TAMPA, Fla. — The USF softball team wraps up its fall preseason schedule Friday night when they host Florida Southern. The result won't count in the program's official record book, but the game still counts- in a big way.
The Bulls will honor the memory of Alexis Buchman, a former Bulls player who died in 2024 after battling brain cancer for more than two years. She was 22.
"She was an amazing human, an amazing teammate," former teammate and current USF graduate assistant Alanah Rivers said. "Didn’t care if she was playing or not. She was going to support you no matter what."
Rivera and fellow graduate assistant Josie Foreman want to help honor their former teammate's legacy by raising awareness for the Alexis Buchman Foundation for Brain Cancer Research.
"It’s exciting to see people rally behind 'Buc' and her foundation, and really just bring awareness to her and her cause," Foreman said. "To see all the support of her and her family, it’s just really cool."
Rivera added that one of the lessons she still values from her time with Alexis is not taking anything in life for granted- on or off the field.
"I miss playing with these people. Cherishing every moment, no matter what it is," she explained. "If you’re doing [extra condition after practice]. Yeah, that might be miserable, but you get to do that. You get to show up every day."
USF head coach Ken Eriksen knew Alexis since her youth softball days. He knew she was special from the moment she stepped on campus. Eriksen describes Buchman as a "class act."
"She always wanted to come here, and she fulfilled that dream to get here. But when she got here she made an impact as a person, right away," he said fondly.
The team is set to add a permanent plaque in the dugout that honors Alexis and what she still means to the program.
"You want to be like her," Eriksen said with a smile. "That’s one of those types of things. She did it classy. Even in her illness, she made sure everybody else was doing okay. Great student. Great athlete. Came in smiling every day. Loved to be on the ball field. Loved to be part of this university. That’s a great story to pass on to all the kids that will be here."
For more information about Alexis' story and her foundation, head to bucstrong.org.
Tonight's game starts at 6:30 p.m., and admission is free. Fundraising opportunities will be available throughout the match-up.
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