OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. –
For sailors at the Armed Forces Softball Championship, wearing the All-Navy team jersey is about far more than playing for this year’s title, it’s about representing all those they serve alongside in the fleet.
Petty Officer 1st Class Isaiah Covington, who grew up playing baseball in his hometown of Cowan, Indiana, said the tournament, which brings together top talent from Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, is unlike any other tournament.
“When you hit the field, you’re not just playing softball anymore,” he said. “You’re playing for your service. You’re playing for the Navy.”
Covington shoulders that sense of duty to represent the best of the Navy both on and off the field.
As a Recruit Division Commander at Navy Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois, Covington must uphold the Navy’s core values day-in and day-out as he shapes recruits into junior sailors.
He said his experiences both on the softball diamond and leading new recruits go hand-in-hand.
“A lot of the things I’ve learned from being an RDC translate to the field, in the aspect of leadership,” Covington said.
Chief Petty Officer Nick Ludwig, shared Covington’s conviction to represent all those he serves with, and those who have sacrificed for the nation.
This year’s tournament in particular carries a special significance for Ludwig, a Master at Arms stationed on the West Coast. He said he is playing in remembrance of two shipmates who died earlier this year
Ludwig, who also played baseball before joining the Navy, said he had no idea he would have the opportunity to play on the Navy Softball team when he enlisted. But he said the experience has had an immensely positive influence on his career.
Now, as a Chief, he said he is a strong advocate for giving junior sailors the opportunity to represent the fleet and shape the Navy team for years to come.
“We’ve got two guys that have been in the Navy for like three years,” he said. “They’re here getting to experience it at 22, 24 years old. They can be in the program for eighteen more years making it better if they continue.”
Covington, too, said his experience playing in the Armed Forces tournament has shaped the way he views service in the Navy. It has also changed the way he views softball.
“It gives you a different sense of pride in the game, because it’s not just you who fails, it’s the Navy who fails,” he said. “It gives you that extra little oomph behind it.”