Playing one sport in high school can be a demanding season. But playing five sports in one school year is even more demanding. T.R. Miller Lady Tiger athlete Taylor Guthrie knows just how demanding it can be.
Guthrie, a 17-year junior athlete at T.R. Miller, participates in cross country, volleyball, basketball, softball, and track.
Greg White coaches Guthrie in volleyball and softball and says that she is such a competitor.
“There are not many people out there who out work her,” White said. “She has such a desire to be great that she isn’t going to stop working until she achieves that.”
White has coached Guthrie the most out of all the sports she plays at T.R. Miller.
“She has been starting on the varsity softball team since she was in the 7th grade,” White said. “She is an excellent first baseman but she has played every position on the field except catcher. We didn’t have a lot of depth at pitcher last season, so being the athlete that she is, we asked her to spend a lot of time during the off-season learning how to pitch.
“All she did was help the team win the area championship and advance to the regional tournament in Gulf Shores and she had a pitching record of 21 wins and 5 losses. That speaks volumes about what type of team player she is and how unselfish she is.”
White also said that Guthrie has been a great player for him and the team in volleyball.
“She has been a starter at middle hitter since she was a freshman,” White said. “She plays extremely tough. She is the type player who doesn’t mind diving on the floor to make a play. She only knows one speed and that is full speed.
“She was a major contributor on this years team that advanced to the schools first ever Elite 8 tournament championship in Pelham.”
While Guthrie is a five-sport athlete at T.R. Miller, the sport of softball has taken her outside of T.R. Miller and Brewton.
Guthrie also plays with a team called the Bama Babes out of Montgomery.
“I tried out for this team as well as a few other teams at the beginning of the summer,” Guthrie said. “My mom and I got online and searched for a few travel teams to try out for and I was able to choose the team I liked best after trying out.
“We played several tournaments during the summer and fall. We played in four exposure tournaments: Nashville, Chattanooga, Savannah, and near Miami. College coaches attend exposure tournaments. This enables them to see the top athletes competing against each other. Teams from all over the country attend these tournaments.”
Guthrie says her love of softball has led her to great experiences with this team.
“I was able to learn a few new strategies such as slapping and bunting on the left side,” Guthrie said. “It was a lot of hard work and a big commitment. This summer we practiced three times a week for three to four hours and this fall we practiced twice a week.”
Guthrie began playing sports and softball at the age of three when she started playing tee-ball. She then went to machine pitch in third grade, then slow pitch softball in fourth grade, baseball in sixth grade.
She then started playing fast pitch softball in 7th grade and has been playing every since.
“I just joined this team this summer, but when T.R. Miller had a summer tournament, the practicing and all helped me keep my fielding and batting sharp,” Guthrie said. “I plan on playing with the Bama Babes again in the upcoming summer.”
But with sports taking up most of her time, Guthrie said sometimes she wishes there was a few extra hours in each day.
“It’s hard finding time for everything including homework and catching up on sleep,” Guthrie said. “I practiced with the basketball team the summer after my eighth grade year, but I ended up quitting before the season started saying that basketball just isn’t for me.
“But every sense I regretted it. I still wish I played in ninth and tenth grade, but I’m really glad I’m playing now. My favorite sport is track because there is a variety of events and you can do several different events.”
With her love for track and softball, Guthrie said she really hopes to be able to do track and softball in college.
“A sports scholarship would be perfect,” Guthrie said. “I love T.R. Miller athletics and I want to thank all my coaches that put their time into improving me and my teammates each and every practice.”
Guthrie is currently playing T.R. Miller Lady Tiger basketball.
She ran cross country and played volleyball earlier in the fall and went straight to basketball when volleyball was over.
After basketball, Guthrie will drop the tennis shoes and basketballs and head outside to the diamond for softball season along with track season this spring.