LOUISVILLE, Ky. — NFCA members delivered in the fight against cancer, raising over $333,000 in support of the Association and its StrikeOut Cancer initiative in 2023-24.
The University of Notre Dame was the top fundraiser overall, collecting $81,000. The Fighting Irish’s efforts coincided with their 13th annual Strikeout Cancer weekend. They held a silent auction with a trivia night and a home run derby following Notre Dame’s ACC series finale against Pitt. Additionally, six Fighting Irish student-athletes cut and donated their hair to raise additional funds.
Glory Fastpitch founder and president Suzy Willemssen hosted the annual Glory StrikeOut Cancer Invitational, which topped all travel ball and youth fundraisers for the sixth consecutive year with $56,000. All net proceeds from the event go to Children’s National Hospital DC and will directly help children in their fight to survive cancer.
Virginia Wesleyan’s 14th annual StrikeOut Cancer fundraiser, spearheaded by head coach Brandon Elliott, was held in conjunction with its contest against Guilford College. It raised $33,573 in honor of Elliott’s late mother Elaine Sears and also had a special fundraiser for Austin Cherry, a Pitt Community College baseball player diagnosed with cancer in February. Since 2009, VWU has raised over $250,000 for the American Cancer Society.
Howard Community College topped junior colleges again. The Dragons hosted a fundraiser that raised funds for a local mother, whose cancer came back in January and is battling Stage 4 cancer. She attended the April game, threw out the first pitch and was presented with a check for $22,400.
Saint Thomas Aquinas High School (Overland Park, Kan.) also hit the five-figure donation mark for the second year in a row with $19,000 raised at its annual cancer fundraiser that was in support of Stacy Przybylski, who threw out the first pitch to her daughter Ella, a catcher on the team.
Division II’s Seton Hill raised $2,800 for the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation. SHU softball families put together raffle baskets for auction before their contest against Gannon. Aquinas College topped NAIA squads as the Saints hosted their annual StrikeOut Cancer doubleheader against Cornerstone.
Numerous other schools either raised money or awareness to battle cancer by hosting a single event or by coordinating a season-long campaign. The schools that registered with the NFCA were entitled to a special package of StrikeOut Cancer items, which included NFCA StrikeOut Cancer eye black, tattoos, wristbands and more.
The top fundraisers receive Louisville Slugger bats with the color tailored to their specific cancer fundraiser. The bats were generously donated by Slugger’s parent company, Wilson Sporting Goods, Inc.
Top Fundraisers
NCAA Division I - University of Notre Dame (Deanna Gumpf)
NCAA Division II - Seton Hill University (Cassie Moore)
NCAA Division III - Virginia Wesleyan University (Brandon Elliott)
NAIA - Aquinas College (Brad Koch)
Junior College - Howard Community College (Shannon Riley)
High School - Saint Thomas Aquinas (Keith Hughes)
Travel Ball/Youth - VA Glory (Suzy Willemssen)
The NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its extensive awards and scholarships program, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from NFCA podcasts to a comprehensive drills database, to in-person events and a National Convention.
Learn more about the NFCA and consider joining our lineup of 7,000 coaches today!
