When I signed Payton up for coach-pitch softball, I somehow left as the coach.
To this day, I’m still not entirely sure how that happened.
It felt a little like walking into a hypnotist show and suddenly finding yourself barking like a dog.
One minute, I was signing paperwork.
The next, I was trying to figure out how I was supposed to coach a bunch of seven-year-old girls.
As I spent the next few weeks learning what I’d gotten myself into, I started calling all the parents to let them know their daughters had made the team and to give them my contact information.
That was when we first met Meghan.
Years later, her mom Vicki told Katie and me that when she learned who the coach was, she started yelling through the house:
“YOUR COACH’S LAST NAME IS BEAVER!”
I suppose that’s a fair reaction.
As far as seven-year-old softball players go, there were a few girls who stood out.
Payton was one of them.
Meghan was another.
Neither one was afraid of the ball.
Both could hit.
Both played with a confidence you don’t usually see at that age.
I get it.
They were seven years old.
But they stood out.
Those Little League seasons were short. We really didn’t spend much time getting to know the parents because everyone was heading home after practices and games.
The following year, Payton moved up to minors.
Before long, we found ourselves involved with the Everett Express, a select softball organization that gave her the opportunity to play at a higher level.
After one season, the coach of the 10U team was moving up with his daughter and asked me if I would take over the team.
I was nervous.
I’m not a softball expert.
I wasn’t trying to become some legendary coach.
I just didn’t want to let the girls down.
Once I agreed to take the team, there was one player I knew I wanted to call.
Meghan.
I remembered what she had done the year before and knew she’d be able to handle the jump.
She came to the tryouts.
I honestly don’t remember if she lit the world on fire that day.
The funny thing is, it didn’t matter.
I already knew what kind of kid she was.
I wanted her on the team.
As the roster was being finalized, it somehow came down to two girls.
One family happened to mention they could provide some financial support to the organization.
That naturally got people’s attention.
I didn’t back down.
Eventually, I was told it was my team and my decision.
I chose Meghan.
At the time, I thought I was choosing a softball player.
Looking back now, I had no idea I was making a decision that would affect our lives for the next twenty years.
What followed was so much bigger than softball.
Those of you familiar with the select sports world know it’s a lot different than Little League.
You spend entire weekends together.
You travel together.
You see each other constantly.
Before long, we found ourselves being invited out to their family lot on the river.
At first, we were hanging out with Meghan, her mom Vicki, her dad Rick, and her little brother Joey.
Then the circle started growing.
We got to know Rick’s brother Rob, his wife Brandee, and their girls.
We met Vicki’s twin sister Angel, her husband Pat, and their kids.
We met Vicki’s brother, the infamous JW, and his kids.
Then came Vicki, Angel, and JW’s mom, their aunt and uncle, and what felt like half of Snohomish County.
What started with a softball team slowly turned into family.
We spent weekends on the river, hanging out with people who welcomed us with open arms.
It was great.
I will never forget that first year coaching that team.
It was stressful at times, but I couldn’t have asked for a better group of girls.
We won a lot of games.
Not because of my coaching.
Because the kids were talented.
As the season came to an end, our shortstop had a conflict and was going to miss one of the biggest tournament weekends of the year.
I moved Meghan to shortstop.
She played great.
Didn’t make a mistake all weekend.
The following weekend, we were in the Tri-Cities playing in the final tournament of the season.
I kept Meghan at shortstop.
I caught a little heat from some parents over the decision, but my thinking was simple.
She had been there every day.
She had earned it.
Late in the championship game, with two outs in the final inning, a ball was hit right at Meghan.
She charged it.
Scooped it up.
And fired a strike to first base for the final out.
Championship.
I was proud of all of our girls.
But I remember being especially happy for Meghan.
The kid I had insisted on would end up making the final play to win it all.
I coached one more year with the team. We had similar results, finishing second in the last two state tournaments before winning Western Worlds to close out the season.
It was a great way to end my coaching career.
But the friendships were just getting started.
Eventually, softball ended.
Life didn’t.
Even after the uniforms were put away, we still found ourselves spending weekends together, hanging out at the river lot, celebrating birthdays, watching the kids grow up, and making memories with people who had become family.
What started with a softball team had turned into something much bigger.
The funny thing is, I never set out to expand our circle of friends.
I was just trying to survive coaching a bunch of ten-year-old girls.
Somewhere along the way, Meghan’s family became part of our family.
Before we knew it, the little girls running around softball fields were becoming adults.
Meghan and Payton continued playing together for a few more years, but eventually their softball careers came to an end too.
Meghan graduated high school and headed off to college.
After spending a few years at community college, she made a move that surprised me at the time.
She packed up and headed to Eastern Washington to continue her education.
I never thought she’d leave.
Then again, that’s what growing up is all about.
While she was there, she met a young football coach named Tim.
The two built a life together, and after graduation she stayed in Eastern Washington while Tim continued coaching.
We didn’t see her as often as we should have, but whenever she came home, it was a highlight for all of us.
Meghan has always had a way of brightening up a room.
You could tell she was even happier when Tim was around.
Then, as often happens in the coaching world, another opportunity came along.
Tim accepted a position at a small college in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Just like that, the little girl I had first met on a softball field was building a life halfway across the country.
The first summer after the move, we were sitting out at the river lot while Meghan was back home visiting.
At some point she mentioned that Minnesota wasn’t very far from Eau Claire.
Katie and I had recently started putting stickers on a map every time we visited a new Major League Baseball stadium.
A seed had been planted.
A few months later, the baseball schedule came out.
The Mariners were playing a Monday-Wednesday series against the Twins.
Maybe, just maybe, we could fly out a few days early and spend some time with Meghan and Tim before heading over to Minneapolis.
Before long, the trip was booked.
Even better, Vicki and Angel agreed to come with us.
Not only are they two of Meghan’s biggest fans, they’re pretty big Mariners fans too.
We arrived in Eau Claire and immediately fell in love with the place.
More importantly, we got to see Meghan.
Her home was beautiful.
It was comfortable.
It was welcoming.
It was completely and unmistakably Meghan.
And as I looked around, I remember feeling incredibly happy.
Not because of another stadium sticker on a map.
I was happy because this kid we had met all those years ago had built a life she loved.
And that was a pretty special thing to see.
The whole time we were there, I kept thinking about how we could surprise everyone and make a quick run to Chicago.
When was I ever going to be this close to Wrigley Field while the Mariners happened to be in town?
The next thing I knew, we were waking up at five in the morning and driving to Chicago.
The trip seemed to take forever.
But eventually we made it.
I remember seeing the big red Wrigley Field sign and feeling like I was dreaming.
Then I saw the ivy.
In my older years there are only a handful of things that still give me goosebumps.
Seeing that ivy-covered outfield wall was one of them.
I’ll never forget it.
The game happened to be on one of the hottest days of the summer.
Everybody was roasting.
Fortunately, the Mariners won.
The drive back somehow felt even longer than the drive there.
Still, every one of us agreed we would do it all over again.
The next day we headed to Minnesota as originally planned.
I really liked Target Field.
But I enjoyed the victory and the company even more.
After the game, we celebrated at a rooftop bar overlooking the city.
At one point that evening, Meghan and I, who may or may not have had a few drinks in us, ended up having one of those conversations you’ll never forget.
She shared some things that meant more to me than she’ll probably ever realize.
As a coach, a parent, or even just as a friend, you rarely get the opportunity to hear how much of an impact you’ve had on someone’s life. Most of the time you simply hope you’re doing the right thing.
Hearing some of the things she had to say caught me completely off guard.
Before long, we were standing there hugging with tears in our eyes.
This little girl was all grown up now.
She was building a life she loved.
She had found her person in Tim.
She had taken a chance on herself and built a life halfway across the country.
I couldn’t have been prouder of her.
As I stood there looking out over Minneapolis, I found myself thinking back to that softball meeting all those years ago.
At the time, I thought I was choosing a player for a softball team.
I had no idea I was choosing friendships that would become family.
I had no idea that decision would lead to weekends on the river, championship games, lifelong memories, trips to Wisconsin, baseball games in Minneapolis, and standing outside Wrigley Field with people I care deeply about.
Meghan, I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this, but choosing you for that team all those years ago turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Not because you helped us win games.
Not because of championships.
Not even because of softball.
It was because somewhere along the way, you and your family became part of ours.
It’s funny how life works.
Sometimes the decisions that seem small end up changing everything.
Looking back now, if someone asked me whether choosing Meghan was the right decision, my answer would be simple.
She was never my last choice.
She was one of the best choices I ever made.
❤️🥎⚾✈️