April 04, 2019 / By mobanmarket
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When Bradley University plays New Mexico State at the Troy Cox Classic in Las Cruces, N.M., on Valentine’s Day, there will be a newlywed in each of the dugouts.
In fact, that will be the first time they’ve been in the same city since January, when Chris Malveaux, the associate head coach for Bradley, dropped his wife, Kate, an assistant at New Mexico State, off at the airport the day after they returned from their honeymoon.
The teams square off a second time in the tournament the following day.
“We are looking forward to the game,” Kate said. “I’m playing my husband and my alma mater. It will definitely be a fun game.”
“It won’t be as fun for one of us,” Chris noted. “We’re both extremely competitive.”
That competitiveness means their regular softball talks might be a little muted heading up to the game.
“This week it’s going to be a little different,” Kate said. “He’ll stop telling me things about the team.”
The duo met in 2012 when Chris joined Kate (then with the last name Singler) on the Bradley coaching staff. She was a volunteer assistant for the Braves following two years playing for the team. They spent two years together on Amy Hayes’ coaching staff and were married this past December.
It was a difficult decision in August 2013 for Kate to join the staff at New Mexico State knowing she’d be away from Chris, but he assured her things would be fine.
“That was super difficult,” Kate said. “I’ve always wanted to coach. He said, ‘Do it.’”
“She was able to fulfill something she wanted,” Chris explained. “There’s piece of mind in knowing she’s doing something she enjoys and she’s with people who care about her.”
Chris flew out for a week in October and Kate returned to her native Illinois for the holidays, their wedding and the honeymoon trip to Cancun.
“It was nuts,” Kate said of their whirlwind holiday break. “It’s working out awesome, though. The Bradley staff and the New Mexico State staff here have been great whenever I need to pick him up at the airport or he needs to come see me.”
Tthe newlyweds are about 1,300 miles apart at their respective schools, which is a 21-hour drive or a combination of two flights totaling 3-4 hours.
Then there’s the time difference. Bradley’s Peoria, Ill., campus is located in the Central time zone, while New Mexico State is an hour earlier in the Mountain. Add in varying practice schedules and other responsibilities, and sometimes it’s tough just to sneak in a phone call or text. They find a way, though, and they have some tricks.
There are apps for that.
“I’m not that big into social media, but I’ll send a photo from my day on Snapchat,” Chris said. “We’ll have a date night and we’ll go watch the same movie at the same time and talk about it after. It’s almost like we’re having the same experience.”
“It’s been fairly difficult,” Kate admitted. “Some days are easier than others. We both love our jobs, so it makes it worth it.”
Having both of them in the same profession helps.
“He understands my crazy schedule,” Kate said.
“She can describe what she did that day and I’ll totally understand,” Chris added.
In a perfect world, the two would be back coaching on the same staff in the same city. They love the people they work with, and like the path each of their teams is on, but they know they can’t live apart forever. Until then, it is manageable.
“If it means enough, you find a way to do it,” Kate explained. “We would love to be able to coach together (again) if it is the right situation. I love every minute of it here at New Mexico State.
“We’re taking it as it comes.”
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