This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
With the high-school football playoffs still to come, it might be hard to think about prep baseball taking priority, but for those dedicated to the national pastime, it's a no-brainer.
1A schools from across the state play baseball in the fall and the World Series represents the crowning jewel of the major league season, but for those schools that play ball in the spring, now is the time to work on fundamentals and perhaps take steps closer to a championship.
At Taylorsville High School, excitement is running high for the new season, which is months away. Team members believe they're ready to challenge the best 5A has to offer.
"We're as good as we want to be," said first baseman Marc Reynolds. "If we keep working hard, we'll be up there with everyone else. We're a program that's been really focused on winning ,and you can still feel that."
Last season, winning wasn't part of the equation. In fact, it was one of the worst baseball seasons in school history. The team finished in fourth place in Region 3 and failed to qualify for the 5A state baseball tournament. Senior Isaac Fullmer says the team just made too many mistakes and lacked focus.
He believes Taylorsville baseball could return to its glory days, when the program was routinely winning state championships. "That's our No. 1 goal," he said, "[to] go to state, and of course win it."
Players believe working on fundamentals will make the difference this season. "We're trying to work hard and get better day-by-day. Improve on the little things and it'll pay off," Fullmer said.
To be sure, team members know they have a lot of work ahead before they can put themselves in the same class as region powers Bingham and Riverton. Still, second-year coach Jake Brown says the team's willingness to become more disciplined has been a tremendous positive for the program.
"This group never really swayed," Brown said. "They always stayed with it. They always had confidence they were doing the right thing."
In August, Taylorsville's U17 team dominated Helper 19-3 to win the American Legion state championship. Led by the pitching and hitting of Dalton and Dallas Carroll, the Warriors blitzed their opponents, outscoring the six teams they faced in the tournament by a combined 79-15. Big Number: 10
Taylorsville didn't just win the American Legion tournament, it dominated it. The Warriors outscored their six tournament opponents by a total of 79-15. Because of this offensive outburst, the team won by an average of nearly 10 runs per game — scoring double digits in three of its six tourney games. After missing the 5A state tournament last season, Taylorsville baseball could be back.
Big Game: American Legion state championship game
Over the summer, Taylorsville won the state Legion championship in a romp, defeating Helper 19-3. A balanced attack was the key to the Warriors' victory. The team got seven strong innings from pitcher Dalton Carroll, and RBIs from eight players to power their way to a championship.
Big Player: Austin Guevara, Taylorsville U17 team
While the Warriors had several standout performances over the weeklong Legion tournament, nobody outperformed Austin Guevara. He led the way for Taylorsville with four RBIs in the championship game, which earned him the tournament MVP. Guevara's not only outstanding from the plate, he also is an accomplished pitcher. He threw eight innings against Blacksmith Fork — in the Warriors' 12-4 victory — to propel Taylorsville into the championship game.