The Corps of Cadets played Texas A&M’s Interfraternity Council in a 7-inning softball game Thursday night, benefitting the service organization BUILD.
IFC held a consistent lead for the majority of the game with several line-drives until the sixth inning when the Corps flipped the switch and began to hit consistently and take advantage of errors from IFC. The cadets made a comeback, winning 8-6.
Supporters for both Greek life and the Corps of Cadets came to watch and enjoy the game.
Mechanical engineering junior and member of Delta Kappa Epsilon Kyle Risinger cheered for his fellow DKE fraternity brother and IFC at the game. Risinger said the co-organizational event helps challenge misperceptions of each student population and support the cause of BUILD.
“We’re all supporting BUILD as a whole in that all the proceeds go out to BUILD. “We all appreciate each other in that we’re our own organization,” Risinger said. “The Corps obviously has a lot of other principles especially within A&M, but overall as a whole, as an organization, I would say Greek life and the Corps are pretty similar.”
IFC and the Corps of Cadets have representatives on the BUILD board and approached the organization to be a beneficiary of the event, according to Michael Wang, accounting senior and head chairman of BUILD’s board of directors. Wang said he hopes the event spreads awareness of the organization.
“Our vision is to unite the student body through a large-scale service project. We’re just trying to get more volunteers out,” Wang said. “We’ve been doing construction since the great September, early October, so we’re just trying to spread the word and also support two great student populations – IFC and Corps of Cadets.”
Since July, the organizations have coordinated logistics of the event, obtaining the opportunity to play at the field and managing security measures. Management major and Deputy Corps Commander Sara Wojcak said a major issue was finding a field, and vice president of student affairs Daniel Pugh played a key role in coordinating with the athletics department to provide the softball complex. The coordinators are already planning to move the game to Olsen Field next year.
The organizations of the event created a trophy listing competition years up to 2025 and Wojcak said she was excited the game could finally go on, especially with its rain cancellation last year.
“The proceeds are not going to the Corps. They’re not going to IFC. It’s not for our own benefit,” Wojcak said. “It’s going to another student organization, and I think that’s what makes it so special.”
An additional incentive for the cadets to win was announced by business senior Alex Curry mid-game – the privilege of sleeping in Friday morning instead of their usual early morning run.
A few members of the Aggie softball team volunteered as umpires for the game including business freshman Abby Smith. Smith said both teams came out to win, though she had to make a tough call on a particular run.
“He was safe or out at home, and I was like ‘I don’t know,’” Smith said. “I was like ‘alright if that was an umpire in a real game, I would’ve been beaten, booed way more than I am.’”
Real estate graduate student and member of Phi Gamma Delta J.J. Gustafson played third base for the IFC team. He said the extent of their game strategy was primarily discussed via GroupMe.
“I think we have to see how the chemistry works when we get out on the field,” Gustafson said before the game. “I think we’re up for the challenge and the strategy.”