By Jaci Schneider, Opinion Editor

Babies keep bouncing into the athletic department, and the boys are up, 2-1.

Jared Mosley, athletic director, Klint Pleasant, men’s basketball coach, and Jon Murray, track coach, all welcomed new babies into their homes in the past month.

Abbey Rae Pleasant arrived first to Klint and Rachel Pleasant on Jan. 1.

“It’s really just turned my life upside down,” Pleasant said of the birth of his first child.

Because Abbey was born during the holiday, Pleasant was able to spend a few days with his family before returning to work. Rachel worked as a personal trainer at Hendrick Medical Center, but now she is staying home with the baby.

Pleasant said it has been hard to be away from his wife and child while traveling with the team.

“It’s been very difficult,” he said. I’m wanting to spend time with the baby and bond with the baby.”

Although he is still dedicated to his basketball team, Pleasant said some of his focus has shifted since Jan. 1.

“Every decision that I make is funneled through the fact that we have a child now,” he said. “It’s definitely sidetracked me, and it’s taken some of my focus away [from the team], and I don’t apologize for that.”

Pleasant said the baby hasn’t been introduced to the team yet, but she probably will before the end of the season.

“I look forward to her being in that environment,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to include her in my job.”

Track coach Jon Murray and his wife Samantha Murray, assistant professor of management sciences, welcomed their third child, Nathan Joel Murray on Jan. 18.

“It’s slightly crazy,” Murray said; his team’s first meet was Friday.

Nathan joined Jonah and Gracie in the family, and Murray said his wife took the semester off to be with the kids.

“With No. 3 it’s not quite as crazy,” Murray said.

From every weekend until March, Murray said he will be out of town for indoor track meets. He said he misses spending time with his new son, but he looks forward to the days when his kids will be old enough to hang out with the team.

Most recently, athletic director Jared Mosley and his wife Trish celebrated the birth of their second son, Jaxon Reid Mosley, Friday.

“It has been a little hectic,” Mosley said.

His wife took six weeks off from her job as an elementary school physical education teacher, and he plans to take some time off work after the grandparents go home next week, Mosley said

“I don’t have to travel quite as much as the coaches,” Mosley said. “And if I do, I try to plan it so they can go with me.

“It’s tough, though,” he said of having to be away from his family at times. “It’s probably the hardest thing about having a job in athletics.”

However, he said he is grateful that his children will grow up in the environment of ACU athletics. He said his son Jaden, who is 3 years old, comes to all the events on campus.

“He gets to know all the teams and players pretty well,” Mosley said. “I think it’ll always be neat for them to grow up around it all.”