On June 9, 2025, Lucas Erceg, a relief pitcher for the Kansas City Royals, spoke to inmates at the Boonville Correctional Center in Missouri, sharing his personal journey toward sobriety. The event marked the five-year anniversary of Erceg’s last drink, making his Lucas Erceg prison speech both timely and deeply meaningful for the incarcerated audience seeking hope and change.
Erceg’s visit to Boonville—a minimum-security prison with a large inmate population—was arranged by Chaplain Tristram Sean McCormack, who believed Erceg’s story would resonate due to its themes of struggle and redemption. This opportunity followed in the footsteps of former Royals players Willie Mays Aikens and Darryl Strawberry, both of whom had faced significant personal challenges and spoke at the prison in the past.
The Prison Environment and Erceg’s Connection to Baseball
The Boonville Correctional Center is surrounded by imposing fences topped with barbed and razor wire, highlighting the stark divide between confinement and freedom. Despite this, the prison’s softball field stood out as a place of beauty and calm to Erceg. His deep connection to baseball—the source of purpose throughout his life—put him in a unique position to relate to the inmates.
Erceg recalled walking through strict security protocols and appreciating the baseball diamond, which served as a metaphor for the hope that can exist even in the harshest settings. This moment was particularly significant for him since baseball had been both an escape and a challenge during his own troubled youth.
From Troubled Past to Sobriety and Redemption
Erceg’s background includes severe difficulties stemming from a troubled upbringing in Campbell, California. His father was abusive and his mother struggled with alcoholism—family problems that left lingering effects. In college, Erceg experienced a downward spiral fueled by alcohol, leading to academic failure and suicidal thoughts despite early baseball success.
Reflecting on those years, Erceg shared,
“I always used baseball as an outlet to kind of get away from all that and just go out and compete,”
Lucas Erceg said.
“I had natural abilities, and I had that natural fire, that natural competitor in me that kind of took me to the next level quickly. But I wasn’t a man, you know what I mean? I didn’t make the right decisions. And I think that’s when alcoholism kind of imploded on me and took over who I was as a person.”
After transferring from Cal to Menlo College, Erceg was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2016, who envisioned him as a third baseman despite his preference to pitch and play multiple roles. His drinking worsened as his career struggled to gain traction. During the 2020 COVID-19 shutdown, Erceg’s drinking escalated to the point where his wife, Emma, confronted him with an ultimatum: stop drinking or she would leave.
That confrontation proved to be a turning point. Erceg quit drinking cold turkey on June 10, 2020, starting a difficult recovery journey without formal rehabilitation or support groups. Although his initial sobriety caused him to lose weight and struggle emotionally, his determination helped him persist.
Reviving His Career Through Determination and Sobriety
Erceg’s sobriety fueled a renewed dedication to his baseball career. He missed a Brewers alternate site assignment during the pandemic but independently drove 1,200 miles to play with the Sugar Land Lightning Sloths, an independent team. There, a teammate’s supportive gesture of removing bourbon sparked a meaningful realization for Erceg.
As the Brewers converted him back to pitching full time—a role he had not taken seriously since high school—he steadily improved. By 2023, the Oakland Athletics added him to their <a href="https://www.buzzineintl.com/category/baseball/mlb/”>MLB roster, and in the 2024 season, the Royals acquired him at the trade deadline. Erceg quickly became their closer, shining during a wild-card series sweep and showcasing the resilience born from his personal struggles.
Understanding the Reform-Focused Environment at Boonville
Erceg’s prison visit gave him insight into the modern focus on rehabilitation and restorative justice at Boonville. The facility offers programs designed to prepare inmates for successful reentry into society, including educational opportunities, vocational training such as welding certification, and work-release jobs outside the prison walls.
Inside Boonville’s woodshop, inmates handcrafted items like cornhole boards that support community fundraising. The prison also runs Puppies for Parole, where inmates train rescue dogs to become service animals for veterans and children with autism. Observing these programs, Erceg was impressed by the efforts to equip inmates with skills and purpose despite confinement.
Leadership and Changing Perspectives on Rehabilitation
Justin Page, the warden at Boonville, outlined the facility’s mission to equip inmates with tools to reduce recidivism and prepare for life beyond prison. He noted that true results would take years to measure but emphasized the importance of offering opportunities rather than punishment alone.
“In the last five, six years, the department has changed its focus, and we’re trying to set them up to be successful when they go home,”
said Justin Page.
“What is that going to do to recidivism? It’s going to take another 10 or 15 years to really see. But I always say: How can it be a bad thing? We give guys tools that they didn’t have before they came here.”
Erceg’s Speech: Vulnerability and Connection
Prior to speaking, Erceg reflected on the significance of his role and the vulnerability required. Supported by his wife Emma, who encouraged him to leverage his baseball platform for more than just athletics, he stepped into Hope Chapel—named with a building number symbolic to him—and spoke candidly about his life.
Within the chapel, about thirty men filed in wearing standard uniforms, listening closely to Erceg’s message of hope and personal responsibility. Recognizing how hard public speaking was for him, Emma remarked,
“He was red as a freaking tomato, all nervous,”
Emma said.
“He can pitch in front of 40,000 people with bases loaded and not break a sweat. But public speaking is difficult.”
Erceg’s introduction emphasized respect and connection:
“Before we even get started, I just want to tell you this: Thank you for taking the time out of your day to listen to what I have to say,”
he said.
“At the end of the day, I only have one goal in mind being here, and that’s just to connect with you guys. I don’t want to make it seem like I’m here to talk at you. I want to make sure that you guys understand that this means a lot to me.”
Sharing Struggles to Inspire Change
Erceg opened up about his difficult upbringing, his battles with addiction, and the importance of seeking support from family, therapists, and others. He stressed that past mistakes do not define future potential. He explained his daily challenge to maintain sobriety, saying:
“I know that if I take a drink, all that hard work that I put in the last five years would go out the window and I’d have to restart,”
he said.
“So it’s almost like for me personally, I’m challenging myself every day to maintain, maintain that slow little step. I mean, five years down the line, I’ve walked a hundred miles. But I know I’ve got a thousand more to go.”
The audience included inmates like Alex Luttrell, convicted of causing a fatal drunk driving accident. Since his sentencing and transfer to Boonville, Luttrell has pursued sobriety and worked to repair family relationships. He connected deeply with Erceg’s words:
“When he was being asked what made him finally say, ‘That’s enough. I’ve had enough.’ — I think I related to that the most,”
Luttrell said.
“For me, it was years and years and years I was drinking. You’re in denial. You don’t want to believe you got a problem. I thought I could stop at any time.”
Extending Support Beyond the Prison Walls
Erceg’s outreach stretches beyond Boonville. During a rehabilitation stint at Triple-A Omaha, he revealed to teammates his sobriety milestone and offered to support anyone struggling on a similarly difficult path. One teammate responded by sharing his own sobriety journey, reinforcing the positive impact of openness and empathy.
“I made the decision to say something interesting about myself,”
Erceg recalled.
“Hey, I’m about to be five years sober. Please, if you guys want to come to me anonymously and share your story with me, I’m more than willing to help and just talk you through some things. It’s a scary road to go down, but I promise it looks good on the other side. Like I said, I’m living proof.”
The moment visibly moved Erceg to tears as the room gave him a standing ovation. He said,
“I know how scared he was to tell me that,”
continuing,
“And he still told me, and that s— fired me up, dude.”
A Life Reclaimed in Full Color
Erceg describes his life before sobriety as black and white, with sobriety bringing vivid color and meaning. His time at Boonville expanded his perspective on recovery and redemption beyond sport, embracing the full spectrum of human experience. Emma jokes about his relentless positivity, seeing it as necessary balance after years of hardship.
He closed his prison visit by engaging with inmates, even letting them choose his entrance music—though he humorously ruled out NSYNC—building rapport through humility and respect. Those in attendance expressed deep gratitude for his honesty and compassion.
Continuing the Journey of Recovery and Impact
After the event, Erceg reflected on the importance of acknowledging personal achievements, which his lifelong tendency had been to downplay. He said,
“I don’t like giving myself credit,”
but acknowledged,
“I just kept thinking like, ‘Hey, you did a really good thing.’ And that’s something that was important and it stuck out to me because I don’t think we as humans give ourselves enough credit.”
Every sober choice Erceg makes is a victory, reinforcing his commitment to transform not only his own life but also to inspire others. The stitching on his glove serves as a daily reminder of June 10, 2020—the day he chose to change and, by extension, to help others find their way.
Lucas Erceg‘s service at Boonville Correctional Center embodies how sport, vulnerability, and recovery can intersect to offer second chances and hope, underscoring the human capacity for change amid adversity.