Most college athletes strive to play for a championship ring.

Heading into his first semester in the fall as a transfer student-athlete at Oklahoma State, Alix Garcia had another commitment to uphold alongside his commitment to play baseball at OSU.

The other commitment presented Garcia his first ring. It was not a ring earned on the playing field.

It was a wedding ring.

Days before his wedding in August, Garcia had to leave the final wedding preparations behind in his hometown of Othello, Washington. With his truck packed with belongings and his soon-to-be wife’s car in tow. He began a 27-hour journey to Stillwater. Looking back, Garcia felt hurried.

“I thought we had more time originally,” Garcia said. “I came down with a friend, drove the 27 hours over two days, went to new student orientation the next day and got back on a flight early the next morning to go back for the wedding.”

After returning home, Garcia finished the final wedding preparations and married Kylee Hawley on Aug. 18. They had been together since their junior year of high school. Hawley’s grandmother babysat Garcia, creating a family friendship during the span of their lives.

Getting married at 20, Garcia received support from his family. His father, Charles Garcia, said he recognized what Hawley meant to his son.

“It came as no surprise to me and my wife because they had dated for several years,” Charles Garcia said. “It was easy to see she was the ying to his yang and wanted to be there to support him in his journey moving forward.”

 Instead of spending their first days as a couple on a honeymoon, they packed began again. A day after the wedding, the newlyweds loaded up a U-Haul truck and Garcia began the 27-hour drive for the second time in a week.

The move to Stillwater was not the first time the couple had lived together. Hawley had joined Garcia as he attended Central Arizona College and played baseball. Hawley, also from Othello, Washington, played volleyball at a Yakima Valley College in Yakima, Washington. At the semester break, she looked to go play volleyball at Central Arizona College until her phone rang.

“I had played a semester up at Yakima (Washington),” Hawley said. “After that one semester, Alix asked me to come live with him down in Arizona. My parents were very supportive. I was going to play volleyball at Central and then one day we got a phone call that the volleyball program was being shut down.”

            With the news of the volleyball program shutting down, Hawley decided to stay in Arizona after settling in. She lost her scholarship and ended up paying out-of-state tuition to go to school.

            She looked at the program shutting down as as a positive.

            “Sure, I went to go play volleyball, but I decided to stay,” Hawley said. “I had never been to Arizona, so it was cool for me to stay down there, spend time with Alix and our friends and get to enjoy a new place.”

            Originally, Garcia never intended on going to Central Arizona College. Out of high school, Garcia had committed to Washington State University to play baseball. Late into his senior year, all of the coaches at WSU were fired. When the new coaching staff came in, it told Garcia he was not going to have a scholarship. Garcia decided to attend Central Arizona College, where he had a previous relationship with the coaching staff who had watched him play.

            During his first year at Central Arizona College, Garcia hit .333 with 42 RBIs. His numbers offensively caught the eyes of OSU assistant coach James Vilade. Although he was not looking for a first baseman, Vilade was primarily recruiting Garcia’s teammate, Matt Kroon. An Oregon transfer, Kroon signed with OSU and was the 2018 Big 12 Baseball Newcomer of the Year.

            Vilade continually followed Garcia during his second season at CAC. Garcia produced better offensive numbers than the year before, hitting .368 with six home runs and 66 RBIs.  After talking with his coaches at CAC, Vilade reached out to Garcia and had him on an official visit to OSU last spring, where he eventually committed. Vilade was impressed with Garcia’s makeup not only as a player, but also as a person.

            “I had talked to all of his junior college coaches about what he brought to the table,” Vilade said. “All of them were impressed on his maturity as a player and a person. He carries himself well now, and now being able to see him work on a daily basis, it shows the maturity he possesses.”

            Entering into another new town last fall, Garcia knew it could be a daunting task. This time, he had his wife by his side.

            Although they had been married for such a short time before moving to Stillwater for the next step of his baseball journey, his father realized Garcia had nothing to worry about on this move or transition.

            “With Alix being married, it enabled him to adjust at an easier pace to a different environment because he brought his support system with him,” Charles Garcia said. “It allowed him to ease into the transition of a new school, a new home and playing atmosphere. I wasn’t as worried from a baseball standpoint because he has had to adjust to new atmospheres while traveling and playing baseball.”

            The rings on their fingers were the only thing different about this transition.

            With already living together for 1 ½ years at Central Arizona College, Hawley said it has helped them with the move to Stillwater.

            “At first in Arizona, it was tough,” Hawley said. “We fought a lot in the beginning. We knew what quirks could get one another mad. For example, he could leave a trail of clothes from the front door heading into the bathroom. Instead of getting mad, I just could pick them up. Eventually, we just got used to each other and our bad habits, so it’s pretty smooth now.”

            During the fall, Garcia was not sure how his new teammates would be accepting of a wife. Both he and his wife did not know anyone in Stillwater and looked to make friends.

            Joe Lienhard, a senior pitcher, said the team did not hesitate in involving both in its social group.

            “You know, we all have something unique,” Lienhard said. “For him, he’s married. In my four years playing here, I’ve had engaged teammates but none that were married. I remember the first time we had a cookout last fall. Alix looked at us and said, ‘Is it cool if I bring my wife?’, and we laughed and said absolutely. She’s been cool to have around as well.”

            As Lienhard said, he has teammates who are engaged but never has had someone who has been married.

            It is also a rarity for the coaching staff as well.

            “It’s something we don’t encounter often,” Vilade said. “It’s good for him though that he found someone he wanted to marry and spend the rest of his life with at a young age. We were really excited to for Alix and Kylee, and were really happy to add them to our baseball family this year.”

            With the season in full swing, Garcia is on the road quite often, leaving Hawley in Stillwater with their blue Doberman/Rottweiler dog.

            She has had to adapt some herself without Garcia by her side. In Arizona, she was able to drive to games when Garcia played on the road. At OSU, the travel can be farther and not in a drivable distance.

            “In Arizona, the farthest place he played was in Vegas, which was like four hours away,” Hawley said. “Here, he buses to most places, but they have trips where they have to fly. I did make the Los Angeles trip. When he is gone, I’ve made some friends, mostly at the dog park, but I do that and my online classes, too.”

            As the OSU baseball team is going to spend the next three weekends on the road, Hawley is going to go back home for three weeks, which is the longest period they have been separated in awhile.

            With their first year of being married being in Stillwater, Garcia has had to balance his time with school, baseball and also spending time with Hawley.

            There are days where school and baseball take up most of his time, but Garcia always attempts to make time for his wife.

            “In between class and practice, she’ll come pick me up and we will go to lunch or something like that,” Garcia said. “On those days where school is busy and I get home and am tired, we try to talk or watch one a TV show we are in to just to spend time with each other.”

            Both have enjoyed spending their first year of marriage in Stillwater. Although both admit the weather was better in Arizona at times, the college town atmosphere and being around people have been a positive for the newlyweds.

            “We still try to do things like normal college kids,” Hawley said.

            “Really the only thing that has changed is the ring on both of our fingers.”