Taylor McQuillin, the talented pitcher and No. 5 rated prospect in the 2015 class talks about receiving the Hot 100 honor in her latest blog and how reward it all is, but cautions “at the end of the day, a list is a list and you still have to continue to work hard and keep pushing no matter what because competition isn’t easy.”

The Southern California standout has committed to the Univ. of Arizona and plays for one of the premier club teams in the nation, the OC Batbusters-Haning.  She is also a standout student with a 4.2 GPA at Mission Viejo (Calif.) High School where she earned 1^st team All-Orange County honors in 2013.

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.

Here is her latest blog for Student Sports Softball in which she credits all those who helped her reach top five player in the nation status as well as congratulating a teammate who she says deserved to be ranked No. 1.

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

 

 

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Over the past couple of weeks in the “softball world” there have been the Hot 100 lists posted for the 2014 and 2015 classes.

The list consists of the top 100 girls in each class that show themselves as an athlete and softball player who can compete at a high level of competition at all times.

It is a group of girls who strive everyday to become the best and work for a spot to start in college. Each and every girl on the list deserves to be on it because of her talent and dedication to the sport of softball and I congratulate each and every one of them.

Being a junior in high school, I was ranked No. 5 on the 2015 Hot 100 list and I am very blessed and grateful to even considered for it.

To know that people see me as one of the top softball players of the 2015 class for me is a great accomplishment and I am so thankful for all the opportunities I have had to get me to become the player that I am today.

Without my coaches over the years teaching me and taking me through the learning process of softball as well as my friends and family’s support I would not be who I am now and to know that I have people supporting me through my journey is truly a blessing within itself.

It motivates me to work harder and push forward into the last two years of travel ball and into college. I have so much to improve on as well and being on the list reminds me of everything I have accomplished, but also everything I still have to work on and improve (which I will continue to work on each and everyday).

I would also like to congratulate all of my current teammates that made the lists as well because I see how hard they work and how motivated they are too. Being able to play on the field with them is such a great feeling knowing that they all share the same, if not similar, goals that I do.

They are an amazing group of girls who play behind me when I am on the mound and I couldn’t do it without them.

I would also like to personally congratulate my OC Batbusters teammate, Amanda Lorenz, on all of her accomplishments as well and especially being named as the No. 1 2015 recruit and player in the country. I know how hard she works to deserve that accolade.

I see Amanda strive to be her best every practice and every game and she is a true inspiration to all players of the game. I am so very proud of her and so grateful to call her a wonderful teammate.

I am honored to call all of the girls on my team my teammates and friends. However, at the end of the day, a list is a list and you still have to continue to work hard and keep pushing no matter what because competition isn’t easy.

It is worth it!

We all work towards one goal at the end of the year and that is a national championship title. Being on the list doesn’t mean that all of us slow down or get lazy. It means we work harder than we did before to show everyone why our names were on the list.

We play to show people who we are and how well we have become over the years. But most importantly, we play because we love the game.

It is what we do.

 

— Taylor McQuillin