Scotts Valley graduate Taylor Wilson had her eyes set on becoming the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic’s top player for a second consecutive year prior to the start of the 2025 spring season.
The feat was never out of the question for the Falcons’ star slugger, yet she was well aware not to expect it with plenty of other talented players fighting for the same spot.
“I knew that I would have to work hard and keep my focus for the whole season,” she said.
Wilson went on to record a stellar on base plus slugging percentage of 1.632, and managed to put up some excellent numbers despite being pitched around because of her lethal swing.
She finished batting a .538 average (35-for-65) with six home runs, three triples, five doubles, 33 RBIs, 37 runs scored and 20 walks in 85 plate appearances, according to statistics on the Max Preps website.
Wilson’s field work at third base was also solid after tallying 41 assists and 14 put outs in 62 total chances.
Wilson’s ability to get the job done all over the diamond garnered enough attention for her to be named the SCCAL’s Most Valuable Player for a second straight year.
“I was really happy, and I felt kind of relief that I got it again,” she said.
Scotts Valley head coach Jeremy Wilson said it’s typically a sign of respect whenever a player gets pitched around or intentionally walked.
“To be able to hit bad balls and go just a little bit out the strike zone, and still have the numbers she did shows you that she’s locked in and she’s dedicated to the sport,” he said. “Deion Sanders said the hardest thing he ever did as a professional athlete was try to hit a baseball.”
Jeremy Wilson, who was named the SCCAL’s Coach of the Year by his peers, said he’s glad to see his daughter’s hard work pay off following countless hours in the backyard and the gym.
It was the third straight season Wilson was coached by her dad, Jeremy, who stepped down as head coach at the end of the season.
Wilson said being the coach’s daughter did put a little pressure on her to perform at a high level. But, she wasn’t worried about it too much since playing with all-out effort is all she’s ever known.
“It is a luxury, at least for me,” Wilson said. “Especially this year and last year, we definitely got the relationship a little bit better. He’s coached me since I was in tee-ball, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary.”
Wilson was on pace to put up record-setting numbers until the final stretch of the season when she began to tail off a bit. She admits getting burnt out, especially going at it five days a week for months on end.
“I like tournament play better, that’s kind of my thing,” she said. “Playing a singular game just twice a week just didn’t put me in the right mindset.”
Nonetheless, she still had an enjoyable senior year playing on a Scotts Valley squad that won back-to-back SCCAL titles, going 14-1 in league play. They fell to Gilroy in the Central Coast Section Division I quarterfinals, and finished with a 21-6-1 overall record.
The Falcons also had help from graduate Sofie Seese, who was awarded the SCCAL’s Pitcher of the Year. She went 14-2 with an outstanding 0.91 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 18 appearances in the circle.
Teammates Gracie Delgado and Jazzy Doubek along with San Lorenzo Valley’s Angie Fulkerson, Grace Purtscher and Sophia Sarmiento each earned all-league first team honors.
SLV placed third in the SCCAL standings by going 10-5 in league play, and finished with a 12-10 overall record. They lost to Woodside in the CCS D-IV quarterfinals.
During the season, Wilson got a chance to experience what she said was a grueling recruiting process. She visited Sonoma State and was ready to head up north until the school announced it had eliminated its entire athletics department.
Instead, she will now take her talents to West Valley College in Saratoga.
“It wasn’t the end of the world for me because I had still planned to go to West Valley,” she said. “There are tons of girls that want to play. It’ll be super fun.”
