Today's tale is straight out of the “dreams come true” file. Remember Jackie Roth?

If you are a longtime devotee to Southland softball, you should. If not, I guarantee you'll get a kick out of reading her story.

Roth, a Stagg graduate, is not only back home as the Chargers' new softball coach, she's also back at the Palos Hills school teaching a subject very near and dear to her heart.

As a refresher, let's go back to an interview I had with Jackie after we named her the Daily Southtown 2008 Softball Player of the Year.

Roth had just finished her senior year as a catcher and third baseman. It was an amazing season in which she hit .414, drove in 42 runs, hit six home runs and had a slugging percentage off the charts at .716.

Talking softball with the Bradley signee, I asked her about role models. I was figuring on hearing a name like Jennie Finch — one of the greatest softball players who ever played the game.

Nope. Not even close.

“For me, it's Rachael Ray all the way,” Roth said. “I love watching her (cooking) show. She always makes good dishes.”

Roth went on to tell me about the joys of Baked Alaska, and that she was looking toward a career in culinary arts. I felt compelled in the story that I wrote to call her the “Hittin' Kitchen Magician.”

Today, she's a full-time culinary arts teacher at Stagg.

How's that for crazy cool?

“This is absolutely a dream come true,” Roth said, breaking into a huge smile. “This is what my goal was when I was a sophomore at Stagg and took my first culinary class. I wanted to be a culinary teacher and I wanted to coach softball. And I'm doing it here, where I wanted to be.”

The process was quick.

After graduating from Bradley, where she was a four-year starter, Roth got her softball coaching start in the spring of 2013 on the JV level at Marist. Her team lost just one game.

The following school year, she became a substitute teacher at Shepard and coached the JV team to a conference title.

In 2015, Roth was hired at Stagg as a part-time culinary teacher and dance coach, and also as a varsity softball assistant with Sarah Bryers. In 2016, she was hired as a full-time teacher and was on Sarah Fahey's staff as a JV coach.

When Fahey moved on, the dream became complete.

“I think it was fate,” Roth said, laughing. “It just kind of happened. It's what I wanted. That was my ‘shooting for the stars' goal. But I can't say I expected myself to be in this position. It's actually quite surreal.”

But it's not surprising if you talk to longtime Stagg softball coach and teacher Missy Mason. Roth has always been a go-getter.

“I'm not kidding,” Mason said. “She practiced at game speed every day. She was a kid who gave it everything she had on every play. This is Jackie's dream and it's amazing to have her back.

“Coaching the girls who played for her last year on the JV level is just phenomenal. Those kids would run through a brick wall for her. They see the passion, the time and the commitment that she has to them and the program.”

It showed on the face of junior catcher Marissa Bedolla before Monday's 8-6 season-opening win over Queen of Peace. During warmups, Roth had Bedolla flipping and flopping behind and in front of the plate, trying to catch soft tosses.

Both looked like they were having a blast.

“She has a lot of fun drills that are beneficial for catchers,” Bedolla said. “But we were all very excited to find out she would be our coach. We had a great season last year for JV, so it was nice to bring her up with us.”

My hunch says she'll take them far.

abaranek@tribpub.com

Twitter @tbaranek