NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

Taylor's pitching on target for SAU

Southern Arkansas University pitcher Victoria Taylor, who is 31-0 this season with a 1.19 ERA, will take the ball for the Muleriders today as they face Saint Anselm (N.H.) in the NCAA Division II Women’s College World Series.
Southern Arkansas University pitcher Victoria Taylor, who is 31-0 this season with a 1.19 ERA, will take the ball for the Muleriders today as they face Saint Anselm (N.H.) in the NCAA Division II Women’s College World Series.

Victoria Taylor won 18 games in her first season at Southern Arkansas University.

But SAU Coach Jason Anderson knew there was more to come from his right-hander going into her sophomore season in 2018.

At a glance

All times Central

(Double elimination)

TODAY’S GAMES

North Georgia vs. Southern Indiana, 10 a.m.

Angelo State (Texas) vs. West Chester (Pa.), 12:30 p.m.

Saint Anselm (N.H.) vs. Southern Arkansas, 3 p.m.

Chico State (Calif.) vs. Saint Leo (Fla.), 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY’S GAMES

UNG/SIU vs. Angelo St./W. Chester, 10 a.m.

Saint Anselm/SAU vs. Chico St./Saint Leo, 12:30 p.m.

Elimination games, 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

"I thought she did a good job," Anderson said. "We threw her under the fire. The speed of the game was different.

"She had to develop more pitches. She worked on her change-up and inside fastball. She used CrossFit to get a little bit stronger. She came back in great shape."

In 2018, Taylor has been one of the best pitchers in NCAA Division II as she's helped SAU reach the Women's College World Series for the second time in three seasons.

SAU (57-9) faces Saint Anselm (N.H.) at 3 p.m. Central today at the Moyer Complex in Salem, Va. The winner plays Chico State (Calif.) or Saint Leo (Fla.) at 12:30 p.m. Central on Friday.

Taylor, of Greenwood, is 31-0 with a 1.19 ERA in 218 1/3 innings and has 26 complete games. She has struck out 224 batters and is holding opponents to a .197 batting average.

While Taylor, 5-foot-8, admitted she never expected to be undefeated this late into the season, she had high expectations for herself after last season.

"I just set a goal that I wanted to be better than 18-7," Taylor said. "I took each game, game by game, and see where I could go."

Confidence, Anderson said, has helped Taylor and the Muleriders.

"Anytime she's in the circle, I thought we had a chance to win," Anderson said.

Taylor, who led Greenwood to a Class 6A state championship as a junior in 2015, said playing for the Bulldogs was a great experience, Taylor said.

"Everybody had each other's back in Greenwood," Taylor said.

She visited SAU after her junior season and signed with the Muleriders in December of 2015.

"It felt like home," Taylor said. "The softball team was really good. I knew I could get better as a pitcher [at SAU]."

Anderson also led SAU to the World Series in 2016. He said his team has as good of a chance as the other seven teams to win the national championship.

"When you get to this point, every team is good," Anderson said. "We have to pitch well and score some runs."

Before the season, SAU's goal was to reach the World Series. Thanks to strong efforts from Taylor and senior outfielder Brooke Goad -- who has hit a NCAA Division II record 90 home runs in her career -- the Muleriders are back in Salem.

"This isn't pressure. We expected to be here," Anderson said. "We're doing everything that we were doing in January. Everything is the same."

Taylor said if the Muleriders continue to play like they've played for most of the 2018 season, they can play deep into the World Series.

"Our team motto is 'We instead of I'," Taylor said. "If we use 'we', we can go really far."

Sports on 05/24/2018

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