#MIZHOF17: Rhea Taylor

There are phone calls that can change your life in a matter of moments. For Rhea Taylor, one of those calls came when Mizzou softball Head Coach Ehren Earleywine called her after she committed to him at Georgia Tech to see if she’d come with him to Mizzou.

Taylor, a Georgia native, was unsure about leaving her home state to become a Missouri Tiger.

“I wasn’t really interested in Mizzou at first,” Taylor said. “I didn’t really know where it was at the time but no one else recruited me so I just went and took the visit and loved it and that is how it all started.”

Taylor was a key player among many who put Mizzou softball on the map. An immediate impact player in 2008, Taylor was the first Tiger to win Big 12 Freshman of the Year and was the first Tiger in five years to earn All-American honors.

“It was huge because everything that I had worked for was just validated at that point,” Taylor said. “I knew I was good but to get that it was just an amazing honor. I just felt like I was doing the right thing and made the right decisions to come to Mizzou and play for Coach Earleywine and I just thought it was one of the highest honors you could get as a freshman.”

The tone was set from there. Taylor went on the become just the second three time All-American in program history and led the team to three consecutive NCAA Women’s College World Series appearances in 2009, 2010 and 2011, ending a 14-year drought for the program of not making the trip to Oklahoma City.

“[Going to the World Series] was awesome because it had been years since it had happened,” Taylor said. “I just thought it was amazing because it was my second year playing in college and I get to the world series and that is what you watch on T.V.  growing up so it was awesome.”

One of the nation’s most feared leadoff hitters, Taylor holds her share of career offensive program records, including career batting average at .402, hits at 315, runs at 234 and stolen bases with 184, as well as countless single-season records. The speedy slap hitter was also one of the most lockdown centerfielders the sport has seen, earning two Big 12 All-Tournament team selections and a spot on the 2010 World Series All-Tournament team.

After one of the most successful careers in Mizzou softball history, Taylor went on to play for Team USA in 2011, 2012 and 2013, clinching two world cup titles.

The hard work Taylor put into her game now lives on as a legacy that adds to the foundation of success for Mizzou softball.

“I just think that I helped set a higher standard because I wasn’t just an athlete that was just good. I put in so many hours on my own to get better and that’s what it’s really about,” Taylor said. “I wanted to show my teammates and other people that yes I did get here on talent but I also got here on my work ethic too because I was a really hard worker. When I needed to get something done, I got it done and I think that’s important to implement those kinds of values.”

That work ethic and all the hours put into the betterment of her game continues to pay off. Recently, Taylor received another one of those phone calls that changes your life. Taylor was selected as a 2017 inductee to the University of Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame adding yet again to her list of achievements.

“When I got the call, my jaw dropped. I was like ‘what?’ and it was just the most amazing thing ever. It was the best phone call I had ever gotten,” Taylor said. “I have been working for that honor for my whole life.”

The work was worth it.

Though her playing days are over, Taylor can now be found in a new role on the field. Taylor now coaches a 14-and-under travel softball team, instilling the work ethic and love she has for the game in to the younger generation.

“Mizzou has helped shape who I am today and who I am to all the girls I coach and mentor,” Taylor said. “I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

The 2017 Mizzou Athletics Hall of Fame Class will be inducted during a ceremony on Friday, Oct. 20, at the Hampton Inn & Suites. Tickets are on sale now here.