ALCOA, Tenn. — The Alcoa softball team has state championship dreams as the Lady Tornadoes continue their postseason push, and the team also has the unconditional support of their student manager, Quinn Raagas.
"He's the ultimate teammate," Head Coach Sarah Fekete Bailey said. "He's here for almost every single practice and every home game."
Raagas has brought energy to the Alcoa dugout for the past two seasons, starting last year when he enrolled in the Alcoa special education program. Students in that program can take part until they turn 22, and then have to graduate. Raagas turned 22 this year, and graduated from the program in May, making this his final year as an Alcoa student. The team honored Raagas on Senior Day, and he was overcome with emotion.
"I love them a lot, so much. It's my last year with them, I don't know what to say," Raagas said. "It's hard for me to say goodbye to them."
Raagas has developed a strong bond with Bailey during his time with the team, and she said it has been a joy to have him be a part of her day.
"We have so much fun. He's normally the first person I see when I get to school every day and pretty much the last one to say goodbye," Bailey said. "Quinn tells everybody that I'm his best friend, and we feel that way about him."
"My bestie is Miss Bailey, we're good friends you know, I'm good friends with her," Quinn said. I talk to her a lot, I go to her office every single day to talk to her, what's going on with her right now. That's my good friend for a long time. It's hard for me to leave her, you know? It's hard."
Raagas has also been working at Food City and the cafeteria at Alcoa Middle School and Alcoa High School when he is not spending time on the field. Alcoa hopes they can hire Raagas full-time, so it might not be "goodbye" after all.
"Our goal is to get him employed after high school next year in our cafeteria and keep him around," Alcoa athletic director Josh Stephens said. "I expect him to be here the rest of his life and that's what we want."
Beyond the fact that Raagas is always willing to help the team any way he can, his presence alone is a reminder that it doesn't take much to brighten someone else's day.
"In sports sometimes we get caught up in our athletic performance defining who we are," Bailey said. "There are things that are bigger than softball, ultimately that's what I want our girls to see. That softball is fun and it's important and we're out here to win, no doubt, but you can make a difference in somebody's life by just including them."