Interviewed by Leslie Criss | Photographed by Bill Dabney
Grae Kessinger, Oxford born and raised, is a graduate of Oxford High School and the University of Mississippi. He continued a long Kessinger family legacy of playing baseball at Ole Miss. Grandfather Don played shortstop; father Kevin played center field; and uncle Keith, shortstop. In 2019, Grae’s junior year, Kessinger was awarded the Brooks Wallace Award, given annually to the nation’s top shortstop. He is now a minor-league player with the Houston Astros organization. His wife, Lindsey Goubeaux Kessinger, is originally from Los Gatos, California. She and Kessinger make their home in Oxford.
Q: We’ve heard you got engaged on Valentine’s Day 2020 and married on New Year’s Eve 2020. What made you choose these special dates?
A: Yes. I was able to make it back to Oxford before spring training, and the dates just worked out perfect to ask Lindsey to marry me on Valentine’s Day. Ole Miss baseball had a home series as well, so naturally we celebrated with a big party with our families and headed over to the Rebels game. The New Year’s Eve wedding sounded very exciting to us, and we decided to make it an even more special day.
Q: Did you and Lindsey meet at Ole Miss? How did you know she was the one?
A: We met at Ole Miss through a mutual friend. From the first time I met her, I knew she was special. The more we began talking and hanging out, it became very apparent she was the one for me. We had so much in common, she was beautiful, and I could tell there was something different about her. She is a special woman, and I knew that very, very early on.
Q: What made you decide to get married in Oxford?
A: Oxford is home for me. It is where Lindsey and I met, and it just felt right for us to get married there. We were married at The Jefferson.
Q: You’ve recently celebrated your first wedding anniversary. What advice might you have for newlyweds in their first year of marriage?
A: With my baseball career, life can be very spontaneous. Lindsey has been a trooper, just going with the flow to support me each step of the way. I would say that whatever life throws at you, attack it together as one and you will be able to thrive and grow closer together. View everything as an opportunity to make a memory together and love every moment of it. Lindsey is my rock, and through easy days and hard days, she motivates me and believes in me. I do the same for her. That’s what it is all about.
Q: What are your expectations for the 2022 baseball season?
A: I am very hopeful to have a great season, have a bunch of fun, and who knows, maybe even make a debut in the major leagues!