WINTER SPRINGS, Fla.---
“It feels great to be back home, I’ve been away for six months now,” Kaley Mudge said as she played catch on a hot August afternoon.
“Definitely feels full circle to be back on this field,” Mudge said.
The last time Mudge played on the Winter Springs softball field was 2019. Behind her is a scoreboard that now reads “2019 State Champions/Undefeated 31-0.”
“It feels surreal still, I still remember that whole senior season,” Mudge said. “It was definitely one of the greatest softball seasons I’ve had.”
Her high school senior season might only be topped by her most recent one. As a redshirt freshman with Florida State, Mudge set a record for hits in a single World Series with 14.
“World Series is still kind of a blur to me,” Mudge said. “I’d probably say that was the week of my life.”
The highlight was a 5-5 game versus Alabama that sent Florida State to the championship series.
“I don’t even know how to explain what I was feeling that game,” Mudge said. “Re-watching I still can’t even believe I did that.”
Florida State ultimately lost the championship series to Oklahoma, however Mudge’s performance has not gone unnoticed.
“Little girls and even parents and other people are coming up to me in public and just congratulating me and wishing me well,” Mudge said.
It’s a good time to be a recognizable face in college athletics. Under the NCAA’s new name image and likeness rules, Mudge was able to sign a marketing deal worth $2000 with the Seminole County Tourism team to promote their “Game On” campaign. The county is working with Mudge and several other local female college athletes to help bring women’s sports tournaments to Seminole County facilities.
“The name, image and likeness is a great way for women athletes, every athlete, but especially women athletes to make money. Especially in softball because there’s a pro league, but usually you have to do a career on the side as well. It’s not like the NFL or MLB where you can make a living off it.”
NIL opportunities are particularly important in NCAA D-1 sports like softball that only have a max of twelve scholarships to offer. Some of those scholarships are full, some are partial. It’s up to the program to divide them among the team. Mudge is on a partial athletic scholarship and also has an academic scholarship through the Bright Futures program which pays for her classes and books. She plans to use any NIL money she earns towards tuition and rent.
“I think it’s cool to see [Seminole county] promote women’s sports,” Mudge said. “For me I played sports growing up all the time and I didn’t realize the differences between men’s and women’s sports until I was older. I hope I can try to help pave the way for people who come after me in women’s sports.”
Mudge plans to pursue other NIL opportunities and has been asked to make a video on the Cameo app. As exciting as this new era in college sports is, she doesn’t want to lose sight of why she started playing in the first place.
“I play college sports because I love it and I love the game,” Mudge said. “I don’t play to make money. My one hope is that it’s not taken for granted.”