Bemidji State pitches communal values at inaugural Bucky's Celebrity Softball Game
Jun. 12—BEMIDJI — The Schmidt family's fingerprints were all over the first-ever Bucky's Celebrity Softball Game.
Angela Schmidt is the director of alumni and career advancement for Bemidji State Alumni and Foundation. She was one of the brains behind the inaugural softball exhibition among local celebrities on Tuesday night at the BSU softball field.
In the Whitecaps dugout stood her daughter, Maya, a stalwart Bemidji High School athlete. In the Green Sox dugout was Angela's husband Danny.
"I was trying to stay Switzerland," Angela said with a laugh. "I cheer for both of them equally."
Tied at 7-7 in the top of the fourth inning, Maya lunged into the splits to pick a ball out of the dirt on a play at first base. Danny had the last laugh, blasting a solo, game-winning home run later in the frame in the Green Sox's 8-7 win.
The score, however, was unimportant. Tuesday night was an opportunity for local figures to let loose and for Bemidji State to send the Beaver faithful into the summer with big smiles.
"I was super surprised and super happy that it was such a great event," Angela said. "This community is such a great supporter of BSU and our mission in what we do. This was more than what we thought it was going to be, and I'm so happy about that."
The Bemidji State Alumni and Foundation is focused on bridging BSU to its community. With roughly 6,200 alums in a 30-mile radius of campus, events like Bucky's Celebrity Softball Game are a chance for Bemidji State to strengthen that connection.
"This is a series of community appreciation events that we're holding throughout the year," Angela said. "This is our cap off of the (school) year. We did a community appreciation Game Day Experience during homecoming. During our Day of Giving, we did our Build the Dam community appreciation. We just thought, 'Why not take a sunny, summer evening and play celebrity softball?'"
The Schmidt family is involved in softball, to say the least. Maya, a rising senior at BHS, plays softball for the Lumberjacks. Danny also plays in summer softball leagues. It was only a matter of time before the Bemidji State Alumni and Foundation's efforts led it to the diamond.
"Micah Friez and I are a team of two," Angela said. "We just get into a room and start brainstorming ideas for fun events. What does our community like and do? Summer softball is huge here. My family plays softball. It's always in the forefront of our brains.
"We have an executive director, Allyssa Joseph, who just lets us go. We can be creative in trying to engage our alums in our community the best we can."
The inaugural contest ended with an announcement for next year's game, ensuring more alumni and BSU fans can expect local figures to gather on June 10, 2025, for round two.
"BSU is ingrained in our community and in everyone that we have here," Angela said. "Having a chance to give back to my community, the place I grew up my whole life, it's very fulfilling and rewarding."
