The Valdosta State Fellowship of Christian Athletes will host the Sermon on the Mound tonight at Billy Grant Field. The event will begin roughly 30 minutes after the conclusion of tonight’s Albany State-Valdosta State baseball game, set to begin at 5 p.m.

This year’s speaker is Gregory McMichael, a former Major League Baseball player for the Atlanta Braves. McMichael was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 1988 MLB Draft and signed with the Braves in 1993, where he become a closer at the mid-season mark and complied a record 19 saves with an earned run average of 2.06. Following the ’93 season, McMichael finished second in the National League Most Valuable Player voting.

 A member of the Braves’ 1995 World Series team, McMichael also played for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics before rejoining the Braves in 2000. McMichael is now a resident of Duluth and runs a baseball facility, hosting camps each spring and summer.

This year’s event marks the second straight year a former Atlanta Brave has spoken at the Sermon on the Mound. Last year, Sid Bream spoke at the event.