TFC Debuts New Baseball Coach
Coach Taylor is hopeful for the future of TFC baseball.
Supporting Toccoa Falls College’s athletic teams has always been a major part of TFC culture. Baseball games are often the highlight of the spring semester. Students, alumni and families will lay blankets in the sun, eat sunflower seeds, and catch up with friends at the baseball field while cheering on the team. This season, Coach Joshua Taylor debuts as the new head coach of the baseball program. He is hopeful about the development of the team and the program’s future growth.
Coach Taylor grew up playing baseball and has always had a strong love for the game. After suffering severe spinal cord damage, his devotion to baseball fueled his desire to give back to what he’s always loved by coaching and developing players. Prior to coaching at TFC, Taylor spent three years at Lee University and coached at a summer ball organization in Nashville. However, TFC has provided him the opportunity to work at a college that shares his Christian values. He says that he is “ultimately trying to grow men outside the program.”
Sophomore Noah Davis shares Taylor’s hopes of developing players off the field and demonstrates a similar perspective on the game and the team. “Baseball is my platform and my ministry,” Davis shared. The game has provided Davis with opportunities to spark conversations about faith and be a light on the field.
Senior Braden Hyde also expressed the impact baseball has had on his personal development. “It’s helped me be a leader,” he said. Hyde has been able to step up for the team in stressful situations and advocate for Christ in baseball-led opportunities, such as during a trip to the Dominican Republic to share the Gospel.
According to Taylor, the transition has been great. The senior class has demonstrated good leadership, and the team has been willing to adjust to their new coach. “They’re hungry and want to see change,” Taylor said.
Unfortunately, the team has had many ups and downs so far this season. They have faced a tough schedule with an extremely young team, but it seems that the future is bright. The team is losing only five seniors this year, and Taylor is bringing in twenty-one commits for the upcoming 2022-2023 season.
Moving forward, Taylor hopes to continue developing and building the future of the program. “It’s a building year,” he said. It is critical that the team finds a measure of consistency and works to cultivate the atmosphere. According to Taylor, “baseball is our bonus.” He expressed his desire to connect the team with the community and continue to develop the character of the players.
Over the past few years, the team has faced great difficulty due to coaching turnover. For the seniors, Taylor is the fourth coach they have had in four years. Bringing in a new coach this season has been a big adjustment for the team. “It’s a whole new learning process,” Davis said.
As every coach comes in, the team must acclimate to unfamiliar coaching styles, different hopes and goals for the season, and new relationships. Hyde expressed the added adversity that comes with new coaching. He said that it results in a lack of consistent growth. “Every time a coach leaves, people leave,” Hyde said.
These difficulties have been building for years, and the team has struggled to recover from the constant turnover. Despite their love for the game, it has proved to be a major obstacle in player growth and team comraderie. Freshman Charlie Compton, who hasn’t personally experienced the changes, admitted to seeing the effects of it on the returning players. “I can see it in the seniors. They haven’t been able to develop,” Compton said. Unfortunately, this has led to a lack of stability.
However, Taylor appears to bring a sense of hope and rejuvenation to the team. They are excited about the future of the program. The team has bonded together in spite of stressful coaching changes. They have been a source of comfort and encouragement for each other through cultivated relationships and shared values and beliefs.
Despite their rocky season, the team has managed to step up and navigate the coaching turnover with hopeful perspectives. “We’ve competed really well with some good teams,” Davis said.
With Regionals coming up, the players are determined to show out and compete well. Hyde expressed his goals for the end of the season: “to win Regionals and play in the World Series.” Compton said he hopes to finish this season strong and end in a good place to grow for next year. With these goals in mind, the team is continuing to work hard and prepare for the end of the season.