RALEIGH, NC – The William Peace Softball Team hosts Mary Baldwin for a Sunday doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m., which will also be the Pacers' Military Appreciation Day.
WPU will honor the military with specially designed uniforms. The Pacers will also welcome Todd Reed of the National Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team (WWAST) to throw out the first pitch.
The WWAST represents some of the nation's bravest and most determined heroes, soldiers and veterans. These young extremely athletic men have sustained severe injuries resulting in amputation while serving in the military/war, and through extensive rehabilitation, they have become competitive athletes again. Their armor now includes prosthetic legs and arms, along with extreme perseverance and attitude.
Reed, pitcher and 3rd baseman with the WWAST lost his right foot when he stepped on a land mine in northern Iraq in 1991. The first question he asked a military doctor at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center 10 days later was whether he could still play softball.
The doctor seemed surprised, but he told Reed that he could do anything he wanted in life. "If I can play softball, I can do anything," Reed said.
Head Softball Coach Charlie Dobbins has been closely involved with the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team as an advocate, coach and friend. Two years ago his Pacers squad helped host a game with them the Durham County Sheriff's Department. The contest was played at the Durham Athletic Park and raised over $14,000.
Mary Baldwin also has strong military ties and is home to the Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership (VWIL), which is a 4-year, collegiate leadership program for women. The Corps of Cadets is organized within a military structure, and this comprehensive program builds tomorrow's leaders for military and civilian service. VWIL is Virginia's most ethnically diverse cadet corps and it combines academic integrity, physical training, with a challenging, transformational leadership experience.
Four of the program's cadets will be in attendance Sunday to present the nation's colors. Cadet Breanna Rodriguez-Jeff is a freshman planning to compete for a commission in Air Force. Cadet Sergeants Dominique Munn and Sarah Seekins are juniors both on track to commission as Army officers when they graduate in 2016. Cadet MiAngel Hite is a junior and plans to compete for a commission in the Coast Guard.
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