Photo By EJ Hersom | Air Force Tech Sgt. Todd Duncan beats a tag at home plate by Marine Corps Staff Sgt....... read more read more
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Far flung deployments and overseas duty assignments aren’t enough to curb Air Force Men’s Softball Team Co-Captain Tech. Sgt. Todd Duncan’s passion for the game.
Throughout his 15-year career, Duncan has been deployed to Afghanistan, Jordan and supported operations in Libya. He has been stationed in South Korea twice in addition to Arizona, Alaska and Florida and is currently serving on another overseas assignment at Aviano Air Base, Italy.
But between deployments and moves, Duncan has made a name for himself on the softball diamond.
“He’s a legend… nicknamed the Todd Father,” said Air Force Men’s Coach Master Sgt. John Adams.
Like many top athletes from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps competing in this year’s Armed Forces Softball Championship, Duncan’s love for the sport started at an early age.
A native of Paola, Kansas, Duncan began playing baseball when he was four and continued competitively through all four years of college, first at Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott Kansas and later at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas.
After college he chose to follow in his father and brother’s footsteps, joining the Air Force at the age 27, just two days shy of what was then the maximum age to enlist.
His competitive streak stuck with him, and within his first year in the service he had secured a spot on the All-Air Force Men’s Softball roster. The team went on to win the 2010-Armed Forces Men’s Softball Championship title, and Duncan was one of two players selected to represent the Air Force on that year’s Armed Forces All-Tournament team.
That early success put Duncan’s talent prominently on the radar. But as he managed moves and deployments early in his career, his days competing at the service level took a back seat for nearly the next decade.
Still, his passion for the sport has persisted through the years.
He returned to tryouts in 2019 and secured a spot on the roster to help Air Force secure another Armed Forces Softball Championship title. In 2022, the first year the tournament returned following the COVID-19 pandemic, he led the service to another championship title and was again selected for the All-Tournament Team.
After missing the 2023 season while on deployment, he returned for this year’s tournament in Oklahoma City where he is serving as the Air Force Men’s Co-Captain alongside Tech. Sgt. Robbie Fow.
The services will battle it out the remainder of the week across a three-day double round robin series beginning followed by a two-day double elimination championship series on Saturday and Sunday.
Duncan said each year he returns, he is reminded of why he loves to compete.
“It’s just the comradery,” he said. “It’s always nice being able to see the other branches and get the best out of each branch, coming in here and playing and trying to develop new guys to further the program for the future,” he said.
He said every player comes to the tournament with the same level of dedication required to perform at the highest level while balancing the demands of their careers on active duty.
“It just takes a lot of commitment,” Duncan said. “If you’re not committed to the craft, then you’re not going to better yourself.”
Adams said what sets Duncan apart is not only his talent and his commitment, but his natural ability to lead and mentor fellow teammates.
“You hear a name like Todd Duncan, or other guys on the team like Robbie Fow, and you know those guys are coming to camp, that motivates the other guys who want to be better,” he said.
Adams added that those intangible skills, which Duncan has honed throughout his career, are critical to the team’s overall success. All elite teams are player-led, he said.
“Having a guy like Todd as a captain, he can continue to mentor those guys, keep them out of their own head and focused on what the task is at hand,” he said. “It takes all 15 guys, and Todd keeps that core together, to rally the guys together to compete for that same kind of goal.”
| Date Taken: | 08.14.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.14.2024 20:16 |
| Story ID: | 478640 |
| Location: | OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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