Lady Indians’ leadoff hitter Taylor Smith is also the first to announce her post-high school softball plans. The first-team All Harrison County outfielder - who according to Coach Larry “Rabbit” Snider is the perfect balance of skills and speed – committed today to play for Fairmont State University.

 

The upcoming Bridgeport High School graduate said a number of factors contributed to her decision: The close proximity of the university, team dynamics and the program’s recently-hired coach, included. But first and foremost is her passion for the game.

 

“My whole life, I’ve planned to continue on with softball after high school,” she said. “I’ve been playing since I was little. My little brother plays and my dad plays. It’s almost like a family legacy-type thing – to play the sport. I’ve always loved it.”

 

Smith had also considered Alderson-Broaddus for softball. A BHS cheerleader and talented tumbler, she also tossed around the idea of being part of West Virginia Wesleyan’s acrobat and tumbling team.

 

After talking with Head FSU Softball Coach John Light and spending a little time with the Fighting Falcons softball team, Smith said she knew that was her future home.

“I really like Coach Light. He’s new with the program this year and when I talked to him, he told me what I wanted to hear. I think he’ll do an amazing job with the program,” she said. “And I got to practice with the team once – just to meet everyone and get a feel for how they practice. All the girls were very welcoming and I felt part of the team the whole time. We were laughing and it was really a nice experience.”

 

In addition to playing the sport about which she is so passionate, it was also important to Smith to represent a team in the state of West Virginia.

 

Snider looks forward to seeing what Smith will do on the collegiate field. This is his first  year to coach her, but he’s been keeping an eye  on her in recent years.

 

“I’ve followed the teams. I attended a lot of softball games and Bridgeport’s always been a pretty good team, so I got to see Taylor play, he said. “I knew what she was capable of.”

 

She certainly has not let him down and has been among those instrumental in achieving a 14-3 record for the 2017 season.

 

“She reads hitters real well from the outfield and she has a good arm,” he said. “She’s our lead-off hitter so the way she goes is the way we go. She gets on base and makes things happen. She’s fun to watch.”

 

In addition to those skills, Smith is lightning fast.

 

“You can’t coach speed. You’re either fast or you’re not. She has speed and she uses it wisely,” Snider said. “That’s a plus.”

 

Smith made a good choice in choosing FSU.

 

“It’s a good program and they’re very competitive,” Snider said. “I think she’ll be a good fit for them.”

Smith has a lot of good high school softball memories, but most memorable are the friendships made.

 

“I’ve always had so much fun with my team. We laugh the entire time,” she said. “Even if we’re down by a few runs and things are getting intense, we still have a good time together.”

 

All four years on the Indian softball team have been great, but her senior year has been the best, she said.

 

In addition to being first-team All-County in 2016, Smith was named second-team All-State and second team Big 10. 

 

Editor's Note: Accompanying Taylor Smith at her signing Friday afternoon in the BHS library were her parents Jacci and Greg, Coaches Larry "Rabbit" Snider and Chuck Carr and members of the Lady Indians softball team. 

 

Thursday afternoon, Reagan Lesher signed with FSU to continue her soccer career. Read that story HERE.