June 16, 2003

After five years on Cleveland State's softball team, catcher Stephanie Taylor (Wintersville/Indian Creek) was ready. She was ready for the thrill of playing for the league championship, and though the Vikings were seeded sixth, facing off against third seed Illinois-Chicago, Taylor was confident in both herself and her team.

"We had so many ups and downs this season," she said, "and I knew it was the right time for a peak. I expected us to do well. This team has had all the potential in the world," she said. "And I knew that if they're willing to take risks, they could take this tournament. You wouldn't be on this team if you weren't capable of it."

Taylor's predictions ultimately came to pass. After losing that first tournament game, the Vikings won four in a row over higher-ranked teams -- including knocking off top seed Loyola and second seed Youngstown State -- en route to facing Wright State in the championship game. After a tough struggle, the Vikings fell 7-5, but were thrilled to claim league runner-up status.

"Nobody expected us to be there," Taylor said, "and we all played to win. We were aggressive. We played like we had no fear-we just kept swinging like there would be no second chance."

Taylor's confidence in the Vikings has been consistently returned by both her teammates and her coaches.

"Because this is my fifth year, the coaches let me go on what I think out on the field," said Taylor, who redshirted as a freshman. "It's reassuring to know the coaches believe in me enough to do that."

Confidence in the catcher is a necessity to any ball club; after all, it is the catcher who works in tandem with the pitcher, typically calling both pitches and defensive plays. Taylor clearly relishes the responsibility. "I like being the leader" she said. "I like knowing things are resting on my shoulders, because I know I can handle it. I'd rather be yelled at for someone else's mistake than to see them get yelled at, because I know I can take it."

Taylor finished her career ranked first all-time at CSU with 37 doubles, second in batting average (.319) and third in RBI (68), home runs (7) and hits (163). "I know that's all there, but I'm not hung up on stats" she commented. "I just always want to help make the team better. I could go 4-4 every game, but we all have to do it! I'm glad to be in the record books, but I think I'm actually better than my stats show. I know I could have done even better."

In her distinguished career, Taylor has seen changes in the team's personality, and credits the underclassmen for their increased contributions to the Vikings. "Player-for-player this team is better than ever," she said. "Freshmen are in the starting line-up and they aren't afraid to pick it up and do their part," she said.

"Another big change is that everyone can play everywhere, and we don't just have nine people playing nine positions any more. When the current freshmen and sophomores are seniors, they will be unstoppable."

Taylor and the rest of the Vikings had hoped to be unstoppable this season as well after a successful autumn, but CSU entered the league tournament at 20-28, to the disappointment of the players. "This should have been our best year," Taylor had said prior to the league tournament. "We played very well in the fall, but we put too much pressure on ourselves. We were analyzing too much and thinking too much. Our expectations were too high."

High expectations are typical of Taylor, who enjoyed a successful career at Indian Creek High School in Wintersville, a small town in Jefferson County nestled 115 miles south of Cleveland and 29 miles north of Wheeling, W.Va. "The sports at Indian Creek are very good -- they have a history of excellent softball teams," she said. "As a softball team, we never lost more than four games in a season."

Taylor who described Wintersville as "the opposite of Cleveland in every way," tries to get home as often as possible to visit mother Sheila, an Avon manager, and father Mark, who works for Weirton Steel and also runs his own contracting business. "I look up to my parents," she said. "They married young, and didn't always have much when I was little. But they're set now, and it's inspiring to see how they made it through the tough times."

Taylor is also proud of brother Justin, a freshman at Indian Creek who is involved in marching band, drama, and the tennis team. "He just got into tennis," his big sister bragged, "and he already beat two seniors out of their spots. I wish I could be there to see him more often. We're eight years apart, so it's like he thinks of himself as an only child. But I show up every so often, let him know I'm still in charge!"

A recruiting trip to CSU convinced Taylor to make Cleveland her new home. "I was impressed by the city, the team chemistry, and especially (Vikings head coach) Julie Jones. It was clear that everyone on the team was having a good time being there, and it was clear was more than just a coach. She said, 'If you need anything, I'm here for you.' That stuck with me."

Taylor quickly fell in love with her new city. "One thing I noticed as a freshman that was different from Wintersville was Cleveland's diversity, not just among people but within people. Clevelanders are much more liberal than people in Wintersville.

Taylor graduates this month with a degree in sports management, and will be leaving soon to take on a new challenge: a graduate assistantship at Central Michigan University, where she will serve as the second assistant on the softball team and complete a master's degree in sports administration. She fully intends to return to Cleveland in two years to enter the work force. "I'd like to ultimately try coaching Division I softball," she said. I'd love to stick with it. I've taught some hitting clinics, and I've really enjoyed it. Once I started coaching at clinics, I knew this was something I had to do."

Taylor looks to Coach Jones as a role model in her own career goals. "She's a great coach, and she makes me want to keep at it. She goes strong every day, and is always concerned about everyone else.

"I've learned a lot from Julie. She's helped me to realize my capabilities. She's taught me to push myself, and I've watched her push the others, too. She has made me dig down deep and find more than I thought was there, and she has taught me not to be afraid to stand on my own two feet. She's shown me that I have to believe in myself."

Taylor has also believed in her team, and is grateful for the experiences she has achieved, particularly her final moment as a Viking. "The league championship game-what a great way to end my college career," she said. "You can't ask for anything better."