Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Answer Interrupts Worship Service
PRAIRIE GROVE — The pitch came when Austin Jentzsch least expected, but the 2017 Prairie Grove graduate cashed in on the opportunity.
Regular church-goers know people frown when a cellphone rings in the middle of a worship service, but if they only knew the message was relaying an answered prayer — rejoicing might be appropriate.
A contemporary Christian song proclaims, “There will be singing, there will be dancing.”
Jentzsch knows the feeling. In April, he resisted an overwhelming urge to share a testimony of a dream coming true when Northeastern State University, of Tahlequah, Okla., head baseball coach Jake Hendrick extended a scholarship offer over the phone.
“I was excited once he called me, I just couldn’t believe it,” Jentzsch said. “It was actually in the middle of church service. It was hard not to tell my mom right then.”
Jentzsch carried the dream inside as he attended an NSU baseball camp in January.
“That was during a dead period so they couldn’t recruit anyone,” Jentzsch said. “So, I left without knowing.”
Jentzsch went to a junior college camp in February and found out he was on the NSU radar. NSU had informed the junior college of his potential and they were interested.
“They (NSU) told him about me, they told them to invite me for a personal day and have me come pitch for them,” Jentzsch said.
By then Jentzsch had begun what would become a stalwart senior campaign at Prairie Grove as a full-time starter in the outfield and part-time pitcher. Jentzsch earned All-Conference honors. He appeared in 22 games, batting .308, smashing 20 hits with 20 runs scored, 17 RBIs, 8 doubles, 1 triple and 2 home-runs.
Still, the timing of the scholarship offer came as a surprise.
“A month later, I get a call from Coach Hendrick, saying, ‘This is what we think about you, this is what’s on the table. Do you want to talk about it with your parents?’”
No further conversation was necessary, the worship service wouldn’t be disturbed. Jentzsch’s heart leaped for joy. He informed Hendrick NSU is the program he wants to be in.
“It was definitely an answered prayer, I wanted to do it,” Jentzsch said. “I just didn’t have the right person with me to help me do it, which was my stepdad (Kevin McKnight) which was an answered prayer. There was another answered prayer when I got that call.”
Jentzsch signed with NSU in April. He credits McKnight’s proactive approach as playing an instrumental role in landing a college baseball scholarship since marrying into the family four years ago.
“He was always very loving to my mom and all of us from the very beginning,” Jentzsch said. “I told him I wanted to play college baseball and he said, ‘Let’s do it.’”
McKnight’s involvement has been non-stop. He has driven Jentzsch to St. Louis and around the country to baseball camps. Jentzsch’s mother, Gena McKnight, has been a constant supporter.
“She was always there to keep my head on straight when times were rough,” Jentzsch said.
If he missed a hit or didn’t field a ball, encouraging words restored his confidence.
“Hey, bad stuff happens, forget about it,” Gena McKnight told her son.
In March, the Tigers were in a battle on the road when Jentzsch blasted a shot out of the ballpark, a play he counts among his favorite memories playing baseball for Prairie Grove.
“On opening day for conference in either my first or second at-bat at Huntsville when I hit my first home run ever,” Jentzsch said. “That was just really a great feeling.”
Jentzsch (1 of 3) had two RBIs and Prairie Grove won, 4-3. He accounted for one of only 3 hits in 26 at-bats for the Tigers against Huntsville starter Remington Cozad, who would earn Pitcher of the Year honors among 4A-1 hurlers.
“Jenzsch really put a charge on it and put us up there for good,” said Prairie Grove coach Chris Mileham.
Jentzsch’s younger brother, Aiden Jentzsch, 15, stayed up late nights in the batting cage as Jentzsch perfected his all-around game. In turn, Jentzsch plans to invest himself in developing Aiden’s skills.
“He’s starting to like baseball now. In late nights he’s been helping me with hitting and with throwing,” Jentzsch said. “I feel like it’s my turn to help him.”