The inaugural Live Like Lou Jax College Baseball Classic brought together LSU, Notre Dame, Indiana, and UCF for a weekend of competition and ALS awareness at VyStar Ballpark, home of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
The tournament is part of the Live Like Lou Foundation’s For the Good of the Team campaign, which highlights Lou Gehrig’s 1939 decision to remove himself from the New York Yankees lineup after being diagnosed with ALS.
Ahead of the tournament, Live Like Lou staff were honored to visit Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, where Wilfried O. Rossoll, PhD, hosted an inspiring afternoon of ALS research presentations alongside Bjorn E. Oskarsson, MD, and members of Marka M. Van Blitterswijk, MD, PhD’s lab. The visit highlighted the critical research efforts underway to better understand and treat ALS.
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Live Like Lou Executive Director Wendy Faust joined each team’s practice to share the Foundation’s story and remind student-athletes that the Live Like Lou Jax College Baseball Classic is bigger than baseball. Players heard how their time on the field could translate into tangible support for families facing a 100 percent fatal disease with devastating emotional and financial costs. Live Like Lou also had the opportunity to meet local ALS families at the Kendra Scott Gives Back event, where 20 percent of purchases supported the Foundation.
Dr. Daryl Fields threw out the ceremonial first pitch before LSU faced Indiana in the tournament opener. Dr. Fields, a Live Like Lou trustee and a neurosurgeon-scientist at the University of Florida and the Malcolm Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center, conducts research focused on restoring movement in individuals living with paralysis.
Throughout the weekend, several members of the ALS community were recognized on the field.
Notre Dame alum and Live Like Lou Trustee John Roselle threw a first pitch in honor of his late wife, Laurie, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2021 and passed away in 2024. Together, they established the Roselle Fund for ALS Research with Live Like Lou. Through the annual All in for ALS Research Trivia Night, more than $400,000 has been endowed to support ALS research in Indiana.
Ben Gaston, diagnosed with ALS in 2023; Janet Healing and her son, Joseph, a member of Lou Gehrig's college fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, at Embry-Riddle; and Justin Ramirez, diagnosed in 2024, attended and were honored on the field with their families.
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13-year-old Anthony honored his grandmother, who passed away from ALS, by wearing a hat embroidered with an ALS ribbon and “Mimi” while throwing the first pitch on the second day of the tournament, followed by his sister, Alexandra, being the junior umpire.
The final day of the Classic began with Live Like Lou Treasurer David Haire throwing out the first pitch for the first game. Ashley Lee’s cousin, Jace, then threw out the last first pitch of the tournament on her behalf prior to the LSU vs. UCF game. Ashley is a dedicated ALS advocate whose father, Darrell, was diagnosed in 2009 after living with the disease for more than 20 years.
Throughout the tournament, fans voted for the Live Like Lou for the Live Like Lou Fan Choice Community Impact Player award by donating to Live Like Lou, with each $1 donation counting as one vote. Each team nominated one player who exemplifies Lou Gehrig’s character and values, and fans selected their favorite.
Between games on the final day, LSU outfielder Chris Stanfield was named the 2026 Live Like Lou Fan Choice Community Impact Player of the Tournament after raising more than $4,900 through the fan vote. Stanfield exemplifies Lou’s character and values through his “Be the 1” campaign, donating $100 to the Miracle League in Baton Rouge for every extra-base hit or stolen base.
With funds raised through the Fan Choice votes, Live Like Lou presented Sandy Waller, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2015, with a Quality-of-Life Grant to help make her bathroom safer and more accessible.
From first pitch to the final out, the inaugural Live Like Lou Jax College Baseball Classic brought together teams, fans, and families to support those impacted by Lou Gehrig’s disease.
A special thank you to the teams, coaches, fans, Peak Events, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, and Kendra Scott. Members of the Embry-Riddle Phi Delta Theta chapter also spent the weekend volunteering with Live Like Lou, helping make the event a success.
If you are an ALS family in Jacksonville and were unable to attend this year’s tournaments, stay tuned for more information about next year and be sure you’re registered for our programs so we can recognize you in the tournament! Live Like Lou hopes to welcome you as we continue working to leave ALS better than we found it—together.
