By STEVE KRAH
Cory Taylor has been trending upward as he gets to the latter part of his college baseball career.
A utility player who prepped at Shelbyville (Ind.) High School (Class of 2020) and bats and throws righty at Eastern Michigan University, Taylor heads into his senior year in 2023-24 after enjoying success in the spring and summer seasons in 2022-23.
“I have one more year guaranteed,” says Taylor of his eligibility. “I’m going to appeal. Maybe I’ll get lucky and I’ll get another one.”
In 48 games (47 starts) with EMU, he hit .297 (49-of-165) with seven home runs, two triples, 12 doubles, 32 runs batted in, 32 runs scored, a .905 OPS (.384 on-base percentage plus .521 slugging average) and 12 stolen bases. He put together and a team-best 12-game hit streak. He was the Eagles’ everyday second baseman at season’s end.
Taylor returned to the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate League’s Alexandria (Va.) Aces this summer and performed well enough to be named an all-star. In 29 regular-season games, Taylor hit .330 (36-of-109) with five homers, eight doubles, 25 RBIs, 27 runs, a .964 OPS (.423/.541) and 17 steals. He played infield and outfield for Alexandria.
“Chris Berset is a fantastic coach,” says Taylor of the Aces field boss who was a catcher at the University of Michigan and in the Cincinnati Reds system. “He was just a players’ coach.”
Enjoyment was had at Frank Mann Field and the Washington D.C. area.
“There’s so much to do, my teammates were great and I had a lot of fun,” says Taylor.
In 2022, Taylor saw limited playing time for the EMU Eagles. In 17 games (12 starts), he hit .209 (9-of-43). Both his extra-base hits were home runs. He plated five runs, scored five runs and swiped two stolen bases.
Because of a broken hand, he was only in nine games with the 2022 Alexandria Aces.
In 2021, Taylor played four EMU games with no official at-bats and 32 contests for the Great Lakes Collegiate Summer League’s Michigan Monarchs.
Eric Roof was EMU’s head coach for Taylor’s first three seasons.
“He gave me the opportunity to follow my dream of playing Division I baseball and I thank him for that,” says Taylor of Roof.
Robbie Britt, who was head coach at the University of Charleston in West Virginia, is now in charge at Eastern Michigan.
Classes start at EMU on Aug. 28. Taylor has been in Ypsilanti since the end of summer ball. Individual skills practice is to start Sept. 4. NCAA D-I teams are allowed some fall games. The Eagles are to play at Michigan Sept. 30 and against Wright State Oct. 14 at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio.
Taylor’s favorite major leaguer is Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper. He also appreciates the swing of New York Yankees star Aaron Judge.
“I watch a lot of video on MLB hitters and I try to adapt certain moves and feels that they do,” says Taylor. “I wouldn’t say my swing looks like theirs by any means but I try to do a lot of the same things that they do.”
Richard Schenck is Judge’s personal hitting coach and Taylor has been taking in the available information and applying it.
“I used to be a really out-front hitter,” says Taylor. “I’ve changed that to a back-side hitter.”
Defensively, Taylor is known for his range.
“I’m pretty quick so I can cover a lot of ground in the outfield and the same in the infield,” says Taylor. “I’d like to think I have a pretty solid arm.”
A Mid-American Conference all-academic team member this spring, Taylor is an Exercise Science major.
“I wanted to get a job where I could stick round sports if baseball comes to an end for whatever reason.
“I’ve been looking at going into physical therapy.”
Taylor was born in Indianapolis and raised in Shelbyville. He played T-ball in Morristown, Ind., and in the Shelby County Babe Ruth League before travel team stints with the Shelby Sliders, Indiana Bandits, Pony Express and Indiana Prospects. The last two summers with the Prospects his head coaches were Jason Noel in 2019 and P.J. Fauquher in 2020.
At Shelbyville High, Taylor gathered three baseball letters with the 2020 prep season taken away by the COVID-19 pandemic. He posted a career average of .278 with 62 hits and 35 RBIs and led the Hoosier Heritage Conference in stolen bases.
Royce Carlton became the Golden Bears head coach in Taylor’s sophomore year.
“He did a lot for me,” says Taylor of Carlton, who played baseball at UIndy. “He was trying to set me up for success later on with my work ethic and getting in the weight room as much as possible.
“I thank him for that.”
Taylor also earned four soccer letters at Shelbyville. As a forward, he produced 33 goals and 18 assists in 66 games and was named all-HHC and academic all-state.
One of his soccer teammates was older brother Tyce Taylor (Class of 2018) who went on the play on the pitch for the University of Indianapolis.
Pat and Kim Taylor are parents to Tyce and Cory. Former Columbus (Ind.) East High School and Saint Joseph’s College football player Pat Taylor is an IT manager for Eli Lily. Former Lawrence Central High School gymnast Kim Taylor retired as a Registered Nurse.
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