'It's sentimental.' Clay softball honors player's grandfather in final cancer classic

SOUTH BEND — There is a chance Camryn Taghon may have never played softball had it not been for her grandfather, Jack.

He was the one that taught her the sport as a child, along with anything else Taghon wanted to try out. And if there was a game she was playing, you could guarantee grandpa Jack was going to be there to see it.

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Even in Jack’s final days, he was a proud supporter of his granddaughter and her Clay High School softball teammates. Unfortunately for the Taghon family, Jack died May 9, 2023, after a multi-year battle with colon cancer at the age of 83.

One year and two days since his passing, Jack was honored by the Clay softball team Saturday by wearing special blue jerseys during the annual cancer classic tournament the program has hosted the last seven years. Blue is the color of the ribbon used to represent colon and prostate cancer awareness.

“It’s sentimental,” Taghon said of playing in honor of her grandfather. “It kind of gives me hope, I guess. … He was at every single game I’ve ever played. Even when he had appointments or work, he’d miss the appointments and come to the games.”

Taghon is Clay’s primary catcher, a position she first learned from her grandfather. While losing a close relative was difficult, her teammates were there throughout the experience to keep her spirits up.

“It was really hard at first, but my teammates helped me get better and manage everything,” Taghon said.

A lot of money raised for good causes

All eight teams at Saturday’s tournament — Clay, Adams, Marian, New Prairie, Andrean, North Central (Indianapolis), Buchanan and Edwardsburg — wore a color of a cancer they were raising awareness for. A silent auction was held also, with the $3,000 raised from that being donated evenly to each team’s cause. The teams combined to donate several toys to children at Memorial Hospital as well.

When it came time to choose which cause Clay was going to play for, it was an easy decision for coach Katie Rodriguez.

“Cam is a senior leader and has been our catcher this entire year,” Rodriguez said. “She lost her grandfather a year ago, and he was a huge supporter of Clay softball. We just believed this was a nice fit for this year, Cam and her family. The team saw that this was the best thing to do. She was very, very close with her grandfather, so we hoped this would help with her morale a little bit.”

Like for most Clay people in attendance, Saturday was a bittersweet day for Rodriguez. It was the last tournament for the program, given the school’s impending closing. And although the game schedule had to be altered due to the overnight rain, it was still a successful event.

“My emotions are high no matter what,” Rodriguez said. “This is our last year as a high school. To have these 12 ballplayers out here, giving me everything they have means the world. They could’ve given up like some others have given up on us, but we’re going to fight the entire time.”

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Thousands of dollars raised at final Clay softball cancer classic