Savannah Bananas left fielder RobertAnthony Cruz was honored with the Sports Impact trophy at the 13th annual K-LOVE Fan Awards. Josh Baldwin and Passion’s Kristian Stanfill presented the special accolade to “Coach RAC,” as he’s widely known.
Taking the platform, Cruz shared his recent struggles with identity, admitting, “I realized that regardless of how I perform on the field, God still sees me the same. He loves me because I’m His beloved child.”
Later on in his acceptance speech, the SoCal native encouraged fans with the revelation that’s changed his life. “There is nothing that will satisfy your soul like a relationship with Jesus Christ,” he affirmed. “My teammates and I have some stories to tell about God’s faithfulness in our lives, and it is our goal that through this unique opportunity — playing for the Savannah Bananas — that we might be able to magnify the name who’s actually worthy of our praise.”
Achieving his lifelong dream of playing Major League Baseball, Cruz joined the Washington Nationals in 2021. Over the course of the next few years, he began growing his dynamic online presence, where he often shares his faith across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. A member of the Savannah Bananas since 2023, Cruz is known for lighting up the outfield with his backflip catches. He’s also an in-demand content creator and sought-after motivational speaker. Additionally, the new dad is the co-founder of Not Your Average Baseball Camp (NYABC), a mentorship and training program for aspiring athletes that places a high value on confidence and community. He also helped launch Sandlot Revival, a series of worship nights he and his teammates host before games in select cities across the nation. These special events, unaffiliated with the team, include music from local Christian artists and testimonies from Savannah Bananas players.
Ahead of the fan-voted ceremony, Cruz walked the red carpet with his wife and baby daughter following a sold-out round of Banana Ball the prior evening at Knoxville’s Neyland Stadium, which drew a massive crowd comprised of 101,000 fans.
Hosted by Lauren Daigle and Sadie Robertson Huff, the 2026 K-LOVE Fan Awards honored the year’s biggest faith-based artists, songs, films, television series, books, podcasts and more as fans voted for their favorites across 11 categories. With winners publicly revealed during an exclusive broadcast on May 29 via Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), the show is now available to watch on demand on TBN+ with an encore network presentation airing June 5.
