Alicia Mathney: Tarleton Hall of Fame

Anyone who played college softball with and against Alicia Mathney will tell you she was a future hall-of-famer then and arguably could have earned induction into those hallowed halls the moment she hung up her Tarleton State jersey and cleats.

It may have taken 22 years for that claim to become a reality. But when it did, Tarleton didn’t waste time rolling out the purple carpet.

Alicia, a Mary Kay independent beauty consultant and long-time Corinth resident, was one of eight inductees into the Tarleton Athletics Hall of Fame on May 4 in Stephenville. Regarded as one of the best hitters in Texan softball history, Alicia (she played under her maiden name, Alicia Petersma) played four seasons from 1999 to 2002 and was the lone softball player inducted into the 2024 class. She was joined by Kyle Masters (football), Lane McNamara (track and field), JoAnne Kingcastle (women’s basketball), and the 1992 women’s 2-mile relay team of Audra Bierman, Carmen Colon, Linda McAfee, and Michelle Heavyside. 

“It was a surreal feeling to be selected — especially after all these years,” Alicia said. She was also honored with a proclamation by the Corinth City Council on June 6. “My playing days went by fast, and I still wish I were out there representing Tarleton and the program that gave me so much. My name is on the plaque, but many others are attached to this. Congratulations to every inductee and everyone who came before us. It’s an honor and a blessing to stand with them.”

Alicia is the fifth player from the softball program to earn Hall of Fame honors. Her long-overdue selection this year was a no-brainer for many reasons, but it was also impressive when considering that she initially earned a spot on the team as a walk-on. She went on to earn an All-Lone Star Conference nod in each of her four seasons, including twice as a first-team selection in 2000 and 2002. 

Alicia still maintains a Top-5 spot in most of Tarleton’s all-time hitting categories. She is still tied for second in career walks with 83 and tied for fourth in home runs (31) and runs scored (128). She is third in program history with 49 doubles, fifth in runs batted in with 129, and played in the fifth-most career games (203).

“I was a walk-on backup infielder and designated hitter when I started here. I was starting at first base within a few months,” Alicia said. “By the end of that season, my dad walked up to me and casually handed me a new Nokona glove. When I asked him what it was for, he said, ‘Looks like you’re going to stick around, so you’ll need a new glove.’ He was right.”

In a 2015 feature by the Denton Record-Chronicle, Alicia shared a heartwarming story about her parents, Norm and Debora Petersma, and how they rarely missed her college games. If one of them couldn’t go, the other would film it. They also chased down all 31 home run balls their daughter hit and still have them. She again shared that memory and a litany of others during her Hall of Fame speech, which was only supposed to last five minutes but clocked in a little over eight minutes.

“They weren’t getting me off the stage in five minutes,” Alicia said.

Ironically, Alicia’s playing days aren’t over. She’s an avid recreational softball player in the area and has her gear in the back of her car, just in case a team is short on players. When she’s not doing that, she juggles her Mary Kay career with being a devoted wife to her husband, John, and a doting mother to their children, Morgan, Lacy, and Wyatt.

“I’m blessed to leave this legacy for our children,” Alicia said. “We teach our children never to give up — even when no one is looking at you or recruiting you. You find a way and make a way. You never know what the ending will be, but put in the work.”

In Alicia’s case, the ending is a Hall of Fame induction.