Two recent former Saluki softball players made their return to Carbondale for the first time this weekend. 

Madi Eberle and Elizabeth Warwick, who played for the Dawgs from 2021 to 2024 and were crucial pieces to three consecutive NCAA Regionals appearances, returned to Charlotte West Stadium and were even back on the field and in the dugout.

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This time, they were on the first base side, and wearing the navy blue and gold of Murray State.

Both Eberle and Warwick are now members of the Racers’ coaching staff. Eberle is an assistant coach who focuses on pitching, and Warwick is a graduate assistant who serves as the first base coach. 

Neither expected to find themselves back in the Valley so soon though. 

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Warwick, who earned a bachelor’s degree in finance, didn’t see herself becoming a coach. Then Murray State came calling.

“This opportunity kind of fell into my lap,” Warwick said. “I kind of didn’t know what I was doing, taking all the opportunities I could. And I really liked this one, so I’m super glad I did it.”

Eberle, who was an exercise science major, said that she “honestly would have laughed at you in your face” at the suggestion of becoming a coach after graduation. But softball kept calling her.

“I finished out my four years and I missed it so much, and I was like, ‘I can’t stay away from the game for too long.’ And I would have never done that without being away from the game for a couple months,” Eberle said. 

Eberle said that SIU’s current head coach, Jen Sewell, had texted her about multiple coaching openings to gauge her interest. 

“Once Jen texted me, I kind of reached out. I was like, ‘Maybe this is something I could want to do,’” Eberle said.

Eberle then reached out to former head coach Kerri Blaylock, who led the program from 2000 to 2022 and brought Eberle into the program, who was able to help get her into contact with Kara Amundson, the Murray State head coach.  

Eberle had a coaching background from even just being in Carbondale. Kenzi Bennett, an assistant coach during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, helped Eberle to set up and give pitching lessons to nearly 30 girls over the summers and also helped guide her toward being a coach.

“I got a lot of good feedback from parents and the players themselves, and I was like, ‘You know, maybe I’m not doing too bad. I don’t mind doing this, I have a lot of fun with it, and maybe it’s something I want to do,” Eberle said. 

While she wasn’t pushed as much toward being a coach, Warwick said that she has received valuable mentorship from a pair of Saluki Hall of Famers.

“I’ve had two great people, Kerri and Mary Jo Firnbach, to kind of mentor me, and I’ve leaned on them in the process whenever I have questions. They’ve just been great women and leaders that I’ve always kind of had to fall back on whenever I need advice,” Warwick said. 

Her new role has led to a bit of a shift in how Warwick views her relationship with these mentors, too.

“We are also kind of becoming more so friends now that I’m not playing and we don’t have the player-coach relationship. So it’s been interesting to get to know them in that way as well,” Warwick said.

For Warwick, the hardest part of becoming a coach has been relinquishing control during games. 

“It’s definitely been having to give up the control stick, and it’s been harder because I am such a competitor,” Warwick said. “It’s definitely just been hard to sit back and watch.” 

Eberle, who also coordinates some of the meals and travel plans for the Racers, says that the behind-the-scenes things that players don’t see are the biggest difference for her. She also doesn’t miss being on the field though. 

“I dealt with a lot of injury with my time at SIU… by the time I finished my four years, my body was tired and ready to move on from pitching, ” Eberle said. “So I never really, truly want to be back out there. I honestly love this side of it way more than I ever did while playing.”

Both Warwick and Eberle said that seeing familiar faces that they competed against and traveling to the same locations they did as players has been a bit strange. 

“The first weekend, it was a little bit weird because we were like, ‘This feels like a normal weekend,’” Eberle said. “We’re obviously playing the exact same teams. I know a lot of the girls still in the Valley  playing, so it’s fun getting to see them.”

Coming back to Carbondale was the final stop on Murray State’s Missouri Valley Conference road schedule. Warwick, who was interviewed before the series was played, knew that it was going to be “weird” to be in the first base dugout instead.

“It’ll be really weird to, I don’t want to say root against them, because I would never root against those girls, but you kind of have to, to a degree. We want to win those games just as badly as they do. But it’s just been weird emotions… I don’t know exactly how to feel yet,” Warwick said. 

Eberle, who will be calling pitches and has been scouting her former teammates, finds it even stranger.

“It’s just been weird writing their name down and studying them, and it’s just weird that I’m studying one of my old teammates where her and I were besties not too long ago,” Eberle said. 

For current players like Anna Carder, who was Eberle’s primary catcher in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, it’s a different set of emotions. 

“I didn’t see either of them becoming coaches; it was pretty shocking to find out. But I’m super excited for both of them, I’m sure this is a great opportunity for them to get some coaching experience under their belt,” Carder said. 

While it will certainly be different to watch Eberle making mound visits and Warwick coaching first base, Carder doesn’t think that there will be any bad blood.

“There’s no hard feelings or anything. I think mostly I’ll just find it kind of hard to take seriously… I’ll probably find it kind of funny because I know her as a friend,” Carder said. 

As weird as they may now find it, both Eberle and Warwick are grateful for the start that SIU gave them.

“I’m super excited to be there,” Warwick said. “I love SIU and they gave me so much, so I’m excited to come back and see everyone.”

Sports reporter Ryan Grieser can be reached at [email protected]. To stay up to date on all your southern Illinois news, be sure to follow The Daily Egyptian on Facebook.

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