WAG of the Month: Virginia Rodgers

One of the most beautiful parts of our lives in baseball is meeting other wives and girlfriends (WAGs) who we can relate to and count on for support and understanding. We've met so many women from different backgrounds and places, and we wanted to be able to share them with you, our readers! 

Each month we will be featuring our "WAG of the Month", and have a guest post from a fellow baseball wife or girlfriend. 

This month we are featuring Mrs. Virginia Rodgers! I (Jackie) met sweet Virginia through baseball a few years ago, when our husbands played together at Arizona State. She's been a great source of support for each of us, and we're grateful to have her on this journey!

The three of us with Virginia at Jackie's wedding!

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Baseball: It Doesn't Define Us

Hey y’all! I am so excited to be the first guest blogger for the three lovely ladies that spearheaded this baseball blog masterpiece. Let’s hope my way with words is as eloquent and witty as theirs! Bear with me here.

To start, I am recently married as of 253 days ago to my hunk of a hubby, Brady Rodgers…but hey, who’s counting right? Brady and I met during both of our freshman years at Arizona State University (GO SUNDEVILS)! I joined a sorority where I met one of my best friends to this day and little did I know that this loud, big-haired, blonde girl from Texas would eventually drag me to some ASU baseball games and introduce me to my future hubby. It’s important to note here that Brady and I did not begin dating until the spring semester of our JUNIOR year. We both always knew we had chemistry, but let’s be honest…we both were focusing on the bigger picture here – baseball for him and biology for me (and maybe a couple of frogs until I got to be with my prince).

Well fortunately for Brady, his focus paid off when he was drafted as the first pick of the 3rd round in the 2012 MLB draft to his hometown team, the Houston Astros! There may or may not have been a tear shed that day…and when I say “may”, I mean there was, and when I say “tear shed”, I mean by Brady! It’s crazy to think that was 3 years ago already! Brady is currently a pitcher for the AAA Fresno Grizzlies in the Astros organization.

As for me, my biology degree is collecting dust (sorry Mom and Dad!), while I work full time in sales and marketing for a title insurance company in Houston. I moved out to Houston right after I graduated where Brady grew up so we could be together during our coveted off-seasons. I’m sure by now you have picked up on the sacrifices that come from this crazy world of baseball. Leaving my family was just about the hardest thing for me to do! Luckily, I married into a wonderful family that I get to spend a lot of time with!

Brady and I decided early on that I would stay home in Houston and work while he pursued his baseball career with me cheering him on from 1,000+ miles away. There have been many nights when I cuddle up to our sweet fur baby, Houston, and cry myself to sleep. This by no means is an easy lifestyle to handle! It takes strength, sacrifice, trust, communication, and FAITH to name a few!

When you begin your journey in professional baseball, you realize a lot of things quickly. Time apart, low pay, long days, hardly any time off, missing big milestones, etc. What you DON’T realize though, is the huge support system that comes along with this world. It’s a beautiful and inspiring thing all in itself.

The 3 girls that head this blog, Allison, Jackie, and Monica – are 3 perfect examples of the blessings that come from this life. It’s so amazing to think that women from all over the country, within different organizations, all fighting for the same end result, can all be so supportive of one another. These girls and many others are my rocks. No words will ever be able to sum up the tears they have dried for me from thousands of miles away. By far, this has been the biggest blessing for me personally through this journey.

When people ask about where my husband is, I say “Oh, he is gone until September or October” and the first question I always get is “Wow, is he in the Military?”. Luckily, I can sleep at night knowing he is safe, but I figure the time apart is right under that of a Military couple. Because of that, FaceTime, Skype, Snapchat, and basically anything that allows me to see my hubby’s handsome face, are our saving graces. That and COUNTDOWNS. The beauty of a countdown to your next visit is powerful. There is something comforting about knowing the end of a long period of absence is near!

It’s not easy being newlyweds and spending 7 of the first 12 months of marriage apart. Do I ever get jealous of the couples that get to be together during the season? Of course…we always want what we can’t have, right? But everyone has a unique journey and Brady and I are putting our faith in God’s great plan. That has admittedly been the largest struggle for me so far (more on that in a second). That, plus the pressure that these men put on themselves to perform.  If you allow it, it just about takes the fun out of the game of baseball that we all grew up loving.

This season has been one of growth for Brady and myself as a couple and in our walk with Christ together. It’s so easy to lose track of what is important in the world when you are constantly hoping things go your way and get angry with God when they don’t. Why didn’t I get that win? Why didn’t I get that promotion? Why is there no run support when I pitch? The questions could go on and on. Along the way, I have learned to enjoy the ride, no matter where it leads, because where we end up will be beautiful because it’s where God intended us to be. Whether it is in the major leagues with the Astros, with another team, or back in Houston watching Brady coach as a post-baseball career, it’s important to know that baseball doesn’t define us. There will be life after baseball.

You learn to accept the peaks and valleys and understand they are there to build you up, test your character and mental strength, and most importantly, bring you closer to God. There is a quote I have come to love this season – “When you are going through difficulty and wonder where God is, remember that the teacher is always quiet during the test”. I by no means have this whole baseball life figured out, but I’m slowly learning how to manage and appreciate it with the help of my fellow wives and girlfriends (aka – WAG’s)!

But for now, I will get in bed, cuddle up to our puppy, and appreciate the glory of high socks and baseball pants from a sub-par, grainy video feed. Oh, the glamorous life of baseball! But, I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

xoxo - Virginia