Taylor McQuillin, the 2015 pitcher from Mission Viejo, Calif., had an unbelievable year in 2014.

She won a high school national championship at Mission Viejo High, a club national championship with OC Batbusters – Haning/Stith and was awarded the Gatorade Softball National Player of the Year Award.

In today’s blog, Taylor looks back on all her accomplishments last year and spells out her goals for 2015.

“It’s crazy to think that this year, in 2015, I will be starting my freshmen year of college,” the Univ. of Arizona signee says. “The most bittersweet feeling about this year will be going to college and watching all my friends and teammates go on their own journeys off to college as well.”

Taylor’s hard work on the field and in the classroom, where she has a 4.0 GPA, evidenced by her being ranked as the No. 3 rated prospect in the 2015 class. She was also invited to try out for a spot on the U.S. Women’s Jr. National team.

Perhaps Taylor’s greatest accomplishment is she has done all this despite having to overcome birth defects making her completely blind in the left eye and with only partial hearing on the left side.

Be sure to check out Taylor’s previous blogs and those of our other standout bloggers!

Video of Taylor receiving the Gatorade National Player of the Year

Official Gatorade National POY announcement 

 *****

The year 2014 has truly been a year to remember for me.

I was able to accomplish more in 2014 than I ever thought possible in my 18 years of living and I am so beyond blessed to have gotten to experience everything I did.

This past year, I have won not only a CIF-Southern Section Div. 2 title with my high school softball team, but I also won the PGF 18U National Championship with my travel ball team, the OC Batbusters.

Both of these teams had worked so hard throughout the year to achieve the national titles that we did and I am extremely blessed and appreciative of the girls that I played with.

Each team was unique in its own way and the bond that each team create was incredible.

I think the thing I wish to acknowledge the most is the day I committed to the University of Arizona. My sophomore year had been a year of flips and turns and unexpected illnesses as well as life changing decisions for me.

On September 3rd, 2013—one week before starting my junior year in high school, (2013-2014) I committed to the Wilcats.

Even though I am not there at the university yet, I am proud to be able to say that I will be attending a school that I truly love. Most importantly, I’ll be able to be coached by people who inspire me to become a better athlete, and furthermore, a better human being.

Going into 2015, both my travel ball and high school teams hope to continue to live up to the accomplishments we have achieved in 2014 and, being a senior, I am really looking forward to my final year as a Mission Viejo Diablo as well as a Batbuster.

As the high school year has come to the halfway point, the realization that I’ll soon be graduating has finally started to kick in.

The “first last game” of high school for me has just passed and the “last high school game” along with the “last travel ball game” are coming faster than all the seniors on both teams can expect.

It’s crazy to think that this year, in 2015, I will be starting my freshmen year of college.  The most bittersweet feeling about this year will be going to college and watching all my friends and teammates go on their own journeys off to college as well.

For most of my teammates, the next time we step on a softball field after this year, we will be playing against each other and not with each other.

Out of everything that has happened this past year, I wouldn’t change a single thing. The year 2014 flew by in the blink of an eye and as much as I want time to pass to get to college, I want more to live out the rest of my senior year to create even more memories to last a lifetime.

Taylor