Softball Newcomer Q&A: Taylor Clark
1/24/2019 2:40:00 PM | Softball
We will be posting Q&A's with each of the seven newcomers on this year's Alabama softball team heading into the 2019 season. The third is with junior Taylor Clark, an infielder from Mechanicsburg, Pa., who arrived at Alabama following two seasons at Virginia Tech.
How did you get your start playing softball?
"My mom played softball and my dad played baseball. They pushed me to try as many sports as I could to see which ones I liked. I started playing slow-pitch at first and fell in love with it. I was a cheerleader, I played basketball and then volleyball later."
When did you realize you could potentially take softball to the next level?
"Probably around sixth grade. I had to make a decision between volleyball and softball and I didn't think I would be tall enough to be an outside hitter. I knew I wanted to play Division-I no matter what sport it was. I did well in travel ball so I figured I should stick with softball and see where it goes. I had a lot of help from my travel ball coaches, they were very supportive and encouraging.
"The end of my eighth-grade year is when I tried out for TNT Gold and when I actually made the team, that gave me the confidence to know I could play at a high level. I got to travel across the country to play in front of college coaches and it was really eye-opening."
What schools were you looking at early on in the decision process?
"I started making my list fall my freshman year. My travel ball coach really helped me with the process. I had a list of about 20 or 25 schools and did research on all of them. I wanted to go south of Pennsylvania because it's too cold up north. I grew up watching Alabama softball play on TV, especially in 2012 when they won the national championship. It was always my dream school. Alabama was recruiting me in high school but I committed to Virginia Tech early, around January of my sophomore year."
How was your decision process different the second time around after you elected to transfer?
"I didn't want to rush it. I decided to transfer kind of late, around mid-July. In a sense I felt rushed but I didn't want to force a decision. I visited Virginia Tech and loved the campus and decided that's where I wanted to go but I didn't get a great feel for everything early on. I didn't get to know the coaches, didn't watch a practice or anything like that. This time, I did a lot more research on the schools that reached out. I didn't make my decision until about two weeks before I would have had to move somewhere."
When did Alabama come into the picture?
"I still had Murph's cell phone number, so I sent him a text. That was when they were in Japan, so the communication was a little sporadic. After my visit here, I went home and narrowed it down between Alabama and Lipscomb. It took a lot of conversations with my parents and self-reflection. I had to make the best decision not just based on softball but one that would help me develop as a person and further my education."
What were your first impressions of the University of Alabama?
"I was comparing everything to Virginia Tech, so the campus here is a lot bigger and more spread-out. I loved everything the coaching staff stood for. Walking in to our facility and seeing 'Mudita' and hearing what that stood for, seeing how practice went and knowing that they would take the time to develop us as people and not just athletes, that won me over. They love us no matter what we do on the field and they love everyone no matter what their role on the field is. Softball is important but so is the person."
How has the acclimation process been so far?
"I'm more of an introvert, so when I first got here I was very shy. I didn't put myself out there. My teammates made the process of getting to know them easy. They invited us out to lunch and to do stuff with them on weekends. They did a good job of including me and the other transfers as well."
Was coming in with two other transfer athletes helpful in the process?
"We all kind of gravitated towards each other. If any of us had questions and we were too scared to reach out to anyone else, we could bounce things off each other. During the fall, we all struggled with certain things but we felt comfortable enough with each other to share it and help each other out. We had that support system to lift us up and build our confidence."
What are your goals for the spring, both as a team and individually?
"The team goal every year is to get to the World Series. In a way, we're considered an underdog this year and we have so many new people that we just want to prove to people that we're just as good as we always are. My personal goal is really the same as the team goal. I never made postseason at Virginia Tech so I want to do whatever I can to help us get there. I just want to be as good of a teammate as possible."
What advice would you give to a young softball player aspiring to play in college?
"Don't rush the process. Enjoy it. I love the new rules about early recruiting. Step back and really analyze what is going to be a good fit for you, not just for softball but for your education and development as a person. I didn't think of those other things as much when I was younger, I was just looking at softball."
