Teagan Calkins? She’s kind of a big deal. (David Somes photo)
The moment comes for everyone.
Whether they have long careers or short runs, Senior Night arrives for every high school athlete.
When it does it can offer a mix of sadness and joy, and it still often surprises me who gets emotional and who doesn’t.
It hits differently for everyone, for the player, the coach, the parents, the fans.
Every Senior Night carries its own weight, but Wednesday afternoon will be unique, as my personal choice for the best CHS softball player of all time exits.
Now, Teagan Calkins, the lone senior on this year’s team, is far from done.
The Wolves still have three non-conference games to play on the road and then head into postseason play with action at districts and state.
But Wednesday (4:00 PM against Orcas Island) marks the final time Teagan will lead her squad on to the field in Cow Town.
The final time she’ll be front and center as the Smash Sisters sing their post-game song.
The final time Teagan will grace her hometown’s softball field with her unique mix of skill, humor, grace, and joy.
The first, but not last, moment Teagan gave side-eye to an umpire. (Photos courtesy Jackie Saia)
Watching her grow from a little league ace into a rampaging teenager, fully becoming “The Red Dragon” and “T-Money,” we have been witness to a remarkable run.
There have been towering home runs.
There have been mad dashes around the basepaths where she seems like she’s begging rival fielders to even dream about throwing her out.
There have been the times where she cracks line drive after line drive at her coach’s head, daring him to stay in the third-base box.
And there have been the times she bounds up from behind the plate, rifling lasers into the gloves of her teammates to nab foolhardy would-be base stealers, chuckling to herself at their naiveite.
But there’s also the times when, working with her pitchers in pre-game warmups, Teagan still takes the time to thank younger players for putting away gear.
Or to say hello to little, wide-eyed girls in their little league uniforms dreaming of one day being where she is.
And all the times when she chatters away, amusing those around her, and most importantly, herself.
Modern-day Teagan has filled up a letterman’s jacket with accomplishments.
The talent has been there from day one. Teagan has excelled at numerous sports and spent many a day playing with girls older than herself to get the full competitive experience.
Put her at any position on the diamond, and she’s a star.
Just watch her in the rare moments when she gets to play center field and promptly chases down every fly ball that lands between the left field foul line and the right field foul line.
But playing the most-demanding role, anchoring a team as catcher, she brings everything to the table. Offense, defense, intangibles, leadership, all delivered with a sense of joy which lights up the prairie.
I have seen Teagan play many, many games, winning a lot and losing a few, and I have yet to see her not enjoying every second which has been given to her on the diamond.
She was born for this — mom Jackie was a softball sensation as well — and her love for the game is undeniable.
Joy may not be her middle name, but it’s a big part of her life.
When you think back on some of the great players in CHS softball history, you remember the talent and the wins, but you also remember the small things.
Hope Lodell flexing her biceps, doing pullups in the dugout between innings.
Jae LeVine dancing on second base after cranking the biggest hit of her career against a pitcher headed to a D-I school.
Veronica Crownover smacking a home run so far into the wilderness Oak Harbor fans are still crying about it years later.
Sarah Wright running through the parking lot at the state tourney, two sandwiches in hand, screaming like a wild woman and laughing hysterically while being chased by a million seagulls.
“The Red Dragon” has some of all that in her makeup. Yet she remains totally unique.
If you’ve never seen her play, if you’ve seen every inning of her career, you can’t pass up Teagan’s swan song on the prairie.
The games come and go, but true legends only walk by every so often.
She was always legendary.
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