In high school, Buckingham played tennis, baseball and basketball.

Buckingham attended Olivet Nazarene University in Kankakee, Ill.

“I was recruited for baseball, but I never saw the field,” Buckingham said.

Buckingham’s job also requires him to travel and recruit.

“The biggest part of recruiting is finding the best players,” Buckingham said.

He  said he travels in-state and throughout the Midwest.

Stephanie Schuman, junior utility player, said Buckingham is a great coach.

“Me and five other current IUS softball players went with him to Australia for the Athletes International Program, we ended up getting second place,” Schuman said. “He’s a great motivator. When we were in Australia, he was constantly telling us to give 110 percent and to represent America.”

Buckingham said he truly enjoys being a softball coach.

“Coaching softball is my passion. I’d never go back and coach a male sport again,” Buckingham said. “So many people still — after 10 years of coaching — still think I coach baseball.”

Schuman said Buckingham cares about his player’s academic success, as well as their athletic success.

“He is always helpful when it comes to academics,” Schuman said. “I wanted to take more credit hours, and I wanted to take an online course that IUS didn’t offer. He provided a list of schools that had the online course I wanted to take.”

Buckingham said his family members still call the sport of softball “baseball.”

“Baseball and softball are completely different in every way — speed, size [of the game] and strategy — it’s all different,” Buckingham said.

Buckingham’s wife, Angela, was the assistant volleyball coach two years ago, but now she does the stats.

“She is kind of like the statistician,” he said.

Buckingham said he and his wife have two dogs.

“We treat them like they are our babies,” Buckingham said.

Buckingham currently lives in Jeffersonville, but he and his wife just bought a new house in Charlestown.

By HANNAH COMBS

Staff

hacombs@umail.iu.edu