By Greg James | [email protected] 

The Taylorsville softball team lost its season, but came together for one last hurrah in what could be a new tradition.

“We invited some alumni back,” Warriors head coach Jace Hymas said. “Some of them are still college players. We beat them, it was fun, for old girls they played well and hit well. It was a blast. I think we found a new tradition, who knows.”

The current Warriors beat the “old” Warriors 7-6. The game highlight was the first homerun over the field's new outfield fence. Katie (Greenberg) Iloilo, who graduated from Taylorsville in 2010, hit the shot over the leftfield fence. 

“Our alumni were certainly not rusty. They came in and played well.” Hymas said.

Brooke (Roberts) Mckeever hit a ball into the outfield, rounded first base a little too far and was nearly thrown out trying to get back to the base.

“I ended up with a couple of scrapes on my knees,” Mckeever said. “I forgot that the outfields are much closer in fastpitch than slow pitch.”

After the game the team and players shared a dinner and they gave out season ending awards.

“We put off our season ending banquet for as long as we could,” Hymas said. “I was hoping that this COVID thing would get over enough that we could have a senior night and honor the girls.”

The 2020 softball season was suspended and later canceled after the Warriors had played only eight games. They finished the season winless, four of those losses came in a Las Vegas tournament right before the suspension.

“We had great kids. We played really well against some tough teams.” Hymas said. “I really think we would have turned it around in the regular season if there had been one.”

The cancellation of the season impacted the players.

“Of course the girls were disappointed, but they are such good kids. Our four seniors deserved better. They were our leaders,” Hymas said.

Three of the four seniors have signed letters of intent to continue playing softball after high school. Mailee Maka and Sadie Atkinson will attend Salt Lake Community College and suit up for the Bruins softball team and Chanel Esparza is planning on attending a junior college in Texas. 

“Mary Schulte (the fourth senior) could play at the next level. She is a lefty second baseman, a slapper. She led our team in onbase percentage and was top three in batting average. She has not decided if playing ball is what she wants to do. She may just go to college for the education,” Hymas said.

Maka hit the season's only homerun in the 7-6 loss to Woods Cross. In three years she batted .406 and hit 10 home runs. 

In 2019 the Warriors advanced with one win in the state tournament. Hymas said he thought the had potential to better that performance.

“These girls loved each other and they sure bonded well with all of us coaches,” Hymas said. “It was great that we could recognize our seniors. We had a good team.”