Less than a week after the Live Like Lou Jax College Baseball Classic, Live Like Lou traveled west for the Live Like Lou Las Vegas College Baseball Classic. The tournament brought together Vanderbilt, Oregon, Arizona, and UC Irvine baseball programs, along with ALS families and fans, for a weekend focused on raising funds and awareness for Lou Gehrig’s disease.
The tournament opened Friday with Nat Love throwing out the first pitch before UC Irvine faced Vanderbilt. Love serves as a trustee for the Live Like Lou Foundation and is the General Council President of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, where Lou Gehrig was a member at Columbia University. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Love spent 38 years with Meijer, including more than a decade as vice president of drug store operations.
Before the second game between Oregon and Arizona, Phi Delta Theta Province President Jason Julian threw a ceremonial first pitch. Julian volunteers with fraternity chapters in Nevada, Utah, and Montana and lives in Las Vegas with his wife, Miriya, and their son, Mason.
Saturday’s games featured Teresa Thurtle, whose family has been deeply impacted by Lou Gehrig’s disease. Her grandmother died from the disease in 1989, and her father passed away in 2011 following his diagnosis. Thurtle, a U.S. Air Force veteran and member of Major League Baseball’s Lou Gehrig Day Committee, continues to advocate for a world free of ALS.
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Wells, the son of Drake Martin-Greene of Maxim Healthcare Services, threw out the ceremonial first pitch for Saturday’s evening game. Maxim Healthcare, a sponsor of the tournament, supports individuals living with ALS through in-home skilled nursing, caregiving, and behavioral health services across the country.
The tournament also welcomed several Live Like Lou and Phi Delta Theta leaders, including Phi Delta Theta CEO Sean Wagner, Live Like Lou Board Chair Dr. Chris Brussalis, and Trustee Jake Heuser. The UNLV Phi Delta Theta chapter members volunteered with Live Like Lou throughout the weekend.
To close the tournament, Live Like Lou surprised two individuals living with Lou Gehrig’s disease, John Kirtley and Melody Singletary, with Quality-of-Life Grants.
Kirtley, a former correction officer for the City of Las Vegas, was diagnosed with ALS in 2019.
“ALS may affect my body, but it will never define my heart, my faith, or my spirit…Show up for the people who matter. And live—truly live—while you can,” John shared.
Singletary, originally from northern Utah and a graduate of Weber State University, spent 25 years with Delta Air Lines. She enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking, and snowboarding, and continues to face ALS with determination and support from her family.
Vanderbilt pitcher England Bryan, the 2026 Live Like Lou Fan Choice Community Impact Player of the Tournament, joined the presentation for John’s grant. Fans selected the award winner by donating to Live Like Lou throughout the tournament, 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.
Bryan embodies those values through his volunteer work at the Nashville Rescue Mission, serving breakfast to those experiencing homelessness, as well as the fundraiser he and his brother co-created, which raised $575 to provide 1,610 servings of venison for food-insecure Tennesseans. Bryan raised more than $9,700 of the $18,750, helping fund the Quality-of-Life Grants presented to Kirtley and Singletary.
The tournament’s final ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Kirtley’s son, a 2018 UNLV graduate and software engineer, who reflected on how his father’s ALS journey has reshaped his family’s values and how they spend time together.
The Live Like Lou Las Vegas College Baseball Classic brought together teams, families, and supporters for a weekend of rallying for the good of the ALS community. If you are an ALS family in Las Vegas 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.
