Longtime baseball coach Tom Roy will serve as a team chaplain for Grace College's baseball team this season.
Roy has worked with the Lancers across four different different decades. He was the Lancers' head baseball coach from 1980-83. He led Grace to two winning seasons in 1981 and 1982. He was also the squad’s pitching coach from 1970-73 and graduated from Grace with a Bachelor’s degree in 1974. He has also assisted the Lancers multiple times over the years.
Roy has spent close to 15 years as a scout for Major League Baseball. He was an associate scout for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1976-79 and was an associate international scout for the Atlanta Braves from 1993-99 and for the San Diego Padres from 2000-05.
Roy also served as the varsity baseball coach at Tippecanoe Valley from 1974-76 and was the pitching coach at Huntington College from 1987-89. He has visited over 65 different countries teaching and coaching the game of baseball.
He is the president and founder of Unlimited Potential, Inc. He played briefly in the San Francisco Giants organization before starting his career. He authored an autobiography about his experience with UPI entitled "Released." He also recently authored another book entitled "Shepherd Coach: Unlocking the Destiny of You and Your Players."
Roy has served as a board member for various ministries, including the Warsaw YMCA, Calling for Christ, UPI and Fellowship Mission. He has co-written multiple books, including “Beyond Betrayal” and “Sandusky Bay.”
Grace recently renamed its baseball stadium in honor of Roy, calling it the Tom Roy - UPI Park. The Lancers played their first season in the newly renovated ballpark in the spring of 2024.
