Becker leads the pecking order at Shepard
St. Xavier recruit takes swing at matching mom’s legacy for Astros
College signing day was super special for Shepard senior Taylor Becker.
She did it on campus at St. Xavier. At her side was her mother, Jackie, who is the Hall of Fame for the Cougars.
“When I signed the paper I said, ‘Now it’s time to beat your records, mom,’ ” Becker said. “Right after the signing, we went over to the wall and took a picture by her picture.
“It’s an awesome feeling knowing I have an expectation to follow that and live up to it.”
Her mom, then known as Jackie Russell, was a four-year starter at Shepard. At St. Xavier, she was the team MVP in 1993. She’s on the record board in several offensive categories, including third with 13 career triples.
She also has coached at both St. Xavier and Shepard.
Taylor Becker is in her fourth varsity season at Shepard. She plays infield and outfield and is the No. 2 pitcher behind Kelly Greene.
Astros coach Kelsey Clifford bats her in the heart of the order because ... well ...
“Taylor is the heart of this team,” Clifford said. “She’s the type of kid who gives feedback to all of the players around her because she simply wants to be better.
“She thrives off everybody else’s success more than her own. She wants to see her teammates be successful. When she sees the others
get after it, she gets even hungrier. Her competitiveness comes out of others.”
Becker’s contributions for the Astros (25-5) include seven wins as a pitcher this season. She’s batting .448 with 24 runs and a team-leading 35 RBIs.
“She’s one of our most disciplined hitters,” Clifford said. “She’s a ‘ball in play’ kind of kid who has a good softball IQ. She knows when, ‘Hey, I’ve got my runners on second and
third. I’m going to use the right side of my field.’
“Taylor has very good awareness, very good discipline. And she sees all sides of the plate really well. So if a pitcher jams or her pitches her outside, she’s still going to have a quality at-bat.”
Becker can’t wait until it’s her turn to clean up.
“I love hitting fourth,” Becker said. “It gives me so much more confidence, especially following Abby Horton. I see her get on and I’m like, ‘Now I can get her in.’ I just have a ‘get on, get in, pass the bat’ mentality, and it boosts me up.
“It’s super exciting. We’re having a good season so far and I’m really happy about that. The team is stringing everything together, on and off the field. I couldn’t end it any better.”
Have a day: Senior catcher Abbie Gregus has been a consistent contributor all season for LincolnWay West (16-7). The Loyola recruit is batting .477 with 30 runs, six stolen bases, 10 doubles, 11 home runs and 29 RBIs.
She used all of her offensive tools May 12 in a 15-3 win over Stagg.
Gregus went 4-for-4 with two triples and a home run. Both triples were opposite-field hits to right field.
“Abbie can hit to all fields,” Lincoln-Way West coach Heather Novak said. “And she’s been hitting a ton lately. The game against Stagg was a pretty impressive day at the plate.”
And about those fleet feet? “Yes, she’s very athletic and she definitely has speed,” Novak said, laughing. “She runs well.”
Last hurrah: Beecher senior Abby Shepard has already signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Parkland.
Her final season of softball, however, has been a dandy.
The senior right-hander fired a shutout May 7 in a 1-0 win over Washington, which was ranked No. 3 in Class 3A. She also allowed just four hits in a 2-0 loss to Class 4A powerhouse Lincoln-Way Central.
For the season, Shepard (10-4) has 72 strikeouts in 72 ⅔ innings for Beecher (22-7), which is looking to reach the Class 2A state finals for the first time since 2019.
Beecher coach Kevin Hayhurst’s analysis on Shepard? Better movement.
“In the offseason, she was throwing on her own behind the scenes to get ready for her senior year,” Hayhurst said. “This season, her ball is moving very well. She has kept us in games against some really good teams.
“She’s a real battler. When she goes out there, she’s going to give it her best effort. She’s a grind-it-out type of pitcher who can go inside, outside, up or down, and do everything she can to get a win for her team.
“She’s coming along at the right time.”