Shady Spring’s Aiden Calvert knew he wanted the University of Charleston before the University of Charleston knew it wanted him.
On Friday, each got the other when Calvert signed to continue his baseball and academic career in the Capital City.
“I knew sophomore year that was where I wanted to be, I just had to get the offer,” Calvert said shortly before signing, “I just worked hard, talked to the coaches and they told me what I wanted to hear so that’s what I wanted to hear.
“I did a tour (as a sophomore) and I really liked the campus. I like (head coach) Dean (Peterson) a lot, he’s a great coach. He told me everything I wanted to hear so it worked out.”
Things worked out for Calvert at Shady Spring as well. The recent Tigers graduate was on two state tournament teams and started on one of them, and he finished his career with over 80 hits, despite missing 15 games his junior year with an ankle injury.
It fulfilled a dream.
“I played so much growing up, since I could walk (starting with) me and dad (Greg) in the years tossing,” Calvert said. “When I got to high school, I started taking it seriously, putting in the work in the gym, extra work on the field. By sophomore year I knew this was what I wanted to do.”
It’s not a surprise to Shady Spring coach Kendrick Epling.
“He was our backbone, our team leader and you saw the success we had,” Epling said. “He came up clutch for us this year in about every situation he was put in. I’m proud of him. He deserves the opportunity to go to UC and pursue his dream of playing college baseball and getting a college degree.”
This season Calvert was second on the team with a .398 batting average (39 for 98) with seven doubles, two triples and a home run. He scored 35 runs and had 29 RBIs.
Calvert played shortstop this season but likely will settle at second base for the Golden Eagles.
If his sophomore year was big as far as decisions, it was also big as far as opportunity.
When teammate Jalon Bailey, an outfielder, was injured early in the season, then-coach Jordan Meadows found his replacement in the young middle infielder.
“I’m very thankful that I played in the outfield because it turned me into a utility player and that can lead to more opportunities on the field,” Calvert said. “If I stayed at shortstop my whole life I’d be a one-position guy. I’m very thankful.
“I had taken reps there during the offseason, in winter workouts, but I never dreamed that (left field) is where I’d end up. When Jalon went down, they needed somebody to step up and that’s what I did.”
And, one of seven players who played in all 33 games that season, he got an opportunity to start in the state tournament, where Shady fell 7-2 to Keyser.
Calvert hit .243 that sophomore season and went up to .282 as a junior (20-71 with doubles with 17 runs and 19 RBIs and culminating with his big senior season at the plate.
That included his first home run, one of the memorable highlights for Calvert.
“Winning sections at home was awesome my sophomore year,” he said of beating Nicholas County in two straight after losing to the Grizzlies earlier in the section tournament. “Hitting a home run in my last home game of the regular season was awesome. It was the last one so it was good to do that.”
Epling said he isn’t surprised Calvert has scaled the heights to find a baseball home in the Mountain East Conference and he will succeed because of intangibles. UC has an acclaimed developmental program.
“I’ve told all our guys once you get to college, baseball becomes a full-time job,” Epling said. “Him wanting to be a college baseball player is going to translate once he gets to UC and it becomes an everyday thing — weight room, practice, fall ball. But the way he plays, he plays hard and he plays physical so I think he is going to be just fine once he gets to UC.”
Calvert said he plans on majoring in biology with hopes of becoming a dentist down the road.