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 Mariners beat the Astros, 5-3. Composite Getty Image.

Cal Raleigh hit a go-ahead, two-run homer off the right field foul pole and the Seattle Mariners beat the Houston Astros 5-3 on Friday night.

Raleigh's 17th homer followed Julio Rodríguez's tying RBI double in the seventh inning. Leody Taveras homered among his three hits, and Miles Mastrobuoni also hit a solo home run.

Emerson Hancock (2-2) gave up three runs and nine hits in six innings, striking out three and walking none. Hancock won for the first time in six starts, and Andrés Muñoz got the last three outs for 17th save while maintaining his 0.00 ERA.

Isaac Paredes hit his 11th homer of the season and seventh in the past 10 games for Houston.

Jose Altuve had three hits after hitting two homers Thursday. The former second-baseman easily threw out Raleigh when the Mariners' catcher tried to score from second on Taveras' line-drive single to left in the sixth.

Cam Smith also had three hits for the Astros.

Altuve played his 1,870th career game, tying Jośe Cruz for third-most in Astros history behind Craig Biggio (2,850) and Jeff Bagwell (2,150).

Bryan Abreau (1-2) allowed two runs and three hits in 1 1/3 innings, giving up runs for just the second time in 21 appearances. He surrendered three to the Mariners on April 9 for his other loss.

Key moment

Rodríguez, back in the lineup after missing Thursday's game with back tightness, hit Abreu's first pitch for a down the right-field line to score Crawford from first. On the next pitch, Raleigh hit his homer to right.

Key stat

Mastrobuoni’s homer was his first with Seattle, and first in his four-year major league career since 2023 with the Chicago Cubs.

Up next

Seattle's Bryan Woo (5-1, 2.65) pitches against Houston's Framber Valdez (3-4, 3.57) on Saturday.

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