The brothers and sweethearts of Sigma Phi Epsilon emerged victorious in Saturday’s Kappa Kickball charity competition held at April Zorn Memorial Stadium. The SigEps first used a second-inning eight-run explosion to upset the host sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma 8-3, before putting on a defensive masterclass to pull off another astonishing upset against members of the men’s and women’s soccer teams 5-2 and claim the title of champions.
KKG president Alayna Earle recounts having last done the event in 2023 as a freshman and aimed to bring it back because of how popular it was. “The seniors at the time told us that we had been doing it for many, many years. It’s always been a charity event, and a lot of people always like to do it,” said Earle. “It’s been a couple of years without doing Kappa Kickball.”
Aside from the competition aspect, Kappa Kickball also aimed to raise money for the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA). NEDA aims to raise awareness about eating disorders and change the way they are understood and treated. Most importantly, the organization provides support for people struggling with eating disorders and their families.
“Using that competitiveness to create a charity event that also can help fund our philanthropy is just a really great experience, and it’s great for what we do,” said Earle. “We can take that competitive energy and funnel it into something better.”
Molly Shook running bases. Photos by Gary Bonifer.
“I feel pretty good about [the wins], it was a clean sweep,” said sophomore SigEp Evan Reed about his team’s victories. “We locked in, and then we got the W.”
Earle estimates that KKG raised $60 for NEDA through team registration fees, but due to groups that could not make it to the event pitching in generous donations, it is estimated that the grand total of proceeds was upwards of $100.