Where Are They Now . . . Joe Gevas, Former CSUDH Baseball Player
Periodic Q&A dialogues spotlighting past student-athletes well-known to Toro fans
February 4, 2006

THE GEVAS FILE

Name: Joe Gevas
Age: 24
Sport: Baseball
Years played: 4
Year Graduated: 2004
Degree Earned: B.S. in Business Administration, with a concentration in C.I.S.
Current Job(s): College Minister and part-time work for LAUSD

Joe poses by his picture at the Home Depot Center, and stands as the only CSUDH athlete with a photo at HDC.

GEVAS THEN

• Individual Game Records
  • Runs Scored: T-1st) / 5 (twice)
  • Most Hits: 1st / 6
  • Most Total Bases: 1st / 13
• Individual Season Records
  • Home Runs: T-1st / 19
  • Slugging Pct.: 2nd / .716
  • Most Total Bases: 1st / 146
• Career Records
  • Three-year Batting Avg.: 1st / .338
  • Four-year batting avg.: 1st / .345
  • Most hits: 1st / 253
  • Most runs: 1st / 169
  • Most doubles: 1st / 47
  • Two-year slugging Pct.: 1st / .654
  • Four-year slugging pct.: 1st / .557
• Other Accolades:
  • 2003: CCAA Player of the Year, 3rd Team All-American, 1st Team All-CCAA
  • 2002: 1st Team All-CCAA
  • 2001: Honorable Mention All-CCAA
  • 2000: Honorable Mention All-CCAA
  • Invited to play for the Greek Olympic baseball team for the 2004 Greece Olympics

GEVAS NOW

What do you currently do, and what are your job’s responsibilities:

I am a college minister for More Than Conquerors Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, a Christian Fellowship here at Cal State Dominguez Hills. As a minister, I get to do everything from leading Bible studies, helping people with their homework and teaching people how to lead Bible studies to leading God Investigation Groups (Bible studies for people that have questions about God, but don’t go to church), preaching, leading short-term summer missions, gathering students to give out food, drinks, and clothes on Skid Row, and spend time and pray for the homeless.

Joe (far right) and former CSUDH athletes Michelle Clary (l) and Edgar Esqueda (4th from right) leading a team of CSUDH students during a 2005 summer mission team in New York.

For LAUSD, I work for the Program of Evaluation and Research Branch. I'm working on the District Science Program. I work on databases, manage a couple of teams, and go into the classrooms and observe teachers.

Coach Wing about Gevas’ choice to go into campus ministry: "What he is doing now is awesome. They are starting a church, he has been all over the US doing ministry stuff … it’s just exciting to see what he is doing."

How did playing sports at Dominguez help prepare you for what you are doing now?

It helped me understand the importance of both being a team player and a leader of a team. It also helped me to be disciplined enough to show up everyday, especially when I didn’t want to. Lastly, playing at CSUDH helped me understand the importance of integrity. Coach Wing has always been a man of integrity and that sticks on many of the players who play for him.

Current head baseball coach George Wing on his former Toro: "Joe as a ballplayer was just something special. He was the kind of kid who just competed everyday, enjoyed coming to the ball park everyday.”

Are you still playing your sport now in any league or organization?

Yes, I play with my roommate and CSUDH baseball alum Edgar Esqueda. We play in a Sunday league right around the corner at Victoria Park.

What’s the best memory that you have from playing baseball at Dominguez?

It's hard to think of one think that sticks out as the "best" memory because there were so many good ones. I would have to say that my best memories are of my former teammates and the fun we had both on and off the field.

What have you been doing since you finished your playing career?

I've been growing in my relationship with God and beginning to answer the call that He has on my life. I’ve been reading more books now than I did in college, probably because it’s stuff that I’m excited to read and learn about.

Do you keep in contact with any of your teammates or coaches?

Not as much as I would like. The only person I’m always with is Edgar, my roommate and ministry partner.

Are sports still a part of your life?

Of course. I still love to play, watch and cheer on my favorite sports teams.

Talk about turning down a chance to play in the Olympics. For some, that’s more than a dream come true.

I turned down a chance to play in the Olympics for Greece, and probably a chance to sign with a major league team my senior year. Instead of pursuing baseball, I answered a call that God put on my life to be a minister of the Gospel, raise up leaders to follow Jesus, and lead as many people to Jesus as I can.

At the time, giving up baseball was the most difficult thing that I had ever done, and many people thought it was the dumbest thing that I'd ever done. But God had been working in my life the three years previous to me making that decision. As my career at DH was coming to an end, God made it clear to me that He would bless me either way I went. But as He showed me what a life devoted to Him could look like and the joy that it promised, I would have been a fool to pass it up.

Three years after I made that decision, I’m not only happy with the decision, but very happy with where my life is going.

Coach Wing on Gevas skipping the Olympics: "It was one of those things that none of us totally understands. We know it was at that time that God was starting to call him, and I think a lot of it had to do with God making His presence felt in Edgar’s life."

When was the last time you came back to watch your old team play?

I catch a few games every year.

How have you grown/changed since your playing days?

I've changed a lot since my days of playing. I wish I worked out as much as I did back then, but I can’t say that I do. My days of getting angry and depressed because I had a bad game or series are gone. The joy I now receive has nothing to do with my performance on the field, it’s simply a joy that I freely receive from the grace of God.

What do you do to relax?

I still love to catch a Dodger game. I really enjoy reading. I spend a lot of time reading at Starbucks and Barnes & Noble. My favorite place to get away and read is at the beach. I also like to watch movies, cook and eat.