The Journey of Roger McAfee to Softball Adulation

During the Women’s College World Series, the NCAA social media team typically produces Dear Softball segments in which a graduating senior pens a letter to the game describing how that relationship has impacted and shaped their life.

Without question these are some of my favorite NCAA social posts. Often emotional, and always thoughtful, softball fans are offered a peek into what the game means to a specific player and the memories it has created.

Consider this my Dear Softball segment. I’ll provide a glimpse into why I love this game and a few of the people that have helped create that feeling along the way.

The Start

Having been a baseball fan since I was very young, I think I was always attracted to the ball and bat sports. But the passion for the game ignited during my time at Coppin State University as the sports information director. Our softball program had suffered through a 73-game losing streak and I went over two years without seeing a victory. A new coaching staff came in and orchestrated an amazing turnaround as the team posted a school-record 22 victories after having won five games in the three previous years combined. Watching the staff work and change the mindset of the student-athletes into a winning attitude and a belief in their abilities was impressive. One of my favorite memories took place during that season when Ken Murray from the Baltimore Sun wrote a feature article on the team and when it was published it appeared on the front page of the newspaper. Not the front page of the sports section, but the front page of the newspaper. I’ll never forget taking copies out to the players at practice and seeing the expressions of joy on their faces as they read the article.

The People

There have been too many people in the softball world that have impacted the way I feel about the game to list, but I will single out one person because I wouldn’t be working for Extra Inning Softball if I had not met her, and that person is current UNC Wilmington head coach Ashley Wade, pictured right. Ashley and I first crossed paths at Coppin State where she was an assistant coach on the staff that turned the program around in one season. I joked with her that our early friendship centered around me being able to help her with a media guide, a schedule poster and other materials to help promote the program. She could tell that I was really interested in learning about the game, and she took the time to explain the nuances of the sport and we even went to the batting cages where she tried to teach me how to hit. Emphasis on tried. I have followed her career from Coppin State to Stevenson to Northwestern Oklahoma State to Northern Illinois and now to UNC Wilmington. I am forever indebted to Ashley for teaching me about the game and I will always be unwavering in my support of her.

The Players

Again, way too many players to mention. What I will tell you is having the opportunity to work in media relations has afforded me the chance to work behind the scenes with amazing student-athletes across the country. Working daily with student-athletes is a privilege because you develop relationships that allow you to share in their success because you have witnessed firsthand the effort that has gone in to producing those results. And being able to share their success in a website story, an article in a media outlet or a social media post has been extremely gratifying.

The Women’s College World Series

My admiration for the sport kicked into overdrive when former NCAA Championships staffer Sahar Abdur-Rashid asked me to serve as the press conference moderator at the WCWS. Along with working the Atlanta Olympic Games this has been the highlight of my professional career. Some of the highlights from my time at the WCWS include watching Odicci Alexander leave the circle the final time for James Madison to a standing ovation, hearing the crowd explode when Oklahoma’s Shay Knighten hit a game-tying home run in the seventh inning of game two of the championship series, watching Montana Fouts of Alabama throw a perfect game, witnessing the Sooners Jayda Coleman make home run-saving catches in back-to-back seasons, seeing Jessi Warren of Florida State make an incredible diving catch and double play in the championships series, admiring the passion and dominance of Stanford’s NiJaree Canady in the circle and being able to share the podium with coaching legends Patty Gasso, Lonni Alameda, Kelly Inouye-Perez, Tim Walton and Heather Tarr.

When you have a career in media relations you learn early on it’s never about you. It’s always about the student-athletes and coaches. And while I have shared my past with our community my focus remains the same, which is to tell the stories about the people who play and coach this great game. So enough about me. If you have a story about a team, a player, a coach, an umpire or anyone associated with softball feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]