GREENVILLE, IL -- Bond County High School senior, Taylor Weiss, has officially signed her NJCAA Letter of Intent to further her education and softball career at Kaskaskia College.  Taylor will reunite with teammates, Jaidyn Ackerman, Nancy Fritzsche, and Kayla Guetersloh. The quartet played travel ball together with the Southwest Illini Jaguars for the past 3 seasons.  Taylor will add to a much improved pitching staff for '20-'21.  Academically, she plans to be a middle school teacher. She is the daughter of Tyler and Heather Mueller of Greenville, Illinois.

At 5'9" and no stranger to the weight room, Taylor has the makings to be a formidable college pitcher.  A late bloomer, only because her pitching career started as an 8th grader, she definitely has surpassed the growing pains of the process. She has become an artist in location and pitch variety. She has learned to invest in her movement, although she possesses near-60mph velocity.  Offensively, she can be a force and shows the consistent ability to hit the ball to the opposite field with power.  Defensively, she is a first-baseman, who demonstrates very sound footwork and surprising agility. As a student, Miss Weiss is heavily involved in her high school's FFA and is enrolled in their CEO program's curriculum this year.   

In regards to the aforementioned reunion, the same is true for Coach John Barnes, who knows her pitching progress first-hand.  "I've enjoyed my role in Taylor's development. From the start, I knew it was going to be extremely difficult for her to catch up. As expected, she experienced the typical struggles in the first few years, but she never quit. Through all the criticism and failure, her maturity was constantly tested. For me, she simply had to demonstrate the ability to control the controllables. Personally, it has been rewarding to see it all come together.  I am proud of her growth, but even more excited for her future. Her stubborness in the face of adversity will serve her well when competing with her teammates, as well as this conference.  Taylor's journey is such the example of dedication and serves as a testament in setting and accomplishing goals. Her signing is the perfect example of KC's "character-first" approach in recruiting. For Taylor, this next chapter will be a test and I know she has been well prepared."

Seated (l-r): Heather Mueller (mother), Taylor Weiss (#42), Tyler Mueller (father)

Standing: Coach John Barnes