Diamond Love Story: Texas Proposal Comes Full Circle

Robbie McCargar spent much of the game pacing near the bathrooms at Red & Charline McCombs Field in anticipation of his trip to the pitching circle.

He was rehearsing what he planned to say once he walked out there. McCargar kept a close eye on the scoreboard as Texas battled Alabama last Friday night in the Bevo Classic.

The Longhorns jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but the advantage had dwindled to just two runs by the fifth inning. McCargar worried a loss may spoil everything.

He breathed a heavy sigh of relief once Texas held the Tide scoreless for the remainder of the game. After Estelle Czech struck out the final two Alabama batters to secure the 5-3 win, McCargar was ready for his moment.

He put his feet on the dirt and began the walk to the middle of the diamond. He was wearing an orange Texas sweatshirt and orange Texas hat that hid any sweat building from the anticipation.

Although McCargar had spent most of his life on a ballfield, nothing came close to the nerves he was feeling.

Molly Jacobsen was heading to the dugout when she heard Texas assistant coach Steve Singleton yell in her direction in a “super stern” voice that made Jacobsen think she was in trouble. She turned around and saw McCargar standing in the pitching circle.

Jacobsen, a former Texas pitcher and current volunteer assistant, froze in a bit of a confusion and began walking toward him.

McCragar said a few words to Jacobsen and then pointed toward the outfield. Just above the H.E.B. and Rudy’s Real Texas Bar-B-Q banners, the Jumbotron flashed the words “Will You Marry Me?”

McCargar pulled a ring out of his pocket and got down on one knee.

“I just spoke from the heart, which I knew would happen anyway,” McCargar said. “Once I got on the field, it relaxed me in a way and the script vanished. I spoke to her one-on-one.”

Alabama was still holding its team meeting in the outfield behind the couple and sounds of blowers from the stadium work crew filled the night air.

But Jacobsen and McCargar barely noticed.

“I kind of blacked out. I literally don’t remember anything that he said. I was shaking so badly,” Jacobsen said. “But I said yes. I know I said yes.”

It was the perfect proposal in the perfect location for a couple that met at a field nearly five years ago at Des Moines Area Community College. Jacobsen, 25, was a two-way star on the softball team and McCargar, 24, was an outfielder/designated hitter on the baseball team.

At first, they were just friends. Jacobsen was dating someone at the time and McCargar began dating someone once he transferred to play at Butler University.

Jacobsen spent two seasons playing for Ole Miss before finishing her career as a graduate transfer at Texas. They reconnected in 2021 during Thanksgiving break when both were back home in Iowa. 

“We just kind of reached out to each other and said, ‘let’s go out sometime,’” McCargar said. “The rest is history.”

As their relationship progressed, they discussed the potential of getting married. McCargar knew where he wanted to pop the question.

“The first time I saw her was at the softball field, so I thought it would be kind of cool to propose to her on the mound she played at,” he said. “It’s a baseball-softball love story and it all kind of brought it back full circle for us.”

McCargar reached out to Singleton’s fiancee, Chelsea, to help him arrange the stadium proposal on the Texas end of things. He invited both sets of parents to witness the special occasion.

McCargar envisioned proposing once the field was clear and few others were around. But Chelsea wanted them to have lasting memories of the moment.

She arranged for the Texas photographers and videographers to be nearby and for the words to appear on the Jumbotron. She even had the Longhorn Network stay on air after the game to show the proposal live.

“I didn’t realize that until I got off the field and everyone told me,” McCargar said. “Thank God they didn’t tell me before because that would have made it 10 times more nerve wracking.”

Although Jacobsen wondered if a proposal was coming, she wasn’t prepared for it to take place after the game.

“I honestly had no idea it was going to happen,” she said. “I had my suspicions about the weekend since my sister and our parents were all in town. But I had no idea it was going to happen at that moment.”

Before traveling to Texas for the proposal, McCargar had asked Jacobsen’s parents for their daughter’s hand in marriage.

“They gave me their blessing and it was emotional. They cried. I cried. It was a really special moment,” he said. “They said they loved me and I love them and they said I had their blessing from the get go.”

Jacobsen had sent McCargar some ideas for rings over the last few months just in case. He went to Joseph Jewelers, a family-owned store in Des Moines, to find the perfect one.

“I wanted something she approved of, but I wanted to put my own little twist on it as well,” McCargar said. “She didn’t want me to go over a specific price range, but I only get this opportunity once in my life and I wanted to make sure she got the best I could give her.”

Jacobsen approved.

“Oh my God. It is prettier than I ever imagined,” she said. “He did so good.”

The entire Texas team began cheering once Jacobsen said yes and came running over to celebrate and admire her ring.

Jacobsen looked over at her parents and saw the emotion from her father, Joel. She will be the first of his three daughters to get married.

“I have never seen my dad cry,” she said. “He is such a tough guy. He leads all the Texas fight cheers. He is a super loud, big tough guy.”

The newly-engaged couple have already started the wedding planning with help from their mothers. They want to get married in Des Moines in the fall if everything works out.

Not only did McCargar provide a proposal story they can share forever, he lent more credence to the old adage that diamonds truly are a girl’s best friend.

“I thought it was a really special moment,” Jacobsen said. “Baseball and softball are such a big part of our lives and are kind of what brought us together in the first place.”