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Calista Almer stepped up for her fourth plate appearance of the day at a tournament in Southern California with then-Dartmouth head coach Shannon Doepking in attendance. She had already recorded a drag bunt for a base hit, knocked a single to right field on a pitch outside and hammered another single.

As Almer entered the batter’s box, Doepking already knew about the high school junior’s short game and ability to pull the ball. Doepking asked Union Mine (Ca.) High School’s recruiting coordinator if Almer was capable of hitting the ball to the opposite field. Three pitches later, right on cue, Almer hit a ball into the left-center field gap, showing her future coach that she could indeed hit the ball the other way.

Two years after her 4-for-4 performance in Southern California, Almer became Doepking’s first recruit to play at Dartmouth. The relationship between the two was a large factor in Almer’s commitment then, and after playing under Doepking for two years, it was an even bigger one when Almer decided to transfer to Syracuse last year. Now, in her fifth collegiate season, Almer has started all 26 games for Syracuse and Doepking.

“Nobody deserves the opportunity to have this fifth year and finish out their collegiate career on their terms more than Callie does,” Dartmouth teammate Loghan Thomas said. “I’m glad that she’s able to do it with coach Doepking, who started her college journey.”

Almer started in all 40 games her sophomore season when Dartmouth finished first in the 2018 Ivy League. Then Doepking left Dartmouth for Syracuse after the season. The coaching transition was difficult for Almer, but after studying abroad during the fall of her junior year, she returned to the softball field.

In her first scrimmage in 2019, Dartmouth head coach Jen Williams remembers Almer’s presence on the field that day.

“It was this ‘aha’ moment for me as a coach,” Williams said. “This is where she comes alive is when she’s out here on the field with her teammates, getting ready to play a game.”

Her senior season was cut short due to COVID-19, and even though the NCAA granted an additional year of eligibility to all athletes, the Ivy League did not honor the extra year. Most of her teammates found jobs or internships, but Almer opted to continue playing softball while pursuing a graduate degree.

She entered her name into the transfer portal — with no serious intention of playing again — to explore her options, and with her eyes on Syracuse’s graduate archaeology program, she soon found herself talking to Doepking once again. In a phone call, the SU head coach told Almer that she had an open spot on the team and felt that Almer would be a great fit because of their previous experience together.

“Shannon had so much confidence in me coming into the program,” Almer said. “I had no intention of playing again unless it was for a coach who I had a great relationship with and who I had known and played for before.”

But when Almer committed to Syracuse, the Orange already had experienced infielders in seniors Gabby Teran and Neli Casares-Maher returning. Almer and Doepking didn’t know what position Almer would play preseason, but that turned out to be first base, a spot that Almer had never played before. Doepking told Almer she would have to earn playing time regardless of experience or position, Williams said, but Almer was confident. And this season, she proved herself as one of just five SU players to start in every game this season.

In high school and at Dartmouth, Almer had only played shortstop and a little bit of outfield. Her transition to first was difficult at times, she said. The ball comes out at a different angle, there are different coverages and a different style of communication, all things Almer had to work on. The only thing she was sure of was backhanding grounders since she did that frequently in the 5-6 hole as a shortstop.

Almer’s former coaches and teammates said her athletic and fielding abilities as a shortstop allowed for an easier transition to first base. She’s great at reading the ball off the bat, has quick reactions and takes “incredible” angles to the ball. Her high school coach, Rob Diggle, added that Almer’s strong glove and the amount of time she spent learning the position made it unsurprising that she’s already started at first base in so many games for Syracuse.

“Even if it was a struggle at first, I’m sure she put so many hours into it that it became a lot easier,” Thomas said. “I know coach Doepking wouldn’t have her on the field if she wasn’t making a contribution.”

Shannon Doepking was Calista Almer’s head coach for two years at Dartmouth. Almer transferred to Syracuse for her fifth year of eligibility. Courtesy of SU Athletics

When Almer arrived in Syracuse, she found similarities between Dartmouth and SU. Neither programs are consistently ranked, and both programs have had to prove they’re just as competitive. She added that Doepking has always had a “chip on her shoulder.”

“At Dartmouth, teams weren’t expecting an Ivy league team to compete with them,” Almer said. “We shocked a lot of teams, and we’re doing a good job of doing that this year with our program.”

As Syracuse moves into the final month of the season, it’s slated to play against some of its toughest competition in Florida State, Clemson and Virginia Tech — the Atlantic Coast Conference’s top three teams currently. Almer has already proved herself to Doepking, whether it’s hitting balls the other way or moving to a foreign position across the infield. Those close to her say leading Syracuse alongside her former coach is the perfect conclusion to her career.

“She’s had this opportunity to close out her career on her terms,” Williams said. “She’s been able to do this the way she wanted to.”

Published on April 14, 2021 at 10:22 pm

Contact Connor: [email protected] | @csmith17_