Oklahoma State University Athletics
Darcy Taylor's Decision At A Basketball Game
July 01, 2016 | Cowgirl Softball
Oklahoma State softball's Darcy Taylor almost stopped playing the game she loves.
Taylor grew up in Tulsa, but was born in Tucson, Arizona, and returned to play softball at Arizona after graduating from Jenks High School. As a freshman, she saw action in 14 games, compiling a perfect fielding percentage at first base.
Something was off, though. Something wasn't there, so Taylor decided to end her softball career after her freshman season.
Over the summer, she transferred to the University of Arkansas to continue her academic career.
Closer to her home, Taylor got to spend more time with family on a regular basis, including during Christmas Break.
While home on break, Taylor's mom wanted her to join her at an Oklahoma State women's basketball game so she could see her cousins who were in town.
Taylor was indifferent at first, but she agreed to join her mom so she could see her cousins.
At halftime, her mom asked her if she wanted anything from the concession stand.
It was a simple enough question but Taylor couldn't answer.
"I just broke down," she said. "I don't know why. I started crying like a little baby. I just had an overwhelming feeling that I needed to be at OSU."
She wanted to be at OSU and play softball again.
So Taylor worked with her competitive coach to help her reach out to the Cowgirl coaching staff to see if they had a spot for her. Fortunately for Taylor, they did.
With that, Taylor was back in the game she loves.
Per the NCAA transfer rules, Taylor was forced to sit out a year so she decided to redshirt during the 2013-14 season.
Although she was forced to sit out a year, Taylor didn't spend the year sitting around doing nothing. It was spent working to get back into the groove of softball and doing well in school.
"I had a year to get back to working out everyday, going to school and just getting back into the swing of softball," she said.
Taylor worked all year, and her hard work paid off.
Her sophomore year, the 2014-15 season, she appeared in 29 games for the Cowgirls. She followed her first year back in softball with 29 hits, a .237 batting average and started all but one of the 58 games this past season for the Cowgirls.
Not only did Taylor found her place on the field, she found it off the field with her teammates.
Ask any of the Cowgirls who the funniest on the team is, and they won't pause to answer. It's Taylor. She provides comic relief for everyone on a daily basis and can always be found smiling and laughing along with her teammates.
Her hard work inside the classroom has paid off, as well. Taylor is now an intern with OSU Athletics Marketing.
Things have come together as she prepares for her final year of softball.
In high school, Taylor was named the 2012 Gatorade Player of the Year in 2012 while playing for Jenks High School. She set school records in batting average, home runs, RBIs and pitching victories.
With all the momentum coming out of her final year of high school softball, this wasn't the journey Taylor expected to take in college.
"When I was in high school, I never envisioned I would have been to three different colleges and ended up here at OSU," she said.
Although it wasn't the average way to end up where she is now, Taylor said her experiences along the way have helped shape her on and off the field.
"I think that the highs and lows I went through at both Arizona and Arkansas formed me into the person I am today," she said. "They made me a strong and independent person."
Taylor never made an official visit to Oklahoma State after transferring from Arizona before she decided to be a Cowgirl.
She didn't need to.
All she needed was the OSU Athletics experiences at a Cowgirl Basketball game over Christmas Break.
"The rest is history," she said.
Taylor grew up in Tulsa, but was born in Tucson, Arizona, and returned to play softball at Arizona after graduating from Jenks High School. As a freshman, she saw action in 14 games, compiling a perfect fielding percentage at first base.
Something was off, though. Something wasn't there, so Taylor decided to end her softball career after her freshman season.
Over the summer, she transferred to the University of Arkansas to continue her academic career.
Closer to her home, Taylor got to spend more time with family on a regular basis, including during Christmas Break.
While home on break, Taylor's mom wanted her to join her at an Oklahoma State women's basketball game so she could see her cousins who were in town.
Taylor was indifferent at first, but she agreed to join her mom so she could see her cousins.
At halftime, her mom asked her if she wanted anything from the concession stand.
It was a simple enough question but Taylor couldn't answer.
"I just broke down," she said. "I don't know why. I started crying like a little baby. I just had an overwhelming feeling that I needed to be at OSU."
She wanted to be at OSU and play softball again.
So Taylor worked with her competitive coach to help her reach out to the Cowgirl coaching staff to see if they had a spot for her. Fortunately for Taylor, they did.
With that, Taylor was back in the game she loves.
Per the NCAA transfer rules, Taylor was forced to sit out a year so she decided to redshirt during the 2013-14 season.
Although she was forced to sit out a year, Taylor didn't spend the year sitting around doing nothing. It was spent working to get back into the groove of softball and doing well in school.
"I had a year to get back to working out everyday, going to school and just getting back into the swing of softball," she said.
Taylor worked all year, and her hard work paid off.
Her sophomore year, the 2014-15 season, she appeared in 29 games for the Cowgirls. She followed her first year back in softball with 29 hits, a .237 batting average and started all but one of the 58 games this past season for the Cowgirls.
Not only did Taylor found her place on the field, she found it off the field with her teammates.
Ask any of the Cowgirls who the funniest on the team is, and they won't pause to answer. It's Taylor. She provides comic relief for everyone on a daily basis and can always be found smiling and laughing along with her teammates.
Her hard work inside the classroom has paid off, as well. Taylor is now an intern with OSU Athletics Marketing.
Things have come together as she prepares for her final year of softball.
In high school, Taylor was named the 2012 Gatorade Player of the Year in 2012 while playing for Jenks High School. She set school records in batting average, home runs, RBIs and pitching victories.
With all the momentum coming out of her final year of high school softball, this wasn't the journey Taylor expected to take in college.
"When I was in high school, I never envisioned I would have been to three different colleges and ended up here at OSU," she said.
Although it wasn't the average way to end up where she is now, Taylor said her experiences along the way have helped shape her on and off the field.
"I think that the highs and lows I went through at both Arizona and Arkansas formed me into the person I am today," she said. "They made me a strong and independent person."
Taylor never made an official visit to Oklahoma State after transferring from Arizona before she decided to be a Cowgirl.
She didn't need to.
All she needed was the OSU Athletics experiences at a Cowgirl Basketball game over Christmas Break.
"The rest is history," she said.
Players Mentioned
UTL
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