From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
HANCEVILLE – Wallace State softball freshman Taylor Beshears zipped past the program’s single-season RBI record in early April.
Then in May, she powered the Lady Lions to the Alabama Community College/Region 22 Championship.
The former Hewitt-Trussville standout – along with ex-Lady Husky teammate Amber Hammonds – are now headed to the NJCAA Division I softball championship at St. George, Utah, from May 18-21.
The Lady Lions (48-20) sealed their second straight title, eighth in 10 seasons, and 10th overall with a 7-5 win over Shelton State Community College on May 2.
Beshears is now hitting a team-best .460 with 13 homers and 83 RBIs and was named the Alabama Community College Conference North Division Player of the Year.
“This season has been a lot of fun, and I don’t think we’ve played our best yet. I never had a goal of breaking the RBI record, but it was a cool feeling once I passed it,” said Beshears. “The team counts on me to drive in runs and get big hits. I’m down on myself if I don’t get the big hit.”
In a 7-5 victory over Calhoun on April 7, with an RBI single, Beshears surpassed the previous school record of 74 RBIs set by Katie Gentle in 2013.
Beshears has been a force in the Wallace State lineup all season, carving out one of the top individual campaigns in program history.
“Taylor Beshears is a ballplayer. She’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen and can play any position on the field. We’ve counted on her all year to produce runs,” said Wallace State interim softball coach Jeff Benson. “She doesn’t care where she hits in the lineup. I can put her at the leadoff spot or the three hole. She’s as competitive as they come and just wants to hit and play hard.”
In addition to breaking the RBI record, Beshears’ 33 doubles are a Wallace State single-season record, surpassing Melissa Stewart’s 26 doubles in 2004.
Beshears, a first-team All-State selection as a senior at Hewitt-Trussville, verbally committed to play at the University of Arkansas while in high school.
Meanwhile, Hammonds, Beshears’ high school teammate and friend, committed to play for Wallace State. Ultimately, Beshears’ plans to play for Arkansas didn’t materialize, and she chose to play college ball closer to home. Wallace State became a fit for Beshears with a little nudge from Hammonds.
“Amber and I are very good friends. I knew she was coming here (Wallace State), and I was sold when I visited campus for the first time,” said Beshears.
Beshears collected seven hits and scored four runs in the ACCC tournament and was named to the All-Tournament team.
Meanwhile, Hammonds is hitting .316 with four homers and 37 RBIs. She has a team-high 28 stolen bases.
“We deserved this championship,” Beshears said. “Even though we had things go wrong this season, it always put a fire under us to do better. We are a great team.
“I can’t wait to see how we do at nationals.”