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The Top 15 Softball Stories of 2018: #12… NFCA’s StrikeOut Cancer Initiative Provides Unity & Half Million-Plus For Research

Coach Hutchings addresses the attendees at the Michigan Softball Academy. Michigan raised the most money this year of all teams involved in the StrikeOut Cancer initiative. Photo: Sam Janicki.

We continue our list of the Top 15 Softball Stories of 2018, which will run through December 31st when we’ll present our No. 1 story of the year.

We’ve surveyed the softball community and talked internally as well to come up with what were the most impactful and relevant stories in 2018 pertaining to the world of fastpitch softball.

Here are the previous stories:

Today is #12, an example of how the softball community can come together for a good cause as an initiative led by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) has raised commitments towards cancer to the tune of over $500,000…

To provide comments, insights or thoughts, email: [email protected].

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Of our Top 15 stories of the year, today’s is one of the most recent–within the last month–and also was based on two posts we did that were about a week apart.

Unless most of the stories, however, the genesis of this Story of the Year came from a press release; in this case written by Brian Stanley, the Communications Director of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), which originally sent out on Nov. 21, 2018 (see the post we did on the release below).

Then, because we felt the story was so representative of what the softball community can do, had our correspondent Kevin Long do a deeper dive into this wonderful story of high school and college-aged players and coaches coming together to raise money for a great cause–cancer research.

This initiative had even more poignancy this year with the devastating loss of Mississippi State player Alex Wilcox to ovarian cancer over the summer.

Kevin, who wrote the extended piece on the StrikeOut Cancer work, commented today: “What makes this story impressive is the total amount of money raised, especially by the top two organizations, as well as the participation level across all teams and divisions from high school to D1.”

“That the University of Michigan softball team can raise $163K-plus and VA Glory–a travel organization– can raise $81K (together about half of the total raised and reported by all participants) still blows my mind.  These are softball teams, not professional fundraisers!  The amount of effort and time put into it by athletes, coaches and parents shows a level of sincerity and selflessness.”

And then he concluded:

“The large number and cross section of participation by teams and clubs from high school to D1 shows how devastating and impactful cancer is.  Almost no one is immune to the disease in some form.  The way the softball community rallied around the cause for battling the many different types of cancer is refreshing in a society that is based on personal success and achievement.  In this case, the desire to help others is a shining example of what a tremendously selfless group the softball community is.”

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The NFCA’s StrikeOut Cancer Initiative Grows As Michigan & VA Glory Lead The Way

(article originally published Nov. 29, 2018 on Extra Inning Softball)

The NFCA-awarded pink bat went to the VA Glory organization this year for its efforts in raising money to fight cancer.

Every year the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) awards pink bats to those that raise the most money for StrikeOut Cancer events.

The top two this year raised close to a quarter-million dollars between them — almost a third of the total raised. The University of Michigan’s softball team raised $163,161 and the Virginia Glory (VA Glory) travel organization raised $81,000.

In total, school and team StrikeOut Cancer events that were registered and reported with NFCA raised over $730,000 this year alone. There were 126 registered teams with events.

Carol Bruggeman, NFCA Executive Director: “Teams… are united when it comes to finding a cure for cancer.”

Carol Bruggeman, the Executive Director of the NFCA, emphasized that the amount raised and number of events were both likely much larger as these totals only reflect what was registered and reported back to NFCA.

“One of the things that makes the StrikeOut Cancer events unifying is that cancer isn’t something that discriminates,” she said. “Everyone knows someone who has been impacted by cancer. The softball community Is a very tight-knit group and is always more than willing to stand up and make a difference.”

Added Bruggeman: “While teams are opponents on the field, they are united when it comes to finding a cure for cancer.”

What the NFCA is doing is organizing a rally cry across the nation for a cause that everyone is working together on.

“We are supportive of any type of event that has an end goal of supporting cancer research,” the NFCA leader continued. “It doesn’t matter if they raise $5, every bit helps. Everyone is in it for the same reason — to find a cure. Over the last three years, the number of schools and teams registering their events with NFCA has risen every year and, NFCA is doing anything we can to support their initiatives.”

The NFCA Pink Bat winners this year included:

  • Overall winner – University of Michigan – $163,161.00
  • NCAA Division I – Louisiana State University – $72,000.01
  • NCAA Division II – Lee University – $7,711.00
  • NCAA Division III – Virginia Wesleyan University – $28,620.00
  • NAIA – Oklahoma Wesleyan University – $2051.57
  • Two-Year College – Indian Hills Community College – $2,000.00
  • High School – Martin Luther High School – $4,800.00
  • Travel Organization – Virginia Glory – $81,000.00

The impact of the funds they raised will be felt by real people, with families and friends whose world has been turned upside down by three dreaded words uttered by their doctors: “You Have Cancer.”

THE MAIZE AND BLUE’S MILLION DOLLAR EFFORTS

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, the University of Michigan’s softball team is perennially one of the top-ranked teams in the Big Ten and the country. Head coach Carol Hutchins has been there from the beginning and her teams have done cancer benefits since 2010.

Michigan Head Coach Carol Hutchins (center, white sleeve) rallies the participants at the Softball Academy. Photo: Sam Janicki.

Under her leadership, Coach Hutchins’ teams have raised over $1 million for breast cancer research and outreach through their adult softball academy and silent auctions.

Hutchins explained, “The first year we had 84 participants and raised around $24-30,000. Now, we regularly have over 200 participants and with the $163,000 raised this year, we have increased our total to over $1,000,000. It’s truly an event we look forward to every year.”

All proceeds of the Michigan Softball Academy and Pink Game benefit the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Cancer program. The program is dedicated to breast cancer research and is a support network for cancer patients.

“Many people don’t realize that something as simple as giving rides to/from chemo is a huge need for some cancer patients,” added Hutchins.

Michigan’s adult Softball Academy is modeled after the Michigan football team’s academy that taught women about football. Hutchins saw an opportunity to do something similar for softball and added a fundraising component to it.

Coach Hutchings addresses the attendees at the Michigan Softball Academy. Photo: Sam Janicki.

The academy is held the Thursday evening before the annual Pink Game on the last home weekend of the season. Some attendees are cancer patients. Some are the patient’s families and friends or families of patients who have passed. Most are adults and the average age is around 60-years-old, according to Coach Hutchins.

“We split the Academy attendees into teams and run them through a number of stations. Each team goes through all the stations – ground balls, hitting off tee, outfield, base running and pitching where we have a radar gun. At each station our players run them through drills and have little competitions,” said Coach Hutchins who added, “We get the players together the day after to discuss the Academy and it is always a great time talking about the fun things that happen at the stations and they get a chance to meet cancer survivors.”

Attendees warm up at the Softball Academy. Photo: Sam Janicki.

After the two-hour Academy on Alumni Field, there is a social mixer for the teams, the players and the staff. Each of the Academy teams raises money from their own networks and brings it to the event. The team that raises the most money gets a special reception and the individual that raises the most money gets to throw out the first pitch, both before the Pink Game the next night.

Coach Hutchins said they have honorary chairpersons for the events and those have ranged from the wives of the Michigan football and basketball coaches to the wife of the Michigan Governor. Each of the chairpersons also brings their own fundraising networks to the event when they’re involved.

“The players get a large dose of life and a reality check. They are fortunate with good health and privileged to play softball for Michigan. This gives them a chance to pay it forward. It is one of our duties to use the platform we’ve been given at Michigan softball to make good things happen for others,” said Coach Hutchins, who concluded, “It allows us to stop and remind ourselves that our whole program is about more than winning softball games.”

Bruggeman said, “What Michigan has been able to do with its Softball Academy is incredible. Hutch is a legend in our sport and everyone knows of her success on the field. What they may not know is one of the things she’s most proud of is all the money her program has raised to StrikeOut Cancer. If you want her to light up, just mention the Softball Academy, what it stands for, and how it’s grown over the years in terms of participation and donations raised. She is passionate about it.”

VA GLORY SETS THE STANDARD FOR TRAVEL ORGS

Shifting to suburban northern Virginia, the home of the Virginia Glory (“VA Glory”) travel organization.

Suzy Willemssen is the charismatic founder and leader of VA Glory. She is high-energy, high-octane and full of positivity all of the time. According to parents on her team, she’s fueled mostly by Cliff bars and Diet Mountain Dew.

Suzy states, “It’s a tremendous honor to be recognized by the NFCA for simply fulfilling Glory’s mission of ‘Purpose.Driven.Softball’ and doing what we love to do. It’s humbling for every player, family and coach in the Glory organization to be a part of the StrikeOut cancer program. Glory families and coaches have such servant’s hearts — I’m so grateful for each and everyone of them.”

This summer, VA Glory hosted their fourth StrikeOut Cancer tournament for Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC. It started with just seven 10U teams in the first year and has grown to 56 teams ages 10U through 16U from across the East Coast and as far away as Wisconsin. They have also added a pre-tourney camp staffed by college coaches the last two years.

“The college coaches love the chance to give back to the StrikeOut Cancer cause and they love to teach so it’s a perfect complement to the tournament,” Willemssen emphasized.

“If the coaches decide to stay and watch the tournament, that’s an added benefit for the players, but as an organization we firmly believe the purpose for our tournament and camp isn’t to showcase. It’s to serve: No Trophies, No Berths, Just Love.”

Suzy Willemssen of VA Glory (front row, far right) with a group of coaches who helped in the fund-raising efforts.

More than 200 players and 18 college coaches participated in the camp this year. To date, VA Glory has raised almost $120,000 for pediatric cancer, benefiting Children’s National. The last two years VA Glory has found corporate donors who have matched the amount they raise from the tourney,doubling the funds and impact.

“We are blessed have this platform and feel it is our duty to use it for a greater purpose,” says Willemssen, who added, “As an organization we have seen first-hand how cancer can impact families. A week before this year’s tournament one of our players, Maddie Elias, who is only 15, began treatment at Children’s for ovarian cancer. The outpouring of love and support Maddie got from not only the Glory family, but also the other teams, was incredible. It lasted throughout her treatment, all the way to PGF Nationals.”

VA Glory went all-in in their support of Maddie, whose uniform number is 2. Special ‘Tealfor2’ jerseys were made and worn by all VA Glory teams the rest of the season. Teal-colored rubber bracelets with ‘#Tealfor2’ emblazoned on them were worn by all VA Glory teams and handed out to every opponent at PGF Nationals.

Maddie Elias has returned to playing for the Glory.

Maddie’s story has a happy ending. After undergoing surgery to remove the melon-sized tumor and a grueling summer of chemo treatments, Maddie was pronounced cancer free and worked hard to get herself back on the playing field for the Fall season — which she did.

“I’ve known Suzy long enough to know that if she gets behind something, it’s going to happen because of her energy and enthusiasm,” added Bruggeman. “Travel ball organizations are not tied to an educational institution, which may present a perceived roadblock to organizing an event of this magnitude. However, Suzy finds a way to get things done. The Glory organization has made a difference both with their donations and with the lives of their players. It’s important for those players to be part of something like this to understand there are things bigger than the game.”

Carol Bruggeman and the NFCA raised close to three-quarters of a million dollars over the last year through the StrikeOut Cancer initiative.
CREATING POSITIVE CHANGE IN SEARCH OF A CURE

Ultimately, the NFCA has provided a platform for individuals and teams to compete off the field with a common enemy: cancer. It’s a daunting task, but one the organization and its members across all levels are determined to continue until, one day, the most important victory of them all is obtained.

“NFCA is committed to creating change for the sport. At the end of the day, we’re about goodwill and being good stewards in the community and the StrikeOut Cancer events reflect that,” said Bruggeman.

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Kevin Long is a correspondent covering travel teams, high school ball and other assignments for Extra Inning Softball. He can be reached at [email protected], www.twitter.com/KLEXINSB, and www.facebook.com/KLONG50extrainningsoftball

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Something To Be Thankful For: NFCA Members Raise Over $500,000 For StrikeOut Cancer Initiative

(article originally published Nov. 21, 2018 on Extra Inning Softball)

Michigan softball, led by Head Coach Carol Hutchins, earned the most in support of the StrikeOut Cancer Initiative with over $163K raised in the last year. Photo: GoBlue.com.

In this week of Thanksgiving, we offer our appreciation and gratitude to those who are helping others… great news out of Louisville, Kentucky today–the headquarters of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) as it was announced that softball players, coaches and teams at all levels have raised over a half-million dollars to battle cancer.

Here’s the release from the NFCA detailing the teams and organizations that helped contribute to the initiative.

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NFCA members have once again banded together in the fight against cancer, raising over $500,000 in support of the Association and American Cancer Society’s annual StrikeOut Cancer initiative.

The University of Michigan was the top fundraiser overall, collecting $163,161. The Wolverines’ efforts coincide with their annual Michigan Softball Academy. Growing significantly each year in the fight against cancer, the Softball Academy is a combination of an adults-only softball clinic at the university’s Wilpon Complex and a silent auction at the Junge Family Champions Center.

Since partnering with the American Cancer Society and its Making Strides Against Breast Cancer effort in 2007, head coach Carol Hutchins and her Wolverines have raised over $1 million to support breast cancer research and outreach, becoming the first women’s collegiate team to reach that mark.

Following Michigan is travel ball organization Virginia Glory, which raised $81,000. Also reaching the five-figure fundraising mark were LSU ($72,000.01 / NCAA DI), Notre Dame ($48,171 / NCAA DI), Virginia Wesleyan ($28,620 / NCAA DIII) and William Peace ($15,000 / NCAA DIII).

Lee University raised $7,711 to top NCAA Division II, while Oklahoma Wesleyan ($2,051.57 / NAIA), Indian Hills CC ($2,000 / two-year colleges) and Martin Luther High School ($4,800) led their respective membership categories.

Numerous other schools either raised money or awareness by hosting a single event or by coordinating a season-long campaign to battle cancer. The schools that registered with the NFCA earlier this season were entitled to a special package of StrikeOut Cancer items, which included NFCA Strikeout Cancer eye black sponsored by EyeBlack.com, to assist them with organizing a fundraising activity.

The winners receive pink Louisville Slugger bats, donated by Louisville’s parent company Wilson Sporting Goods, Inc.

  • Overall – University of Michigan – $163,161.00 (Carol Hutchins)
  • NCAA Division I – Louisiana State University – $72,000.01 (Beth Torina)
  • NCAA Division II – Lee University – $7,711.00 (Emily Russell)
  • NCAA Division III – Virginia Wesleyan University – $28,620.00 (Brandon Elliott)
  • NAIA – Oklahoma Wesleyan University – $2051.57 (Caty Reeves)
  • Two-Year College – Indian Hills Community College – $2,000.00 (Laura North)
  • High School – Martin Luther High School – $4,800.00 (John Oothoudt)
  • Travel Ball/Youth – VA Glory – $81,000.00 (Suzy Willemssen)

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