Pleasantly Humble

Taylor Pleasants reflects on multi-sport career, USA Softball, LSU

Taylor Pleasants reflects on multi-sport career, USA Softball, LSU
Growing up, Pleasants admitted her father always talked about her playing for Team USA. Via VYPE

Originally Appeared on Vype

When asking an area softball coach about Taylor Pleasants, the first story that comes to mind isn't one that happened on the diamond. Instead, it came on the volleyball court.

On September 28 in a match at Summer Creek, a ball was sent towards the scorer's table. Pleasants took off to make a play on it.

As she approached the table, Pleasants launched into the air, made the play on the ball and then soared over the table into some chairs.

The video of the play has been viewed 185,000 times on her Twitter account.

"Why play if you're not going to go all out," Pleasants said. "I've always wanted to make a play like that."

Once she fell over the table, Pleasants smashed into a metal chair, which chipped a lower tooth and also forced her to get a root canal on a top left tooth.

Despite being in pain, Pleasants got a Band-Aid put on her lower lip and played the final set of the match. Pleasants finished the season with 467 kills, 353 digs, 53 aces and 52 blocks. The senior was voted the District 22-6A MVP.

"I would have never expected it, especially for volleyball," Pleasants, who wants to walk onto the LSU volleyball team her sophomore year, said. "Now I have a chip on my shoulder. If I can do it for volleyball, I have to do it for softball."

Softball is the sport she has played since she was fiveyears-old and the one she has signed with LSU to play at the next level.

But what's interesting is, LSU wasn't originally Pleasants' first pick.


The interview with Taylor continues here

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The Angels beat the Astros, 4-1. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.

Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.

The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.

Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.

Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.

Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.

Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.

Key moment

Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.

Key Stat

Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.

Up next

Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.

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