outweighed any negatives. Obviously, no environment is perfect, but I enjoy the academia at Southwestern. I love the professors here and try to soak in all of their teaching.

I met one of my best friends here, a fellow pitcher, Chris Stanley. I've met a lot of great people who have impacted my life in one way or another. The education, for me, has been absolutely top notch.

Q: Summarize your season in the military. Where were you stationed? 

Tim: I served in the Army for six years. I was a reservist for about 4 1/2 years and served on active duty for about a 1 1/2. During my active duty time I was stationed at Camp Swift in Bastrop, Texas (east of Austin); Fort Bliss in El Paso, Tx; Camp Taji (Iraq), and Camp Striker (Iraq).

Q: Why choose to serve in the Armed Forces, and why the branch you selected?

Tim: I chose the Army because I knew that it would offer a challenge met only by the Marine Corps. But, I knew if I enlisted in the Marines I would probably be deployed about a thousand times.

The Army has such a powerful lineage and my grandpa's brother served with the Army in WWII. I've always had a bit of a rebellious streak so I'd never really thought the military was for me.

But when I weighed the positives of serving against the negative, it was an absolute no-brainer. And, I didn't want to leave college with an unquenchable debt. Plus, I've always been extremely patriotic, so that made it an even easier choice.

I served in a reserve status so I could be in school while I served. I was "volun-told" into active duty for roughly a year and a half.

Q: What was your active experience like overseas?

Tim: My experience overseas was rough at times, though I expected it. I started out in training at Camp Swift where we did a lot of range training. My unit was then sent to Fort Bliss, where we did a lot more training.

Most of this included, hand-to-hand combat, weapons qualifications, vehicle patrols and foot patrols.

When we arrived in Kuwait we went through a lot of cultural integration training. Basically, we learned how to avoid offending civilians and how to identify threats.

The Army is all about training and preparation, with the thought that these two things can ultimately save your life.

I served in an infantry company for nine months in Iraq. I spent three months in Taji in an area that is known as the "Sunni Triangle." I spent the next six months near Baghdad at a base called Camp Striker.

Q: What are the similarities/differences in being a closer on a baseball team and on the frontlines in the military?

Tim: There are quite a few similarities and probably just as many dissimilarities.

There is a lot of pressure in both occupations. The pressure of being a closer is something that can also be greatly enjoyable. But, if you fail, it becomes absolutely miserable.

Luckily, I didn't blow any saves but I know that the line I walk is extremely thin. One pitch can be the difference between being revered by your team, or being hated.

Being in an infantry company overseas got me used to the stress. Army life in general has a lot of external pressures. So, yes, being a soldier made closing a lot easier.

However the pressures of being a team leader are much more complex. You have to realize your men's needs, while remaining calm and efficient. You put everyone else's needs above your own at all times. Being overseas, it was very easy to get caught up in the stresses of being in a combat zone. You're worried about yourself, your family back home, your team, the rest of your unit, and everyone coming back home safe.

Being a closer, the pressure isn't as constant. You have one or two innings where you have to deal with the pressure. The team hands you a lead that they've worked for, and your job is to essentially to not 'mess it up.'

As a closer, you want the ball to be in your hand in the last inning. As a soldier, you want the most dangerous jobs.

Q: What is the most important lesson you have learned for life from baseball, military and the Christian faith?

Tim: Baseball taught me a lot about being a teammate. Sports in general taught me a lot about selflessness, and that made me a better soldier. But, being a soldier taught me even more about being a good teammate.

The military strengthened a lot of things in me that my parents had already taught me. But, it definitely added to my toughness. Before I joined, I thought I knew what it meant to be strong. But the strength exerted from soldiers, especially in the face of danger is absolutely incredible.

I was deployed with a lot of guys who had been on four or five combat tours. They had seen unthinkable things that continually haunted them every day. But they wanted to be over there. They enjoyed the camaraderie they felt, in serving with guys that understood what they had been through. I would definitely say toughness was my biggest gain from servicing in the Army. When I originally joined I did it mostly for the college money. I honestly had no desire to deploy. I think there was a degree of selfishness that followed me on the plane ride into Baghdad. But, leading a team changed a lot of that and I became much more selfless. After what I went through and experienced, I realized that serving in Iraq was the greatest thing I'd ever done.

I think being a Christian has taught me that it's not easy being a Christian. As funny as that might sound, its very true.

The world fights against Christianity so getting tangled up in society can be pretty easy. Most of all though, my faith has taught me that God is always there. Even through the bad decisions I've made, God has always been there taking care of me. You become even more aware of that protection in a combat zone. It's very easy to feel weak and inadequate when you can't control things.

When I let God take control of my worries, I became a much better soldier.

Some people might call it a fatalistic viewpoint. That everything is predetermined, so why worry? But that's not the way I saw things at all. I was comforted knowing that if something bad happened God would still be in control. Having faith is realizing that no matter what happens the Lord still maintains grasp over everything in His creation.

Q: During your military stint, what kept your focus and purpose on moving forward, on surviving?

Tim: Mostly the thought of getting back home. There's nothing like a combat zone to make you miss the comforts of home. In that world, men will kill you for the uniform that you wear. They don't care about why you are there. To them, it's a holy war and they will do anything in their power to win.

Staying disciplined, both mentally and physically, was a huge key to staying on point. Losing focus over there will get you killed in a second.

Q: Describe your fears while serving in the Middle East?

Tim: I think more than not coming back, I was worried about my sisters not having a brother anymore if something happened to me. Then, I kind of put myself in a gut check mode where I knew no matter what my mission was I'd complete it to the best of my ability.

Then, I became a team leader and I feared for the guys on my team.

It's such a different world over there, and the culture shock is instantaneous. It began in Kuwait when we got to the ranges and saw Bedouins herding their camels across the desert. You start to realize, "Wow, this is really happening. I'm about to go into a combat zone. This isn't my turf anymore."

Was I ever scared? Absolutely. On our ride into Taji, our Chinook (helicoptor) took an RPG (rocket propelled grenade) in the tail rotor. That was my introduction to Iraq.

Q: What enables soldiers to perform in the face of uncertainty?

Tim: That's a very powerful question, in that it has so many answers.

Personally, I found my strength in knowing no matter what (happened), that I would be going to Heaven to meet Christ. This made me a more confident soldier.

To be honest, I felt I had a lot of weaknesses when we started training together as a unit.

I remember one of the sergeants in Iraq, a very hard dude, sat me down and talked to me. He looked at me and said, "Kolczak, when we started training I questioned your heart a little bit. I wasn't sure if you were into being here. But I've got to tell you, you've become a machine."

That was such a huge compliment and made me realize what God had helped me accomplish.

And I'll be honest with you. I'm not a perfect Christian by any means. But I felt like my faith strengthened a lot over there.

There's an old saying, "There's no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole." That really holds true! Over there you feel helpless sometimes. And that help has to come from somewhere, and in that truth God really changed my heart.

I still make mistakes, but I always lean on Psalm 91 when I'm feeling weak.

Q: How do you feel about the objectives of the military in Iraq and Afghanistan against terrorism?

Tim: Logistically, I feel that its a mission meant for Special (unconventional) Operations. I think its a Special Forces job, in that the war against terror will never end.

Terrorism feeds upon fear, and (fear) has existed since the beginning of mankind.

Special Forces branches are capable of training the indigenous troops, so that they might fight against regional terror.

Do I think we've helped these people in Afghanistan and Iraq? No question. But, I don't believe Islam will ever mesh with (our) democracy. Their beliefs don't mesh with freedom as we have come to understand it.

Q: How much does the incredibly high rate of re-enlisting soldiers say about their morale?

Tim: Well, re-enlistment is at an all time high for a couple of reasons. Obviously one of these reasons is due to the economy. People need a stable job and being in the military offers this. The other reason is soldiers love the sense of purpose. There is no sense of accomplishment quite like serving your country in a combat environment.

Q: What are your feelings about the coming season for the SAGU baseball team?

Tim: I'm extremely excited about this season, more-so than I've been about any other season.

We've always had the talent to be good, but the mental focus has been lacking.

I sat down and talked with Coach Shockley as soon as he arrived. He has a very good track record and I can tell that he has a great plan for this team.

He's not only interested in making us great players, but better men too. This Lions baseball team has some very good days ahead. As long as we stay disciplined both mentally and physically, we'll have a great chance to be a top team in our conference.

Q: What about your post-baseball life?

Tim: I have one more year left of eligibility, so this is it. I graduate in May of this year. Career wise, I would love to be a script writer, author, and possibly a freelance journalist.

My goal after school is to deploy with either a Marine or Army unit to Afghanistan, as an embedded journalist. I'd love to cover the stories of the men who put their lives on the line for us everyday.

Q: You enjoy both writing and reading, from Stephen Colbert to Edgar Allan Poe, whom you describe as "an incredible wordsmith." Is there a statement or quote that sums up your faith, purpose and life?

Tim: I think in this day and age, it is so important to remind people that there are things worth fighting for.

Some people in this country feel that we should drop our arms, and this would guarantee peace. But there are many things worse than dying. Losing honor would be one of those things, for me.

I'm reminded of a quote from the English parliament member, John Stuart Mill. He was known as a liberal in his day, and was a major proponent of racial equality.

He said, "A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

Contact: Mark "Link" Warde, Sports Information Director, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 469-658-2847.