For the first time in program history, Taylor baseball reached No. 10 in the NAIA. They remain the top dog in the Crossroads League with a 33-8 record.
The Trojans are coming off an astonishing win streak of 18, which lasted for over a month, as a result of every player contributing.
Some notable wins from TU’s win streak include two beatdowns on Spring Arbor, 22-2 and 21-0. Sophomore outfielder Luke Sutter was a heavy contributor in the 22-2 victory with 4 RBIs and senior infielder Mason David batted in six in the 21-0 win.
Sutter is having an impressive sophomore campaign. He has knocked in 25 runs, hit three home runs and has a .400 batting average.
“My mindset last year, I was super stressed and just like, pressing every at bat,” Sutter said. “This summer specifically, I just made it, like a priority of mine to just try to think as little as possible.”
He’s joined in the hot hitting by senior outfielder Kaleb Kolpien, who leads the CL with a .415 batting average.
It isn’t just the hitting that has contributed to Taylor’s success. It’s about the guys in the bullpen as well.
Senior pitcher Conner Miller has dominated in his final year. He holds an ERA of just 0.64 in 19 games. He’s struck out 29 batters as well.
“So I think we just have a mentality, we’re not scared of hitters, we’re not scared to fill up the zone, so just trust our stuff and we’ll get outs,” Miller said.
Miller said the bullpen has been forced to get better because of the good players they face during the fall. He added that the work everyone has put in is finally paying off, making it fun.
Junior starting pitcher Gabel Pentecost has also been a flamethrower for TU. He holds the best record and ERA in the CL, 9-1 and 2.83. As reported by WANE-15 News, Pentecost is “drawing interest from pro scouts.”
The Trojans hold a team ERA of 3.62 and they’ve thrown five shutout games. They have a combined strikeout total of 293 as well.
Regardless of all these successes, it is not time to celebrate yet. Taylor will seek to win their second double championship in a row, with runners-up Saint Francis and rivals Indiana Wesleyan seeking to play spoiler in the conference tournament.
Even though the team received a new ranking, head coach Kyle Gould did not feel any heightened pressure. When you’re the top team in your league, you get everybody’s best, Gould said.
“It’s just a recognition of what’s gone on before you, but it doesn’t necessarily predict what’s ahead,” Gould said.
What does lie ahead is the Crossroads League Tournament from May 1-5, with Taylor possibly hosting some of the games at Winterholter Field. The previous three tournaments have all had the same outcome of Taylor taking home the title.
The Trojans’ coach is also very proud of his guys because of their selflessness. He said the team’s depth is their biggest strength coming into the tournament.
“I think it speaks to the commitment of our players because when you’re that deep you have a lot of guys taking lesser roles than what they could take on for the betterment of the team and so I’m very, very proud and very impressed with our guys for that,” Gould said.
His mindset is trying to finish the regular season with the best record then moving on to the postseason.
With the regular season title clinched, Taylor can skip the play-in games of the Crossroads League tournament and will look to defend their title from May 1-5.
