No. 9 Baseball:
The Taylor Trojans are the undisputed kings of the Crossroads League, winning both the regular season championship and conference tournament for the second straight season.
Taylor never lost a series after February 1 and finished the regular season 41-8, elevated by an 18-game win streak that lasted a full month from February to March. The Trojans also went 29-3 in conference during the regular season.
Their dominance continued into the CL Tournament. Opening as the No. 9 team in the nation and the clear favorite to win, Taylor felt uncharacteristically pressured, going down early to both Huntington and Mount Vernon Nazarene, but righted the ship in both games, beating the Foresters 16-4 and the Cougars 8-7.
Indiana Wesleyan set the Trojans to the elimination bracket with a 5-0 win, but after making quick work of Saint Francis, Taylor won back-to-back games over IWU in the championship round, 3-1 and 5-4, setting a new single-season record for wins in the process.
Senior outfielder Kaleb Kolpien led the Trojans in nearly all batting categories, ending the year with 92 hits, 70 RBI, 15 home runs and an unbelievable .428 batting average.
On the mound, junior right-hander Gabel Pentecost pitched as perfectly as one could ask, going 12-1 with a 2.75 ERA. He also broke his career high in strikeouts with 108, averaging 12.9 Ks per inning.
Kolpien, Pentecost and the rest of the Trojans play host to Kansas Wesleyan, Bellevue and Grand View in the Upland Bracket of the NAIA World Series Opening Round. No. 9 Taylor is already off to a good start with a 13-3 win over Grand View and will look to continue their stellar season with potentially another banner.
by Caleb Joshua Heffron
Softball:
After many battles this season, the Taylor softball team concluded the year with a 30-21 record. The Trojans went 13-8 at home and 13-13 when on the road.
They finished fifth in conference play with a record of 19-17 in the Crossroads League. Taylor scored 334 runs with a team batting average of .332. Their on-base percentage was .407 with 40 home runs. Taylor had 471 hits with 100 doubles and nine triples.
Taylor’s longest win streak stretched to nine in the beginning of the season. Their season came to an end after the Trojans took a hard loss in the first round of the CL Tournament against Spring Arbor, 8-1.
Taylor has three seniors on its roster: outfielder Maddie Shultz, outfielder Meg Stanley, and pitcher Mackenzie Noah. All three have played nearly 30 games this season. Head coach Doug Gower held the reins as the interim head coach for the second straight season.
by Chase Petry
Men’s Outdoor Track and Field:
The Taylor men’s track and field team wrapped up their regular season with a sixth-place finish and with 64 points at the Crossroads League Championships.
There were two All-Conference champions in individual events and several top-three performances for the men’s team.
Notable for the distance events, junior Luke Harber finished as conference champion in the 5k with a time of 14:45.22. Junior Ryan Hanak finished fourth in the same race. Junior Jared Stayte was the conference champion in the 3000m steeplechase, 9:17.54.
Additionally, Harber, Hanak, and Stayte have all qualified for the NAIA National Championships in their individual events with A and B standards.
In the sprints, freshman Spencer Stout placed third in the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.84 seconds. Senior Braden Bixler placed third in the 400m hurdles with a time of 53.80 seconds. Bixler’s time was also good for B-Standard to qualify for the NAIA National Championship.
Stout, Bixler, Harber and Stayte also all claimed All-Crossroads League awards after the conference championships.
At the Fighting Chance Meet on May 9, Junior Joel Mumaw also qualified for Nationals in the 1,500m, getting the NAIA A standard with his personal record of 3:51.51.
The team competed in four meets prior to the Crossroads League Championships, their first Invite of the season being the Indiana Wesleyan Polar Bear Invite in March.
The Trojans won’t have to travel far for the NAIA National Championships on May 21-23, hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University.
by Elise Hoylman
No. 5 Women’s Outdoor Track and Field:
The 2025 women’s outdoor track and field season was marked by record-breaking performances, national qualifications, and overall strong showings. Under head coach Derek Gay’s leadership, the Trojans demonstrated depth and drive.
They finished third at the Crossroads League Championship with 126 points.
On the first day of the competition, they took home a pair of victories. Sophomore Sam Patterson won the 10,000m with 36:53.44 and hit the NAIA B Standard.
Kiana Siefert crushed the long jump, clearing 5.70 meters for the victory. In addition, Siefert completed the 100m hurdles in 14.47 seconds for an additional first-place finish under her belt and qualified for finals.
Alongside Siefert, sophomores Claire Bailey and Adeline Draper each qualified for the finals in the 100-meter hurdles.
On day two, Siefert claimed third place in the 100m finals and the triple jump. Her success during the Championships earned the junior her second CL Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week award of the year.
Also on day 2, freshman Jaynie Halterman blew the previous Crossroads League Championship 5000m record out of the water, with a time of 16:28.54, almost a minute faster than the old record.
Bailey secured the victory in the 400-meter hurdles with a personal best of 1:02.53, and senior Abby Mays had a podium finish in the 800m with 2:14.63.
In the 1,500m, Noel Vanderwall finished strong in second place, with an impressive time of 4:37.29.
The Trojans’ third-place finish at the CL Championships, combined with their second-place finish at the Little State Championships, reflects the amount of work they have put in throughout the season.
The team will compete in the NAIA National Championships from May 21-23 at Indiana Wesleyan University.
by Marisa Reinhard
Men’s Golf:
After placing fourth out of 12 teams in the Sagamore Shootout in Noblesville, IN, the Trojans prepared for the Crossroads League Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana at The Fort Golf Resort.
Lone sophomore Tanner Conklin and junior Will Schuitema led the charge for Taylor during day one of the tournament. On the second 18 holes, Conklin shot one-under, while Schuitema shot two-under in the second round. Conklin and Schuitema were in fourth and sixth place after day one, with Taylor in second place overall.
With a second-round team score of 293, the Trojans set themselves up for success during day two, however, day two’s results did not measure up to their previous play.
Taylor had a third-round score of 322, which pushed them to fifth place at the tournament’s end. Conklin and Schuitema fell to 13th and 15th place overall, while freshmen Ben Oakley, Porter Dick and junior Kyle Kasitz made the top 25 respectively.
No. 13 Marian took home the team title, with a total tournament score of 864. They were 23 strokes ahead of second-place No. 14 Indiana Wesleyan.
Grace’s Camron Jones won the individual champion title, with three impressive rounds of 71, 69 and 71. Despite his efforts, his team placed fourth overall.
While it wasn’t the ending the team wanted, the Trojans were able to show they have the talent to compete in the CL. The Trojan freshmen will have their hands full of competition for next season, beginning in the fall of 2025.
by Spencer Smith
No. 20 Women’s Golf:
In the ninth hour, the Taylor women's golf team clutched a conference victory for their first Crossroads League title since their four-peat from 2017-2021.
No. 8 Marian and No. 13 Indiana Wesleyan entered the Crossroads League Championship as the favorites, and quickly showed why. Through the first round, the Wildcats led by 4 strokes over Marian and 12 over the third-place Trojans.
Taylor closed the gap in round two, but the consistency of IWU and Marian kept the purple and grey in third, 11 shots out of first place, heading into round three.
Taylor prevailed on the final day, ending round three 11 strokes better than Marian, 12 strokes better than IWU and 21 strokes better than their first round. Their exceptional home stretch snatched first place from Indiana Wesleyan by one stroke.
Junior Shayne Lim led Taylor, finishing second individually. Freshman Eleanor Schuitema took sixth, and junior Margarita Garrido, who shot 11 strokes better in round three than she did in round one, finished seventh, respectively.
Ranked No. 20, Taylor sat on the fringe of making the NAIA National Championships, not ranked high enough to be secure in their Nationals slot. 18 schools automatically qualify, while 12 others claim at-large bids. With the Crossroads League in hand, Taylor claimed a guaranteed spot, regardless of ranking.
With the Crossroads League banner firmly returned to Upland, the Trojans turn their eyes to Ypsilanti, Mich. for the NAIA National Championships from May 13-16, where IWU and now No. 8 Marian have qualified through at-large bids.
The Trojans will tee off day one of Nationals on May 13 at 1:40 PM with Midway University and Saint Ambrose University.
by Caleb Joshua Heffron
Lacrosse:
The Taylor University men’s lacrosse team capped off one of the best seasons in program history, finishing 7-8 and 2-5 in conference play, while earning a spot in the WHAC Tournament for the second time in school history.
After opening the season with a loss to No. 2 Webber International, Taylor rebounded with wins in five of their next six games, including victories over Missouri Baptist, Columbia, St. Ambrose, Midland, and #RV Mount Vernon Nazarene.
A mid-season four-game losing streak against nationally ranked opponents put Taylor's postseason hopes in jeopardy. However, the Trojans rallied by winning two of their final three games, including a dominant senior day performance over Siena Heights, 19-8, and a crucial road win at Michigan-Dearborn, 15-11.
Sophomore attackman Will Saxby emerged as a key offensive leader, scoring 11 goals and providing four assists over those two wins. Sophomore face-off specialist Dave Celesti also stepped up, improving significantly from the previous season with a 45.1% face-off win rate.
Taylor’s season ended with a 15-9 loss to No. 7 Concordia in the WHAC quarterfinals, but finished the year receiving votes for the NAIA Top 10. However, the future looks bright as the team returns 23 of 27 players, including eight of ten starters.
With a talented sophomore core, the Trojans are poised for 2026 as they aim to cement their place in the WHAC landscape.
by Dalton Keay
