By Hunter Brownstein and Sam Culver, Cronkite PR Lab
The bond that is forged between a pitcher and a catcher is one of the most important relationships in all of sports. Whether it is catching pitches or assisting in calling the game, the pitcher and catcher need to be on the same page at all times.
For the Arizona State Sun Devils, one of those special pitcher-catcher duos that developed during their playing years is Breanna Macha-Peterson and Amber Freeman.
The two were teammates during the 2015 season with Freeman, an NCAA First-Team All-American, a senior and Peterson getting her start as a freshman.
“I had the pleasure of getting to catch her and getting to know her and bring her along,” Freeman said. “At that time as a senior I was known as ‘mama bear.’ I was a seasoned veteran and I got these little cubs I needed to take care of.”
When it came to Peterson, Freeman certainly embraced her as one of those little cubs she had mentioned.
“She was definitely someone I took under my wing. We spent a lot of time in the bullpen, a lot of time working together.”
Peterson appreciated Freeman’s point of view, among many other things.
“She sees things from a different perspective,” Peterson said. “She really opened my eyes to what I needed to do as a freshman and how I needed to handle my business.”
Freeman’s guidance assisted Peterson long after Freeman graduated from ASU as well, as Peterson would go on to help lead the Sun Devils to the College World Series in 2018.
“She (Freeman) really helped me handle myself as an upperclassman. Even as a freshman, the way I acted was more business-like,” Peterson said. “She's somebody that first wants to have fun on the field, but definitely is very business-like on the field. She was on Team USA. So, I had a lot of respect for her and her opinions, especially with her being my catcher as well. She helped me a lot.”
While Freeman looked back fondly on her time with Peterson and other members of the team during her time as a Sun Devil, she enjoys seeing how they have matured into the women they are today.
“It's really cool to see my teammates growing into wives and mothers, seeing all the amazing things they're doing with their life after softball,” Freeman said. “We catch up and keep in touch over Instagram and I've been following [Breanna], her coaching career and things like that. It's really cool to see what she's done post softball, because she is a great human.”
While Peterson and Freeman are both done playing softball, their time in the sport is far from over.
Peterson is now a strength and conditioning coach at Red Mountain High School in Mesa, Peterson’s alma mater. She oversees the strength and conditioning regimens for the freshman, JV and varsity football teams, the softball team in the spring, the women’s soccer team and JV track and field.
While she helped contribute to four state championships during her time there as a student, Peterson is now contributing to Red Mountain in a different way, and she is having fun doing it.
“It's been a blast. I mean, we have such a hard working group of kids,” Peterson said. “We got to have fun here. But at the end of the day, we need to put our heads down and work. I think that's a huge lesson that they've learned. There's a time and a place for business and we get it done.”
As for Freeman, she approaches her first season as an assistant coach for the California Golden Bears after leading Vanguard University to an 82-36 record as the head softball coach.
Freeman got the call to coach at Cal from Golden Bears’ head coach Chelsea Spencer. During Freeman’s time as a player at ASU, Spencer was the head coach of the Oregon Ducks.
“I always thought she was awesome. I liked the way she coached. I liked her style. I liked her energy,” Freeman said.
Freeman remembered the exact moment she got the call from Spencer.
“This past summer, on a random day in the summertime. I was getting my hair done. Coach Spencer called me and asked, ‘Hey, how do you feel about coming to the D1 level and coming to Cal?’” Freeman said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, let's do it.’ It was kind of a random moment that I think was meant to happen.”
While their college careers are in the rearview mirror, both Peterson and Freeman shared how each of them want to pay forward what was given to them by the game that got them to where they are today.
“When [my student-athletes] see a coach that's been there, that's done it, they can ask questions like ‘Hey, what do I do about recruiting?’” Peterson said. “I just think of always being there as a resource for them, always making sure that they know the steps to take to get where they want to be.”
Freeman believes it is a privilege to be in a position where she can guide young women in a position that she was once in.
“I think it's really important to give back to the game that has given us so much,” Freeman said. “I think it's important for these young athletes to be mentored and coached by women that have been there and done it the right way. So, my advice would be to go for it, not be afraid of it, and not be intimidated by it. And see where it takes you. I'm so grateful to be in this position and to be able to coach and give back and mentor.”
Despite no longer sharing the diamond, the duo continue to learn from one another and share their knowledge and experience with the next generation.
Whether it’s Cal or Red Mountain, the lessons that Peterson and Freeman learned from their experiences as Sun Devils will continue to live on.