Spotlight: Softball and Mia Volpert

The weather is getting warmer, the days are getting longer, the Major League Baseball season has started, and earlier in March, as millions watched on the television, Springfield native Sam Antonacci hit a homerun for Italy in the World Baseball Classic. For many, spring means a return to the diamond, not only in baseball, but also in softball. Softball was invented in Chicago. The first known softball game was played on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1887, in a gymnasium at the Farragut Boat Club on the City’s South Side.

Originally known as “indoor baseball,” the game was designed to keep male athletes in shape during the winter months. By the 1920s, the name softball became widely used, and by the 1930s, women’s softball teams had increased in popularity across the United States and Canada. The game evolved into two distinct versions, slow-pitch, which is commonly played recreationally, and fast-pitch, which became the female equivalent of baseball. After Title IX was signed into law by President Richard Nixon in June 1972, the U.S. saw a revolution in women’s sports. Women’s softball teams became common in high schools and colleges. The NCAA officially adopted women’s softball as a championship college sport during the 1981-1982 school year.

Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville freshman Mia Volpert has had a strong start to the 2026 college softball season.  On February 23, the right-hander from Springfield was selected as Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week after she did not allow any runs over 12 innings of work at a Commerce, Texas tournament hosted by East Texas A&M. Currently, Volpert leads the SIU-E pitching staff in innings pitched with 64.

Volpert, a 2025 graduate of Springfield High School who began her softball career practicing on Williams Boulevard with her dad, is another example of the athletic talent we have in Central Illinois. Volpert played a key role for the Central Illinois Senior League Softball Team, which won back-to-back Senior League World Series Championships in 2023 and 2024. During her career at Springfield High, Volpert was a four-time All-Conference selection and recorded more than 900 career strikeouts.

Volpert was born and raised in Springfield, the daughter of Andy Volpert, a teacher at Southeast High School, and Leigh Volpert, who works for the University of Illinois. She was a three-sport athlete during high school, competing in cross country and basketball in addition to softball. Tina Buck-Harth, a former student-athlete at University of Illinois Springfield, has been Volpert’s pitching coach since Volpert started softball. Volpert when asked about her time in high school beams with a smile saying she “loved it” and really appreciated the staff and teachers and all the opportunities.

In addition to her passion for sports, Volpert has a strong commitment to the community. At Springfield High, she participated in National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Pen in a Box Club, which provides school supplies and clothing to children across Springfield. Throughout high school Volpert, while busy with sports and community service, also found time to give hitting and pitching lessons to younger girls, many of whom were dreaming of world championships and playing D1 softball. Volpert has volunteered with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and Wild Canine Rescue and is active with Laurel United Methodist Church. Volpert received the Rosemarie Long and Drinda O’Connor scholarship from the Sangamon County Republican Women for her essay on “Why I am a Republican.” It is fitting that Volpert is a Republican, as her parents first met at a College Republicans meeting at SIU-Carbondale and their first date was stuffing envelopes at the Jackson County Republican Headquarters.

Volpert is studying nursing at SIU-E in addition to the time commitment of playing NCAA Division 1 softball. The commitment is all school year, but the time required ramps up significantly when the season starts. Beginning the first weekend in February, the team and Volpert traveled to California, Louisiana, Texas, Kentucky, and Tennessee. This weekend the Cougars are back in Tennessee for a three game Ohio Valley Conference series against University of Tennessee - Martin with a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game Sunday at noon. Softball takes up a lot of her time, in fact, Volpert states that it is like a job with softball 6 days per week. She stresses that she has to have “really good time management skills” and that it is “difficult for her to study on the bus,” so on the day off, Volpert does a lot of studying to get all of her work done. She must be doing something right because she has a 4.0 GPA in college. Keep up the good work, Mia. We look forward to following your career.