GAMES
RANKINGS
Keeping up with Taylor Marchin
Memories to Last
photo provided by Taylor Marchin
Though Marchin has a ton of memories that she would likely put in the top moments of her career, her favorite comes from her senior season. "My favorite memory is the road up to and winning state," said Marchin in an interview. "There were many new achievements that happened this year such as District Champs, our 25-3-2 recon and winning the state title. These achievements were the 'first time' ever in Cardinal Softball history. Being a part of a school's 'first time ever' is an exciting feeling… all of this occurring in my senior season made it even more rewarding as it would be my last high school season ever!"
Although it was a successful season, it didn't come without it's hard work. With the previous season canceled due to COVID-19, Marchin had to put in extra work to stay focused. "During quarantine, I continued my lessons and workouts. Fortunately, during the 2020 summer/fall season, I was playing select softball and we were able to get in most games which helped me be prepared for my senior season. With the knowledge of how quickly things shut down in the spring and the potential for getting quarantine in the 2020-21 season, this was a great part of my motivation to stay focused and perform the best I could this year. Each game could have potentially been the last."
Success, Success, Success!
photo provided by Taylor Marchin
As much as there is a huge physical component to every athlete, the mental game comes into play as well. "I had to work on my mental aspect and performance during game time activities," said Marchin. "I have been in situations where others had not believed in me and talked negatively about my performance." The recent grad drew from her memory of a time when she let her nerves "control the game" and ultimately affected the outcome for the team performance. "I had to believe in myself and learn to control my nerves. After that I had a better mental aspect which also made a huge difference in my pitching and ultimately my confidence."
However, it's not always just one person on the team. Marchin gives a lot of credit to her teammates in making the 2020-21 season a fantastic one. "Our team's success was driven from respect, communication, and learning to trust one another," said Marchin. She also gave credit to Coach Baker and Coach Rome for their ability to help the team remember that they already had the tool necessary to win state, but that they needed to take it day by day in order to keep those tools sharpened.
What's in store?
Marchin is headed off to Murray State College. "I chose Murray State College because I felt it was the right place for me to be so that I could develop and get to my highest potential to play at the D1 level. During the spring season, Coach Mullens and Coach Duff have had frequent communication and interest in our high school games. This participation has made me feel like a part of the Aggie Family already."
As an athlete who has had to overcome various injuries, Marchin wants to be a physical therapist. "I have realized how much [physical therapists] are needed in helping people back to health. I like knowing that I can potentially make a positive impact in someone's life."
Recruit of the Week: John Paul II Softball's Aubrey Hutzler
Eyes on the Prize
photo provided by Aubrey Hutzler
Staying focused in the midst of a pandemic isn't easy for anyone- it's especially not easy for a high school student-athlete who had their previous season canceled. However, Hutzler was able to do just that as she prepared to go into her junior season. "I knew that [the canceled season] was the time to improve on my weaknesses and get my body conditioned for going deep in the season and playing long, competitive games," said Hutzler. "I focused a lot on leg strength so that I could power through those long innings catching."
Secrets to Success
photo provided by Aubrey Hutzler
It's important to remember that you work with a team when you're playing sports. Hutzler is as humble as she is good at softball and fully recognizes that it takes a WE and not a ME to be successful. "I could tell you that the secret to my success was all because of the work I put in outside of practice and all the extra reps I tried to get in at practice and that it was all because of ME," said Hutzler. "But the real secret to my success was that I knew my team had my back."
Since it's far easier for Hutzler to focus when she is relaxed, she was able to play strongly through her junior season because she knew that she could count on her team whether she was winning or losing. "Thankfully I had a team that I could rely on to pick me up when I don't succeed. Nobody's perfect, especially in softball. This sport is based on failing. You are really good at this sport if you fail seven times out of ten."
Hutzler says it's no secret that her team does well because of the relationships that they share with one another. "It's not really a secret, but our good team chemistry and our willingness to put the team first [is the reason for our success]," she told VYPE. "As a team we could trust each other to have our backs. We could not have made the run we did without relying on each and every person wearing that JPII jersey." Hutzler went on to credit Coach Baker and Coach Rome in their efforts to make sure that every position was solid at practice in order to be ready for the tough games.
Making Memories while Looking Ahead
photo provided by Aubrey Hutzler
There are plenty of memories to be made when you are playing in a team sport. It could be that championship you won or that really great hit you had, but for Hutzler it was a simple moment. "My favorite memory is the junior meetings Emily Jonte, Emma Rodrigues, and I had before every game."
Going into her senior season, Hutzler is more poised than ever to continue her dominance behind the plate. "My mindset for myself and our team is to continue growing and improving," said Hutzler. "Now that we have won state, I don't want us to get content and stop pushing ourselves… Other teams are setting out to beat us and we can't let them. We still have a lot of work to do if we want to go back to back." She says next season she is looking forward to the freshman class that is coming in as well as sharing and growing the culture with them. "I feel like [the freshmen]will help us get back to state and continue the legacy that our 2020-21 group created."
College and Beyond
Hutzler is committed to Campbell University where she hopes to major in either Clinical Research, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or Biology with a Pre-Graduate concentration. She chose to commit to Campbell because it checked all of the boxes for her. "Campbell had everything I wanted in a program and college," said Hutzler. "This program is competitive and will give me an opportunity to grow as a person and a player. I felt like the coaches were going to push me so that I could become better than anyone ever thought I could be. The school itself gives me a great home feeling and I really felt like I could be myself at that school. It is such a unique school and is exactly where I want to be. I am so excited that I am going to be a Fighting Camel."
Fun Questions
Who is your favorite sports team?
"My favorite team is either the Kansas City Royals or the San Antonio Spurs."
Who do you look up to as an athlete?
"I look up to Tim Duncan. He is the type of leader, teammate, and person I want to be like. He is so selfless, leads by example, and has the skill to back him up."
If you could go to dinner with one person (dead or alive) who would it be? What would you want to talk to them about?
"I would go to dinner with Cassandra Clare. She is one of my favorite authors and I am just so curious about how she came up with this entire fictional universe. I have always wanted to be a character in one of her Shadowhunter books."