A Sweet Deal

Maryland softball’s Genevieve Ebaugh partnered with Insomnia Cookies for the 2023-24 school year. The sophomore pitcher has a taste for serving fastballs on the diamond and eating sweet treats for dessert. 

The public policy major was a regular at the bakery chain that offers warm cookies, baked goods and ice cream. Now she’s able to represent the company as a student-athlete through NIL compensation.

Ebaugh spoke about her partnership with the company in a Q&A with umterps.com.

How did you first get involved with Insomnia Cookies?

“I saw an ad on Instagram, and it was something new that they were doing (NIL sponsorships). I filled out an application and told them a little bit about my backstory. They reached back out and said that they loved my application and loved my mindset. They later said they would love to have me as one of their athletes.”

What has been the most exciting aspect of the partnership?

“Being on the East Coast, it was a company that a lot of people were familiar with. It's pretty cool to be working for a company that everyone knows and be able to represent it. But also, to be able to represent a company that I genuinely love is awesome. I don't want to ever do a sponsorship or promote something that I don't genuinely like. There’s a store five minutes down the street from me and I’m a regular there.”

What kind of things have you promoted for them?

“I get to promote a lot of their events and this year with their athletes they've been wanting us to promote certain little parties that they have. This past fall, they had a pajama party. If you showed up in your pajamas at the store you got a free cookie. It started at nine o'clock and there was a line almost wrapped around the block. They gave me a special shirt to wear, and I posted about it all day. I took a ton of friends to it as well. And then throughout the month, I post about their new flavors or when there’s a holiday like National Cookie Day, I am always getting the word out.”

What are some of the perks of the sponsorship?

"I get to try their flavors before everyone else, it's pretty cool. They’ll send them in the mail and then they also spoil me with gear. I have a duffel bag with a ton of T-shirts and a ton of clothes. If I go in the store, I get to wear them and take pictures to further promote them. I can do it really anywhere if I’m wearing their athlete gear so it's pretty cool.”

What is your favorite cookie?

“They have vegan flavors that I actually really like. They have vegan and gluten-free cookies and I have a lot of friends with restrictions that really liked them. They asked me to try the vegan confetti flavor and I thought that cookie was really good. I’m also just a basic chocolate chunk girl. I think the deluxe peanut butter cup one is pretty good as well.”

What has been your experience like with NIL?

“This past fall, I started working with Athlete To Athlete. It’s a mentorship where they partner you with younger athletes so you can meet with them weekly and they can talk to you about recruiting, life in general, life as an athlete, a skill set, etc. We meet with them for an hour every week. I met with a couple of kids to do interviews, but I haven't set it up completely yet because I'm in season. But it's something in the future I would like to continue. It’s a program that a lot of other Maryland athletes are involved with.”