For former Altoona Curve outfielder Alex Presley, baseball is what brought him to Altoona as a player, but it’s his journey through faith that brings him back to PNG Field for Faith Night Sunday night.

His faith served as a backbone of his seven year career in the Major Leagues that saw him play for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Minnesota Twins, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers and Detroit Tigers.

Presley knew that while his baseball career wouldn’t last forever, his faith would be there far longer than his career would be.

“A turning point in my career was knowing that my identity is in Christ, not in baseball,” Presley said. ” This helped me realize that no matter how long or short my career was, my value wasn’t in my batting average. I could trust that He was working all things for good, and good didn’t necessarily mean that I went 4-for-4 at the plate. It lifted a huge weight off my shoulders.”

Having that weight lifted helped him play the game more freely leading him to hit .350 for the Curve in 2010, a season in which the team won the Eastern League championship for the first time.

It was during that season that Presley became far more recognized as a prospect and it helped propel him to Pittsburgh.

“Altoona is such a unique setting with the rollercoaster behind the right field wall,” Presley said. “It was the place where I really broke out and made my push toward the big leagues.”

While his season was impressive, it was the relationships he built while with the Curve that serve as the most memorable in his career. ”

“The relationships with teammates are the things I remember most,” Presley said. “It was a bunch of guys that played together coming up in the system, so we were all really tight and I think that was a contributing factor to us winning the championship in 2010.”

Of course, the championships became few and far between and so to were the successes for Presley as he made it to the Major Leagues and worked to stay there.

“When I look back at my career I think about a time filled with highs and lows,” Presley said. “I’m grateful for both because those times shaped me into who I am today. It’s a blessing to have the opportunity to play a sport for a living and get to live my dream.”

Much like his baseball skills, his faith was strengthened in the minor leagues throughout his journey.

“One of the biggest influences in my faith journey was baseball chapel,” Presley said. “We almost always had day games on Sundays so we couldn’t go to church. Each team had a team chaplain and we would have a short message before the game.”

It was through baseball chapel that the relationships with his teammates were forged deeper than just a simple baseball sense.

“I got to know a lot of my teammates on a level other than baseball because of our common love of God,” Presley said. “It also got me out of my comfort zone into a Christian leadership role toward the end of my career which encouraged me to readily serve and speak about my faith now.”

For Presley, that commitment to his faith and his growth as a Christian leader will bring him back to Altoona to speak about his journey on and off the field. It’s not a long trip to Altoona for Presley who now lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Janelle, and daughter, Mika.

His days are now filled by a budding real estate career, spending time with family and playing on his church softball team. He still is involved in baseball working with high school teams, individual players and working camps in the area.

While Presley is always excited to speak about his faith and journey, it’s the interactions with fans that he looks forward to most when making appearances in the community.

“Seeing and talking with the fans that watched you play is the best,” Presley said. “It’s always cool when someone brings up a specific moment in your career that they remember you by.”