Braelon Allen calls charity event in hometown a 'blessing,' is looking forward to new era of Wisconsin Badgers football

FOND DU LAC – Wisconsin Badgers junior running back and Fond du Lac native Braelon Allen hosted his second annual charity softball event at Herr-Baker Field on Saturday and fans in attendance experienced not only the sweltering temperature but red-hot bats, too.

Joining Allen were 36 of his Badgers teammates and, just like an intense battle against each other in practice, it was offense versus the defense. Senior wide receiver Chimere Dike won the preceding home run derby with 13 long balls to claim the trophy that redshirt sophomore defensive end Mike Jarvis took home last year, although the game itself turned into a spectacle of dingers.

With makeshift fences propped up – at least until part of them were knocked down immediately by the offense after redshirt junior cornerback Amaun Williams sent the first pitch of the game flying out to left field – a whopping 25 softballs left the playing field in a 29-12 victory by the defense.

Redshirt sophomore kicker Nate Van Zelst led the way for the defense with four of those homers and eight RBIs, nearly hitting for the home run cycle. Jarvis and Williams each added three round-trippers.

Leading the offense was redshirt freshman quarterback Myles Burkett and sophomore transfer wideout C.J. Williams, who each hit a pair of solo shots. Dike added another to his total for the day and redshirt freshman running back Zach Gloudeman knocked a 3-run blast in the second inning to tie the game at eight.

Allen went hitless, but all that mattered to him was again having a platform for which he could give back to the community he grew up in as proceeds from the event benefited the Braelon Allen Fund, the Fond du Lac Boys & Girls Club, the Fond du Lac YMCA and the Fond du Lac Junior Football League.

“It means a lot, it was a lot of fun today, once again,” Allen said. “I’m very thankful for all my teammates that came out. I’m excited to give back to the community that gave so much to me. It’s amazing just to be able to have this opportunity to even do something like this with my name on it. To do something that goes towards charity is a blessing. Obviously, the offense got whupped up on a little bit. I didn’t have a great performance at the plate, but it is what it is – all fun and games. I’m just grateful for the opportunity. It was a great day for us to get away from the facility, away from Madison and just spend a day with each other playing some softball.”

Allen was recognized as a preseason second-team All-American last year after exploding onto the scene for Wisconsin following Week 5 of his true freshman season in 2021. Allen rattled off 1,268 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 6.8 yards per carry in 11 games, earning MVP honors in the Badgers’ Las Vegas Bowl triumph over Arizona State. Last season, Allen averaged 5.4 yards per carry in 12 games, finishing with 1,242 yards and 11 touchdowns.

This year, although a lot of focus will be directed toward how the Badgers perform under new head coach Luke Fickell, there will also be a major spotlight on Allen as he looks to increase his future NFL draft stock while helping lead the team to success.

“I think it’s huge for myself, individually, but even bigger for us as a team,” he said. “With a whole new coaching staff there’s a lot of expectations. I think we’re ready to exceed those.”

Allen said he has already developed a solid relationship with Fickell and the team has rallied around the new coaching staff without hesitation.

“Great guy, great coach,” Allen said. “We have a great relationship. I think that everybody bought into what he’s brought to the program and the way he runs things. We’re all excited to play for him. I believe we all trust in the work that we’ve been putting in and trust our preparation. We’re going to continue to work hard throughout the rest of the summer and camp going into the season. We’ll be ready.”

Allen said he feels great heading into the season and the only thing on his mind is to win.

“It’s a special group,” Allen said. “We have a lot of returning guys, both offensively and defensively. Like I said, everybody has bought into this new system. This coaching staff has (won) before so we’re just ready to play. The work that we put in is going to help us take it all the way.”

The Badgers will open the season at Camp Randall Stadium on Sept. 2 at 2:30 p.m. against Buffalo.

This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Fond du Lac native, Badgers star Braelon Allen gives back to hometown