"[Jon] had a keen ability to read how a hitter would hit to our pitchers, and he could direct not just Madilyn, but the whole team."
Madilyn Parker, C’26, says she knew as a junior in high school that she wanted to play softball in college—but she didn’t commit to Sewanee until nearly the last minute. “All my other friends were going to big SEC [Southeastern Conference] schools, and I always thought that’s what I wanted to do.” Though she was the final softball recruit in her class to accept a spot at Sewanee, she says, “It was a great decision, and I could never see myself at a big school now that I’ve been here.”
Madilyn’s parents, Jon and Andi Parker, P’26, were similarly all-in, once their daughter chose Sewanee. Long before Madilyn and her sister, Morgan, were born—while Jon and Andi were still dating—the couple played slow-pitch softball together in a Nashville league. When Madilyn signed up for T-ball at age 6, Jon took on coaching responsibilities, and he coached softball until she was in eighth grade. Soon after Madilyn became a Sewanee Tiger, Jon ordered a custom-made jersey to match his daughter’s uniform, and he staked out a favorite spot in Sewanee’s softball bleachers—“at the top,” Madilyn says.
Jon’s enthusiasm in Sewanee’s stands was legendary, Madilyn and Andi say, and it’s now deeply missed—not just by his family, but also by Madilyn’s teammates, their parents, and the coaches. (“Maybe not so much by the umpires!,” Andi says.) Tragically, he passed away from a heart attack in his sleep in November 2024. In honor of Jon's dedication to Sewanee softball and his proud devotion to Madilyn’s athletic career, Andi recently provided a major gift toward critical renovations to Sewanee’s softball stadium, and she is spearheading an effort to raise additional funds for the project. Planned upgrades include expansion of the dugouts, significant revamping of the press box, updated stadium seating, and new field lighting. The estimated project budget is $350,000.
Senior Advancement Officer John Whaling, C’07, who has been working with Andi and Director of Athletics John Shackelford, P’24, to secure support, says stadium improvements are necessary to ensure the University’s softball program meets or surpasses the high standards set by Sewanee’s peer institutions. “We want Sewanee to be recognized as a go-to destination for student-athletes in every sport, and our softball facilities need attention to bring us to that level.” Andi’s gift, he adds, “is an amazing tribute to Jon, who, by all accounts, was one of Sewanee softball’s biggest champions, in addition to being his family’s greatest fan.”
Madilyn describes her dad as “a tough coach,” whose attention to detail was occasionally frustrating but ultimately a gift. “If I was missing the ball—if I wasn’t making the plays—he could always figure out the small tweak I needed to fix my game.” In Sewanee’s bleachers, Jon carried a score book, where he kept detailed notes on the hitting patterns of opposing teams. Andi says he used these records to support Sewanee’s performance on the field. “He had a keen ability to read how a hitter would hit to our pitchers, and he could direct not just Madilyn, but the whole team.”
Along with attending softball games on the Mountain, Andi and Jon accompanied the Tigers to Kissimmee, Florida, for a spring break trip during Madilyn’s freshman year. Hitting a home run in Florida is a favorite Sewanee softball memory, Madilyn says. For spring break this year, Sewanee’s softball team traveled to Hawaii, playing six games in Honolulu. Andi and her mother joined this trip. “I’d never been to Hawaii before, and a lot of the girls on the team hadn’t been either,” Madilyn says. “Spending a whole week with your team, you get to know a lot about each other, and you make a lot of memories.” Andi adds that the team benefited from the opportunity to “experience an amazing, beautiful island and culture and learn about it.” Gifts to Sewanee’s athletic teams “are crucial in enabling travel during University breaks and throughout the year,” Whaling says.
Jon’s exuberance as a softball coach and fan was helped along by his booming voice, Madilyn and Andi say. Once, he sang the National Anthem at a Sewanee softball game when the Tigers’ speaker system malfunctioned. “The crowd loved it,” Andi says. As an undergraduate at Virginia Tech, he was part of the New Virginians, a musical group founded in 1972 that produced multiple albums and performed variety shows across the country. Just as he encouraged Madilyn’s athletic career, he promoted the vocal talent of Madilyn’s sister, Morgan, who is a former participant in the School of Rock program. “He loved, really, all music, but especially anything with a good beat to it,” Andi says, adding that he avidly followed the Dave Matthews Band and particularly enjoyed rap. Madilyn and Andi speculate that if Jon had been given the opportunity to choose a walk-up song on Sewanee’s fields, he would’ve selected “Black and Yellow” by Wiz Khalifa.
Philanthropy was also integral to Jon’s character, Andi says. The couple met while volunteering at a fundraiser for the Nashville Zoo, as members of the Nashville Area Junior Chamber of Commerce (NAJCC). In 2002, Jon was named NAJCC’s Member of the Year. Andi says he was especially excited to assist the NAJCC in coordinating the Clinic Bowl, Tennessee’s private high school football championships. As the liaison between the NAJCC and the Clinic Bowl, “he got to go to the game right before the state championship game and present the winning team with their bid to the bowl,” Andi says. “He loved that.”
Andi and Madilyn acknowledge that fundraising for Sewanee’s softball program comes with challenges—compared to other sports, softball is relatively new on the Mountain, and the team’s small roster means that few alumni have a direct connection to the program. Yet, they’re confident the stadium project’s goals can be achieved. In recognition of Jon’s loyalty to Sewanee softball, the renovated stadium will include a plaque honoring him. “Jon loved going to any game that Madilyn played in,” Andi says. “He would probably say that every Sewanee game was a highlight for him.”
