Greg Rothrock’s place of residence is Whiteland, Indiana. It’s where he built his life with his wife, Laura, and where he raised his daughter – Keagan.
For four months out of the year, however, Rothrock spends, by his estimation, just two weeks in the town of 4,600 people that can be found 19 miles south of Indianapolis.
That’s because he spends much of that time traveling the country with Keagan Rothrock and the Florida softball team.
“The only games we don’t make are the weekday games,” Greg said. “Otherwise, we’re there.”
That includes nearly every SEC school, and the Gators’ annual trip to Southern California.
UF’s team is filled with passionate parents, and the Rothrock’s are hardly alone in their commitment. Taylor Shumaker, Gabi Comia, Jocelyn Erickson, Madison Walker, Townsen Thomas…the list goes on. All their parents travel to most home games – despite all being away from Florida.
All will be in the stands on Saturday, May 23, at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium as the Gators look to continue their season with a win over Texas Tech in Game 2 of the NCAA Gainesville Super Regional
“The four or five years are going to come and go, and softball doesn’t define what they do,” Greg said. “There’s more to life than just softball, so we look at it as making memories.”
The Rothrock family has been coming to games in Gainesville since Keagan was in high school. She committed to play for coach Tim Walton way back in seventh grade, before recruiting rules changed.
“We came to Florida 3-4 times a year,” Greg said. “That began to increase until Keagan got here.”
The Rothrocks became regular fixtures. This is despite Laura being one of the top pitching instructors in Indiana and Greg working for a chemical car wash supplier in Chicago. In fact, he spends his weekdays in the Windy City – five hours from Whiteland.
When talking to Greg, he seems like a normal, calm midwestern guy. Like his daughter, he locks in during games and becomes a new person, doing what is best for the Gators.
A rowdy presence behind home plate
Of all the parents, Greg takes the cake for most boisterous – at least to those watching on TV. He sits directly behind home plate at KSP, often in a blue No. 7 jersey, and attempts to distract opposing pitchers by starting chants and holding up foam fingers.
He doesn’t view his behavior as anything abnormal, but him and all the other committed parents have made KSP one of the loudest stadiums in college softball.
“I’m just having fun at trying to get our fans ramped up,” Greg said. “Our stands are a little bit closer, and I’m going to get our fans energized and get them loud because that’s what the girls like.”
What about when it’s his daughter in the circle? Does the sight of her dad staring her in the eye affect Keagan.
Not one bit.
“I don’t even remember that they are there, even though my dad is very loud,” Keagan Rothrock said.
Even if Keagan doesn’t notice her father, others have, and it’s made him a celebrity.
Such as when he flew into Jacksonville airport Thursday and saw someone who works in Indianapolis and follows the Gators.
“He saw we had Gators gear on and said ‘Hey I see you on TV all the time, you’re Rothrock’s parents!’”
First pitch in Game 2 between the Gators and Red Raiders is set for 12:30 p.m. on ABC, where Greg can be seen front and center.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1 and on Instagram @Ramreporter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: How Keagan Rothrock and her father, Greg, lock into different roles for Florida softball games
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
