When people think about college sports, they usually consider the incredible athletes on the field or the coaches behind them. They get all the acclaim and reap all the fruits of their labor.
But if you look behind the scenes, you’ll notice a network of supporters who help bring the athletes into the limelight.
They range from public relations representatives to custodial staff. However, the brand and equipment staff are arguably the most important part of collegiate athletics. .
After all, players can’t play without their equipment.
Notice how the uniforms are always clean? Or how the athletes change cleats or batting gloves multiple times throughout the season, or even in a single game? The equipment manager staff makes this possible.
Sophie Culver, a senior Sports Leadership and Management major, is the lead equipment manager for the Miami University baseball team.
Her job requirements range from keeping batting gloves in stock to daily laundry. With all of these responsibilities come long hours. On some game days, she is there before the players arrive and leaves long after them.
“On game days, I make sure that we have jerseys and uniforms ready for [the players],” Culver said. “If they need batting gloves or bats, I’ll get that for them. Then postgame, I just do laundry.”
The work from the equipment managers doesn’t go unnoticed by the players, including senior catcher Ty Batusich.
“There’s so much work that she puts in,” Batusich said. “She’s there at about 9 a.m. for a 3 p.m. game, and she doesn’t get home till 9 p.m. cause she’s doing the laundry or something else.”
Equipment is as important for baseball as it is for any other sport. Due to the high number of games in a season, it is vital to have ample equipment on hand. In addition, players may ask for a new piece of equipment that they feel is better for them.
“I just have the door open, and so players can come in before or after practice, and they will just ask if I have batting gloves for them or whatever else they might need,” Culver said.
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Baseball differs from other sports when it comes to equipment. Baseball-specific brands often sponsor a team’s gloves or bats. Miami has a deal with Adidas for shoes, jerseys and any other apparel.
But when it comes to baseball-specific gear, other brands come in. DeMarini is Miami's official bat partner; however, players have the option to use other bat brands. The RedHawks' glove partner is Wilson.
Because equipment is so important to the players, Demarini and Wilson come to campus in the fall and allow players to try out different bats and gloves.
“They come in, so we have a bunch of stuff we can use and try to see which one fits the hands the best,” Batusich said. “[It’s] the same thing with the bats, they let us actually swing the bats for a whole day to see [our preference].”
Baseball is a sport unlike any other. The daily laundry and constant restocking of batting gloves and cleats require a lot of work and attention to detail. The equipment managers put in long hours and receive no public acclaim.
Yet, it is impossible for the team to function without them.
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