Tigers found footing in late-season run
There’s a pretty good chance that the town of Taylor will look a little more empty than usual today.
The Tigers will be playing in a state title game for the fifth time since 2015 when they battle Mount Ida in the Class 1A baseball final at 10 a.m.
Nine hours later, the Lady Tigers will make an appearance in their own championship game against Bradley. It’s the second straight year that Taylor’s baseball and softball teams will be playing in state finals.
“It a pretty cool thing, with both teams getting back to the finals,” Taylor baseball Coach Brian Fowler said. “I’m sure we’ll have plenty of support, we always do. But for us, it really feels good to get back, especially with all the pressure the kids played with all year. They found a way to get back, and hopefully we’ll take advantage of this opportunity just like we did during the state tournament.
“Just start winning pitches one at a time, win some innings and see what happens.”
A lot has happened over the past two months of the baseball season for Taylor (234). The Tigers have reeled off 17 straight victories, including a 13-2 win over Mount Ida 13 days ago. They’ve rarely been challenged over that stretch and have resembled the team that stormed to a state title last season instead of the one that lost three of its first five games in 2023.
A basis step-by-step process has helped with that resurgence, Fowler explained.
“We talk about winning pitches. That’s kind of one of our mantras,” he said. “We’re not necessarily worried about winning a state championship game [today]. We’re worried about winning that first pitch. If we’re throwing the first pitch and it’s a ball, we have to be like, ‘oh well, we’re going to win the next one.’ If it’s a strike, it’s ‘good job but back to work.’
“I know it’s cliche, but that approach takes a lot of the nerves out of it, too. You’re not worried about a whole game, and we’ve done a pretty good job of using that approach.”
Fowler also said he believes his team will have to practice what it’s been preaching against Mount Ida (17-8) in their rematch. The Lions have been on a tear themselves as of late, winning 10 of their previous 11 games. The only team to beat them in that span was Taylor.
Since then, Mount Ida has averaged nearly 11 runs in three games.
“They can absolutely swing it,” Fowler said of the Lions. “They’ve figured some things out over the last couple of games. It’s not going to be an issue of our guys looking past them or not taking them seriously because they sat there and watched them bang the ball all over the yard at the state tournament.
“The way they swing it and the athletes they have, it’s going to be tough. … [Mount Ida Coach] T.J. [Wilson] does a great job with those guys. But I think we’ve kind of found our footing here, especially our pitching staff. So if we can throw it where we want to, I feel like we may be able to scratch and execute just enough small ball that maybe we can get enough runs to give us a solid chance at winning it.”