Some families pass down heirlooms. The Keshocks pass down baseball gloves, volleyballs and a playbook for life, one that has taken them from small-town Ohio to international courts and professional draft picks.

From the college classroom to the playing fields, their legacy stretches across multiple generations.

At the head of the family are Chris and Nicole Keshock, who have spent decades shaping athletes and students at every level. The two met at Heidelberg University — a Division III program — where they both coached multiple sports while maintaining jobs as professors.

“I was head baseball coach, assistant basketball, and then we also taught,” Chris said. “Nicole was head volleyball coach and assistant softball coach, so that's how we kind of met. She said, ‘Hey, I don't know anything about softball, help me out here,’ and that kind of ventured into a relationship.”

Chris currently serves as an associate professor in the Department of Health, Kinesiology and Sport at the University of South Alabama, where his teaching emphasizes international perspectives on sport management and event administration. His career has spanned professional minor league baseball, international basketball, coaching, athletic administration and research. That global background informs the lessons he shares with students in Mobile.

His upbringing was shaped by a deep-rooted sports tradition that began with his father, who grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, where athletics became his ticket out. His father earned a basketball scholarship to John Carroll University — then a Division I independent program in the 1950s — and even drew recruiting interest from the legendary Bear Bryant during his time at Kentucky football along with an opportunity to sign a professional baseball contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.

“My father gave me some good advice in the admonition of Mark Twain, ‘don't let school get in the way of your education,’” Chris said when talking about his family legacy. “He said to go and see the world. So, we have tried to do that with our kids, to use sport as a kind of a segue for us to meet other people and experience new things in life.”

Chris’s sister became a swimmer at Ohio University, while his brother, John, earned All-America honors in Division I basketball at Youngstown State.

Nicole has carved her own path in coaching — a trailblazer some could say. A former volleyball standout at Bowling Green State University, she was the first person in her family to play collegiate sports despite their athletic background. She then took up coaching, with stops at Heidelberg College, the University of Findlay, Eastern Michigan, the University of West Florida and the University of South Alabama within a 25-year span.

In 2006, she founded Mobile Storm Volleyball Club, giving countless young athletes in the area the opportunity to develop their skills. In addition to the Storm, she had a huge hand in kickstarting the volleyball programs at West Florida and Bishop State.

“I've learned that a lot of people think it's harder to start a program, and I just felt that I was better at that,” Nicole said. “Just kind of setting the standard and starting the traditions myself, recruiting my own athletes to the program. I think a lot of it was growing up in Ohio, the volleyball community that I was part of — when we moved down here, I just felt that it was a calling to help bring volleyball to this area, how the rest of the country was playing it and just bring it up to speed.”

NEXT-GEN SPORTS STARS

Together, Chris and Nicole have raised three children — each of whom has taken their own unique path in athletics — Kayla, Cameron and Corbin.

Kayla, the oldest, has been one of the most decorated volleyball players to come out of Spanish Fort. She helped lead the Toros to back-to-back state championships in 2018 and 2019 before moving on to Samford University. There, she became the Bulldogs’ starting setter and etched her name into the record book by surpassing 3,000 career assists. She led the Southern Conference in service aces her junior season and consistently ranked among the league leaders in assists. Her collegiate career included multiple all-tournament team honors and standout performances against ranked competition.

After three years at Samford, Kayla transferred to the University of Alabama were she started 14 games for the Crimson Tide as a senior setter. She is now signed to play professional volleyball in Sweden for the Gislaved Elit volleyball club, continuing the family’s tradition of competing on an international stage.

Kayla credits her mom’s home coaching for shaping her into the "strong and confident" volleyball player she is today. With the lessons learned from Nicole, to Samford, to Alabama, she said she hopes to continue growing her game overseas.

“Just kind of like a different version of volleyball and just seeing how they play overseas there,” Kayla stated when talking about her excitement for playing in Sweden. “I think it's going to be a great chapter for me to kind of stretch my comfort zone and grow even more in my game. That's what I did when I transferred from Samford to Alabama, and that's what I'm trying to do going from Alabama to Sweden.”

Cameron, the family’s middle child, took the baseball route. After a strong high school career at Spanish Fort, he was rated among the top pitching prospects in Alabama by Perfect Game. He began his college career at Auburn, where he logged innings as a reliever in his freshman and sophomore seasons.

A transfer to Samford provided him with more opportunities on the mound, where he made 10 starts in the 2025 season and struck out 52 batters in 54 innings pitched. His development and perseverance paid off in July when the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the 12th round of the MLB Draft.

After spending his entire baseball career in Alabama, Cameron said the most difficult part about Minor League Baseball thus far has been being away from his family.

“They treat us pretty well here, so there's not a lot to complain about. I guess just being away from my family, just getting used to being around new people," he said.

The youngest, Corbin, is still carving his path. An eighth-grader at Spanish Fort, he participates in baseball, basketball and football, excelling both athletically and academically. He was recently recognized as student of the year, giving him a strong start to following his siblings as his story is still being written.

“It's an amazing feeling,” Corbin said when talking about his siblings' success. “It definitely gives me a drive to work hard and be better in more aspects than just on the court.”

LOYALTIES LIE IN FAMILY

Though the family lives in a state in which the main question is Auburn or Alabama, War Eagle or Roll Tide, there are no ties to any specific sports teams.

"We've raised our kids to appreciate everybody,” Chris said, “Yeah, the common rivalry is OK, but when push comes to shove, there are great people at every university and every sports team with all of the club teams and even their youth groups. So that's what we've always stressed.”

Nicole reiterated similar words, adding the family will always support the teams for which they coach or play. She said the in-state territory battle confused the family when they moved down south.

“It was kind of funny that when we first moved to Alabama, everyone said, ‘Are you Alabama, Auburn?’ We really didn't understand, honestly. We're like, ‘We only get to choose between those two institutions?’” she said.

Cameron added to that, saying the family enjoys playing sports more than watching them together.

Spanish Fort has been home base for the family’s journey, but finding time to get together and celebrate one another has been a challenge. With Nicole and Chris working, Kayla heading overseas, Cameron beginning his professional career and Corbin balancing academics and sports, the group has to make the most of the off time they get.

“We make sure that we're together at some point at Christmas,” Nicole said, “We started doing little mini trips, nothing major, at Christmas, because it gave us that couple days just to be together. But we've always kind of teased that we do a lot of sport-cations. Like no true vacations because we're just wherever somebody's playing a sport, but the whole family will get in and go.”