Warren standout Taylor signs with Marietta College
Taylor to play football, baseball at MC
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VINCENT -- Warren senior Kurt Taylor committed Wednesday to continuing his academic and athletic careers at Marietta College.
Unlike most college athletes, though, Taylor will be playing not one, but two sports for the Pioneers.
Taylor is a three-sport standout -- football, basketball and baseball -- for the Warriors and will continue playing football and baseball collegiately. Taylor has had discussions with Marietta baseball coach Brian Brewer and football coach Andy Waddle, and they've made him feel like he can handle being a dual-sport college athlete.
"Talking to both of them and the way they approached it was very comforting for me knowing they were both open to it," Taylor said. "They've had guys do it in the past. The way they explained it to me is, in the fall it's all football, in the spring it's all baseball, and in the middle you get to what you can get to and if you can't, they understand."
Taylor followed in his father Shawn's footsteps by becoming a record-setting passer for the Warren football team. Now he's doing so again but suiting up for Pioneers.
"My dad going there, that was a big part of it," Kurt Taylor said. "The thing that set them apart from all the other colleges was the ability to play both baseball and football. A couple other colleges had hinted at it. The programs at Marietta had something to do with it, too. Marietta, traditionally, has always been a fantastic baseball school. Marietta football is going that direction, too. They're getting to the top of the OAC. Being able to be a part of both those teams is something I was really looking forward to."
Taylor also strongly considered Wittenberg and West Liberty, but ultimately decided on Marietta.
He credited Warren football coach Matt Kimes and baseball coach Ryan Lemley for preparing him for college athletics.
"Both of those coaches run their programs similar to a college style," he said. "Obviously it's not going to be exactly the same, but I think the way they prepare their athletes -- coach Kimes stressed the weight room on us hard and I know that's a huge part of college athletics. The way coach Lemley runs baseball practices can be very strict. I think they've prepared me very well for what college is going to be like."
Taylor led Warren to seven wins and the program's first ever playoff wins this fall. He completed 131 of 221 passes for 1,812 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior. Kimes said Marietta's getting more than just a good athlete.
"Number one, he's just a really, really good kid," Kimes said. "He's the first one to not take credit and always thanks his teammates and gives credit to the whole team. He's super knowledgeable about the game. There's no coverage he hasn't seen and no blitz he's not ready for. He's a blessing to be able to coach."
The Warren baseball team currently is 10-7 this spring. Taylor is 3-2 on the mound with a 3.27 earned-run average and 33 strikeouts in 30 innings.
He thinks he'll focus on pitching in college but didn't rule out getting some at-bats. He's batting .453 with six doubles and 15 runs-batted-in this season.
"He's touched 87 (miles per hour)," Lemley said of Taylor's fastball velocity. "He's a captain in all three sports he plays. That says it all. Marietta is getting a good one."
Taylor plans to major in biology at Marietta. Though his senior year isn't quite wrapped up, he reflected on a couple moments in his career he said he'll remember most.
"In baseball, it'll be the district tournament my sophomore year," he said. "Getting to play under the lights at Athens was a pretty cool experience, that walkoff win I'm sure a lot of people remember. In football, it's got to be the win against John Glenn at home. The two-overtime win, that was pretty special."
As far as his college decision, Taylor is relieved and excited to have it out of the way.
"It's a lot of pressure trying to make that decision, and making sure you make the right one," he said. "I'm definitely excited about it and I just want to thank all the coaches that gave me the opportunity to play a college sport. All the guys who recruited me, all the schools, and all my high school, junior high, middle school coaches that helped me get to where I am today."
Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@newsandsentinel.com.