No. 1 Baseball:
This year, Taylor baseball set a program record for wins in a season (49), regular season wins (45) and Crossroads League wins (33).
On top of that, they tied their all-time consecutive wins record with 24, won their 1700th game as a program and clinched their fourth straight regular season CL title. If that was not enough success, they also ranked No. 1 in the NAIA for the first time in program history.
Offensively, the purple and gray dominated opposing pitchers to the tune of a .353 team batting average. Led by senior outfielder Brayden Manning and senior infielders Jordan Malott, Ben Kennedy and Brennan Frickel, the Trojans outscored rivals by 367 runs. Each of the three seniors batted above .370 and reached base in more than half of their at-bats.
Their pitching, headlined by seniors Wes Hunt and Brody Fine, posted strong play, with the 14th best earned run average as a team. They also allowed the 18th least total runs in the NAIA.
After winning the CL Tournament for their third consecutive season, the Trojans hope to make a deep run as a school to watch in the NAIA World Series. They are hosting the NAIA Opening Round which started on May 11. The Trojans won their first game 6-1 against Shawnee State.
by Jonas Loy
Lacrosse:
Taylor men’s lacrosse completed one of its best seasons in program history this year. The Trojans were ranked for much of the season, ending with a 10-9 record and amassing double-digit wins for the first time.
Taylor hosted its first-ever playoff home game in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament, where they defeated Michigan-Dearborn 16-7 to claim their first ever postseason victory.
The Trojans were led by senior defender Lucas Pacer, junior midfielder Grant Elzinga, junior attacker Jackson Dale and sophomore midfielder Henry Cooper, all of whom were named to the WHAC first-team All-Conference team. Both Dale and Cooper set program records this season. Dale broke the single-season points mark with 111, which placed him second in the NAIA. Cooper broke the record for single-season goals, with 61 on the season. Dale also led the NAIA with 66 assists.
Junior goalie Ben Harrell was named Second Team All-WHAC. He set a program record of 234 saves this year, which placed him third in the NAIA. The Trojans graduate only two seniors: Xander Bateman and Lucas Pacer.
by Aiden Orth
Women's Track and Field:
Taylor women’s track and field concluded the last two meets of the regular season before sending athletes to Asheville, North Carolina, for the NAIA National Championships on May 20.
In the Crossroads League Championships on April 30 and May 1, the women finished third of ten teams. Senior Kiana Siefert led the way for Taylor, finishing first in both the heptathlon and the 100-meter hurdles, as well as finishing second in the triple jump and 4x100-meter relay along with junior Nicole Braz Domene, senior D'Arjha Davis and freshman Blessing Ogbeiwi. Siefert contributed to 44 of Taylor’s 116.5 points, earning her the CL Field Athlete-of-the-Week.
Sophomore Jaynie Halterman won the 10,000 meters with a time of 34:54.69, which set a Crossroads League Championship record by over thirty seconds. Her time hit the NAIA A Standard, automatically qualifying her for the National Championship. The 4x800 team of Junior Addie Draper, senior Noel Bass, senior Emersyn Funk, and Junior Malarie Pinwar also hit the NAIA A Standard with a time of 9:13.58. Pinwar also finished second in the 1,500-meter run and hit an NAIA B Standard time of 4:34.25.
At the St. Francis (IL) Fighting Chance Invite, Siefert set a program record in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.92 to finish second in the event. Draper hit a career best time of 2:12.52 in the 800-meters to hit the NAIA B Standard, finishing second.
On the long-distance side, Junior Sam Patterson continued to improve her steeplechase time, finishing with a career best of 11:09.48. In the 5,000-meter, Pinwar hit another NAIA B Standard and career best time of 17:09.83 in the 1,500-meter.
by Aiden Orth
Men's Track and Field:
Taylor men's track and field is in the homestretch of the outdoor season.
At the Crossroads League tournament on April 30 and May 1, the Trojans finished fifth out of 10 teams. Sophomore Spencer Stout led the way for the Trojans, finishing second in the 110-meter hurdles and placing sixth in the 400-meter hurdles. He ran with fellow sophomores Wade Jones, Quentauris Jones, and Carter Newman in the 4x100-meter relay to claim a third-place finish with a time of 42.36.
On the long-distance side, the 4x800-meter relay team of senior Jared Stayte, senior Joel Mumaw, sophomore Ethan Morgan, and senior Bryce Noble finished fifth in the event and provisionally qualified for nationals, with a time of 7:39.41. The duo of freshman Nathan Burnes and sophomore Nathan Meister placed in the top six in the 5000-meter, Burnes in second with a time of 14:41.75 and Meister in sixth with a time of 15:13.48.
At the St. Francis (IL) Fighting Chance Invite in Joliet, Ill., on May 8 and 9, Stout competed in both hurdle events, finished fifth in the 110-meter final, and sixth in the 400-meter final, setting season-best times of 14.97 in the 110-meter and 57.99 in the 400-meter.
Stayte also set an NAIA B Standard in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 3:50.75, a career best for the senior, and the second event he qualified for in Nationals after hitting NAIA A standard in the steeplechase earlier in the year.
The NAIA National Championships are set for Wednesday, May 20, in Asheville, North Carolina.
by Aiden Orth
Softball:
Taylor softball is a story of resilience after an up-and-down season. After ending the regular season at 25-23, they managed to secure a spot in the Crossroads League Tournament. Ultimately, they fell to Marian in a close one-run game in extra innings, ending their playoff run and season at 25-25.
The Trojans demonstrated an ability to pick themselves up after rough games throughout the season. If they lost both games of a doubleheader, they would often turn around and win their next series.
The offense was primarily propelled off the bats of sophomore shortstop Bella Browning and senior two-way player Kaylee Larkin. Browning provided excellent on-base skills, leading the team with 66 hits and 18 doubles, with the least strikeouts (11). Larkin crushed 12 of the team’s 26 home runs.
Sophomore Claire Cullen and freshman Lizzy Sinders, both pitchers, proved quality seasons on the mound, pitching to 3.09 and 3.40 earned run averages respectively. Together, they pitched in a combined 48 of Taylor’s 50 games on the season.
Despite seven graduating seniors, the purple and gray will return a strong roster headlined by Browning, Sinders, Cullen, sophomore outfielder Jaycie Kitchen and junior utility Grace Mullins. With 2026 now in the rearview, they can focus on preparing for next year.
by Jonas Loy
No. 23 Women's Golf:
Taylor women’s golf concluded an up-and-down spring season on May 5 at the Crossroads League Championships.
The Trojans finished fifth in the CL after a Tuesday rally pushed them 10 strokes beyond Huntington. Senior Shayne Lim led the way, notching a 231 across the two days of action. Taylor ultimately shot a total score of 977, securing fifth place in the tournament.
Lim averaged 75.2 strokes per match on the season, leading the team. She won three individual matches and finished in the top five four times. She also secured the best individual 54-hole score of the season with a 216 on Apr. 14 at the Music City Classic.
Sophomore Eleanor Schuitema laid claim to the best individual round of the fall season with a 68 on Sep. 30 at Stonehenge Golf Club. She claimed a team-high of four individual wins on the season.
The Trojans finished No. 20 in the NAIA with a record of 35-20-1. Entering fall 2026, Taylor will face the task of replacing Lim, a four-year mainstay on the team.
by Elijah Boone
Men's Golf:
As the spring semester comes to a close, so does the Taylor men’s golf season. The Trojans enjoyed a successful 2026 campaign, taking home 12 first-place finishes across 22 matches.
Senior Will Schuitema led the way for Taylor, shooting a season average score of 74. Schuitema finished in the top five in five matches this season and won the Battle of Blackthorn on Sep. 23, shooting 11 under-par. At the Crossroads League Championships, Schuitema finished three-under par, placing him only four shots behind first place.
Senior Kyle Kasitz medaled in two tournaments, placing in the top five four times. Kasitz took first place in the first match of the season, shooting 147 across 36 holes.
The purple and gray dominated in the fall, placing first in all but one match, where they placed second. The team continued its success in the spring, finishing on the podium in five of its eight matches.
As Taylor enters the offseason, they will bid goodbye to seniors Griffen VenErmen, Matthew Albright, Schuitema and Kasitz. The Trojans will look to their youth, led by freshmen Davis Formsma, Aaron Fulda and Jackson Umthum for next season.
by Elijah Boone
Men's Tennis:
In its first year after relaunching the tennis program, Taylor men’s tennis struggled its way to an overall singles record of 35-69 and a doubles record of 16-41.
While the record didn’t reflect it, multiple Trojans found success in 2026, including freshman Tyler Lane. Lane competed solely for Taylor at the No.1 singles position, ending with a 10-6 overall record. During the ITA Tournament, he went 1-1.
Freshman Josh Dawson also enjoyed a successful ITA Tournament, notching a 2-1 record. He played No. 5 singles for the Trojans, finishing 6-8 on the season.
Sophomore Graham Beukelman chalked a .500 record, going 9-9 overall and 4-4 in the Crossroads League. Beukelman joined together with Lane for doubles, finishing with a 4-4 record.
The future is bright for Taylor, as they host a prospect camp on May 30 to attract more talent. The young team will retain much of its core, graduating only one senior, Ian Helfert.
The team rebuild will continue in the fall, as the Trojans will look to their returning players to lead them to a successful 2026-27 campaign.
by Elijah Boone
Women's Tennis:
Coming into 2025-2026, Taylor tennis was already at a disadvantage compared to the rest of the Crossroads League. They were a brand-new team, relaunching the program after its cut in the 2020 season.
All things considered, the women’s team competed during their rebirth year. They showed early promise in the fall, getting out to a 3-1 record before ultimately going 3-13 in the spring.
Over time, the program will have an opportunity to grow. Sophomore Maddie Fuqua and freshman Jillian Darby primarily headlined at No. 1 and No. 2 in singles with records of 3-11 and 3-1 in the top spot respectively. Fuqua and freshman Anna Stone also combined for the majority of No. 1 doubles appearances going 2-10 together.
One key for the Trojans’ future is their number of returning players. No rostered player in the 2026 spring season was older than a sophomore. Fuqua, Darby, Stone, Ellie Schaufelberger, Evy Danemayer, Delaney Dahl and Gracie Frazier are all set to return next year for the purple and gray.
by Jonas Loy
