For one of Lancaster Bible College baseball's newest team captains Evan Sareyka ('26), leadership isn't limited to the diamond. It shows up in real-life moments that demand courage, clarity and compassion.
 
June 26, 2025, began as a joyful morning of golf for Evan, his grandfather, cousin and younger brother, but the day nearly became a family tragedy. While the four were playing a round together at a Delaware County (Pa.) Park golf course, 71-year-old Gus Sareyka, Evan's grandfather, suddenly began feeling unwell. After sitting down mid-round, he became unconscious, collapsed and stopped breathing.
 
As panic threatened to set in, the three young men sprang into action. Evan's cousin quickly called 911, while Evan's younger brother ran to the clubhouse for assistance. Evan, a 21-year-old dual major in Biblical Studies and Criminal Justice at Lancaster Bible College, stayed by his grandfather's side. As the 911 dispatcher gave step-by-step instructions, Evan drew on the basics he remembered from a YouTube video he had watched years earlier for a class and began chest compressions.
 
On that 100-degree afternoon, under the sweltering summer sun, Evan performed lifesaving CPR. For the next eight minutes, Evan performed CPR without a break, well beyond the recommended two-minute rotation that trained responders typically follow to avoid fatigue and maintain quality compressions. His physical endurance and mental composure, sharpened by years of baseball and faith, kept oxygen-rich blood circulating to his grandfather's brain and vital organs until emergency services arrived.
 
When paramedics took over, they shocked Gus' heart twice with a defibrillator and were able to restore a pulse. Medical staff later confirmed that had Evan stopped performing CPR at any point, his grandfather likely would not have survived. He was rushed to Riddle Hospital, where doctors confirmed that he had suffered a severe cardiac arrest caused by a blockage often referred to as the "widowmaker."
 
Emergency surgery with a balloon angioplasty restored blood flow, but concerns quickly shifted to his neurological condition. After so many minutes without oxygen, brain damage was a real and frightening possibility. Gus was placed on a ventilator in critical condition, and the Sareyka family gathered in the hospital waiting room to pray – for strength, for healing and for a miracle.
 
Early that afternoon, Evan reached out to his LBC baseball teammates to let them know what had happened and to ask for prayer. More than 50 players and staff joined Evan in lifting up his grandfather. The next morning, those prayers were answered, as doctors removed Gus' ventilator, and he miraculously woke up. Though he doesn't remember much about the event, Gus was alert, talking and even joking with family.
 
Every day since has been marked by signs of continued healing. The Sareyka family calls it nothing short of a miracle. "We're praising God for His goodness," shared Evan's father, Kyle. "And we're incredibly proud of Evan and how God used him in that moment to give his grandfather a second chance at life."
 
Reflecting on the experience, Evan humbly shared about performing CPR: "I'm no expert, I just know the basics," he said. That humility is part of what makes his story so powerful, and that sentiment hits home: you don't need to be an expert to make a life-or-death difference.
Added Evan: "It was all to God's glory that we were able to get a pulse back when the ambulance arrived."
 
Leadership On and Off the Field
 
Heading into his senior year at LBC, Evan plays centerfield and pitches for the Chargers. He was named a team captain for the 2025–26 season, recognized for his leadership, humility and integrity. His career goals include working in law enforcement, a calling where high-pressure moments like this one will be part of the job. This summer, he is interning with the Bridgeton (N.J.) Police Department in New Jersey and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Gloucester County, while also competing with a summer league baseball team and training in the gym to stay strong. His schedule leaves little free time, but it is clear that Evan's dedication, discipline and faith are what drive him – both on and off the field.
 
Faith in Action
 
Evan's heroism on June 26 wasn't simply the result of instinct or hard work; it was faith in action. A young man with a steady hand, a clear mind and a humble heart, Evan was ready when it mattered most. His story is a reminder that basic CPR can save lives, that God's faithfulness meets us in moments of crisis, and that true leadership is illuminated not when the crowd is watching but when a loved one needs you most.
 
"We are incredibly proud of Evan, not just for his actions that day on the course, but for the way he represents Lancaster Bible College, our baseball program, his family and his faith with quiet strength and courage," said LBC Baseball Head Coach Ryan MacFarlane. "He's a strong example of what it means to be an LBC Charger, ready to step up when it counts, whether on the field or in life's most critical moments."
 
From the baseball field to the golf course, from CPR basics to a family miracle, Evan's story is one of courage, humility and God's faithfulness. It reminds us all that even the most basic preparedness, combined with prayer and presence of mind, can change everything.
 
Why Bystander CPR Matters
 
According to the American Heart Association, bystander CPR can double or even triple a person's chance of survival. Every minute without CPR reduces survival by approximately 10 percent, which makes the immediate action Evan took absolutely critical. Yet fewer than half of cardiac arrest victims outside hospitals receive bystander CPR. That's why the AHA continues to promote Hands-Only CPR, a simplified method that anyone can learn and use in a crisis, even without prior training. Evan's story is a powerful, real-life example of how basic knowledge and the courage to act can make the difference between life and death. To learn more about CPR or to be trained, visit cpr.heart.org/en/resources/what-is-cpr.