Tackett wins 300th career softball game
Milestones are something that people can look back on and know they have put forth a great effort in their field.
For Tippecanoe softball coach Charles Tackett, that milestone happened last week against one of their biggest rivals.
As the Red Devils walked off the field following their 8-3 win over Troy, that win signified Tackett’s 300th career win as a varsity softball coach. He earned many of them during his earlier stint at Tippecanoe, then after a stop at Newton, he is back winning games with the Red Devils.
“I have had some great families and great kids, and the community really embraced us when we started this whole thing back in 1998,” Tackett said following the game. “It has been a grind, and Coach Mallot has been here with me for 80% of that. (Coach) Kacey Locker has been here as a player and is now here as an assistant.”
“It is not me, it is all about the kids. It has never been about me. The only reason I am standing here now with you is because my kids said something. But it is exciting and all that means is that I have been here a long time.”
He praised the work ethic of the kids who have come up through the program, and they have made all of this possible.
“My kids have always played hard, I mean you have seen that over the years,” he said. “The biggest thing is I took nine years off of coaching because I wanted to watch my kids grow up and play, and I did that.”
“I put all of the accolades and records on the back burner because I wanted to be a dad. You have to be a parent first, and that was most important in my life. Now I am in another stage of my life and I am doing some things I really like and enjoy. Big games like this are fun.”
Tackett began his career with the Red Devils in 1998-99, which was a struggle, according to the Tipp coach, before Tipp averaged 20 wins per year starting around 2001. According to Tackett, he left Tipp in 2013 and took some time off before taking the job at Newton, which was a rebuild. He is one of the most respected coaches in Ohio by his peers.
