Students prevail over faculty again in annual softball game filled with fellowship, fun

Adding to their second consecutive loss, the Southwestern Seminary and Texas Baptist College faculty team fell to the student team 9-1 in an upset that was neither stunning nor hard fought during the annual Student vs. Faculty Softball Game held Sept. 22 at the Recreation and Aerobics Center’s field.

Elijah Brewer, a TBC student enrolled in the college’s five-year intercultural studies program, served as the student captain for the second year. The Rio Rancho, New Mexico, native said he used the “same approach as last year” in recruiting and preparing the student team.

“I tried to make the team as universal as possible in regards of TBC and seminary students, male and female, and upper and lower classmen,” Brewer explained. His recruitment method proved successful as at an unusual “halftime” in the 97-degree heat on the first day of fall, the student team was ahead 9-0.

Noting that “next year the faculty will need to spend some time in the batting cage ahead of time,” Blake McKinney, assistant professor of history and humanities at TBC, said, “the faculty/student softball game is my favorite Student Life event. It is a joy to play a great game with my colleagues and students.”

Organized by the Office of Student Life, the annual softball game was “special and could become a cornerstone event for the campus in years to come,” said Chandler Snyder, associate vice president for student services. “We had almost every demographic of campus represented, and families came out in numbers. The event grew from last year because we added a new component in the form of a cookout, which was only able to happen because the faculty and staff volunteered their time to do the cooking and food service.”

In addition to faculty serving, students participated in singing the National Anthem before the start of the game and providing the play-by-play and color commentary, which “had both players and spectators rolling,” said Meagan Das, an executive assistant at Southwestern who played on the faculty team and whose husband, Joshua, a doctoral student and director of institutional effectiveness in the Provost’s Office, helped grill hamburgers and hot dogs to serve the students and their families.

Snyder noted that “more faculty” participated “in the event than in years past and despite the loss of the game, the faculty had a great time,” which was a sentiment echoed by McKinney.

“The enthusiastic play, cheers, banter, laughter, and delicious smell of grilled hamburgers combined to make a memorable evening,” said McKinney, who attended the event with his wife, Jennifer, and their daughters, Lily and Eden.

Brewer said that “winning the game was just like winning any other game but my team had a blast playing against some of our professors and faculty and that wouldn’t change if we lost or won; we were simply having fun.”

Snyder explained this is the goal of events planned and executed by the institution’s Student Life office.

“Student Life events are essential to building culture on the campus, and when we do events that merge the student experience with the faculty experience it adds unique energy,” Snyder concluded. “Having a faculty that is engaged in our students’ lives, not only within the classroom, but also in ‘fun’ spaces deepens the trust and relationships that will enable our community to take steps forward in growth, discipleship, and academic progress.”

More information about Student Life and future events can be found here.