ECPI University alumni Michael “Mikey” Torres says he looks pretty good in purple and gold, but we won’t hold it against him. The former RAMS assistant coach turned National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) employee is now the X-Labs Operations Manager and Esports Director at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.
Back in 2019, after serving six years in the Army and briefly trying his hand at sales, Torres came to ECPI to pursue a degree in cybersecurity. The video game fan was pleased to learn the university had recently started an esports program.
“One of my friends worked at ECPI,” said Torres. “I mentioned I was looking to go to college, and I went through the door at the campus and immediately saw the poster about esports.” He started chatting with the admissions advisor about it right away, even before going through the program offerings there at the Richmond campus.
A career in cybersecurity is what caught his eye. “I wanted to learn about computers in general,” Torres said. “I knew it was an in-demand field and it seemed like the smartest decision for me.”
From 2019-2021, Torres worked towards his bachelor’s degree while playing on ECPI’s growing esports program. “When I started out, it was semi causal for me. I hadn’t been around people who had been coached in how to play before. But I was competitive – my game was Rocket League – so once I got into the program, I immediately started getting better at a fast rate. I was practicing, training, and part of a team,” Torres said.
He worked his way up to assistant coach by the time he graduated with his bachelor’s degree. Torres’ former ECPI RAMS coach, JJ Myers, then recruited him for a job as a competition support specialist with NACE. Torres became a strong administrative part of the NACE family, from organizing events and making sure they ran smoothly to investigating potential violations with rosters or other incidents.
“As competition support specialist, I worked and implemented ideas and strategy for competitions. There were hundreds of thousands of prizes each semester,” he said. “I helped with the NACE broadcast every evening, making sure everything was running smoothly and on policy.”
NACE experienced remarkable expansion during his time with the organization, both in terms of its member base and the thriving player community. Torres’ contributions were instrumental in elevating the NACE Starleague to a pinnacle of excellence within the collegiate esports arena. “No other position has given me anything close to what NACE has in terms of professional growth, empathy, and motivation,” he shared.
After two years at NACE, Torres made the tough decision to pursue a leadership role. “I wanted to grow a program. I wanted something in person, and I knew I was ready to be a manager,” he said. “I wanted to be in a true leadership role and make full decisions without seeking approval.”
JMU recognized Torres' experience and potential. In his new role, he splits his time between esports and managing the X lab, a maker space (like the one at ECPI University’s Virginia Beach headquarters) located at the edge of the Harrisonburg campus. Torres had to learn a lot about machinery and inventory for the second part of his job, but now he’s the go-to guy for maintaining the building and maintenance.
For the esports team, “we have over 70 students involved in the programs including the production and marketing team. There are 11 teams that compete,” said Torres. At JMU, right now it’s full steam ahead with student recruiting and tryout sessions. “We’re currently working on an inclusive recruiting strategy to make sure we’re welcome to all races and genders,” Torres added.
He's quick to look back at his mentors at ECPI with gratitude. “ECPI is what got me into esports,” Torres said. “University esports is what got me through college by having to maintain my GPA in order to play. It helped me fight to keep my grades up and get my degree.”
He credits ECPI with helping to prepare him for the role he now has. “There aren’t too many directors that have the experience that I have because of ECPI,” he shared. “I have worked at almost every single aspect of institutional esports. A good chunk of it came from doing so much at ECPI.”
It was his time at ECPI University, said Torres, that taught him the importance of focusing on the student. “My perspective is about doing what’s best for the players – being student focused – so I can see how it’s affecting the players vs. the institution. I learned that from ECPI,” he said.
Mikey Torres may be a JMU Duke now, but when asked if there was anything to add to his interview, he didn’t hesitate to share his allegiance with his alma mater. “Go RAMS!” said Torres.