Gadsden State baseball alumni social set for July 20

The Gadsden State Community College Athletic Department will host a social for alumni who played on the school’s baseball team on Thursday, July 20 at Buffalo Wild Wings in Gadsden.
“This is an opportunity to bring together former members of the baseball team as excitement grows around the reinstatement of baseball at Gadsden State,” said GSCC athletic director and head baseball coach Blake Lewis. “We want them to support us by promoting the team and the college. We want to see them at practices, games and fundraisers.”
Lewis noted that while the social will reconnect the former teammates, it is also an opportunity for him to update alumni on the progress being made in the athletic department and share ways they can become more involved as Gadsden State alumnus.
“We want them to be as excited as we are at Gadsden State,” he said. “We want them to spread the word that Cardinal baseball is back.”
In late 2021, Gadsden State President Kathy Murphy convened a committee of local supporters, including former Cardinal student-athletes, to discuss and research the possibility of reinstating the baseball and softball teams. On January 20, 2022, a community meeting was held to gauge public interest, and on April 18, she announced the reinstatement of the two sports.
“I am beyond delighted that we are reinstating the baseball and softball programs at Gadsden State,” said Murphy. “We believe this is a good way to recruit, enroll, retain and support students. We are providing them with a good collegiate experience.”
The baseball and softball teams disbanded at Gadsden State in 2011 and 2016, respectively. The baseball team will take the field this fall. A search for a head softball coach is currently underway.
“We want to reconnect with as many former student-athletes as we can as we work to grow Gadsden State’s athletics program,” Lewis said. “We want our alum to remember the good times they had at Gadsden State and what it felt like to be a part of a team. We want them to be an active part of this time of growth at our college.”