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Standard Democrat Softball Player of the Year: Taylor Tiffany
PORTAGEVILLE -- If you were to sit down and make a list of 'big game' pitchers in southeast Missouri there's a handful of names that rise above the rest.
It's safe to say that after a dominant, record-setting junior year, Portageville standout Taylor Tiffany certainly earned her place on that ledger, if not at the top of it.
The 16-year-old hurler was the epitome of clutch throughout the Lady Bulldogs' wild postseason that culminated in a trip to the Class 2 final four.
Because of her playoff heroics and an eye-popping stat line, Tiffany has been selected as the Standard Democrat Player of the Year.
"It was wonderful going through the season with the girls and having one of the best times," Tiffany said. "Making it to state with the girls was an awesome experience."
From start to finish Tiffany was a workhorse for the Lady Bulldogs that despite having thrown over 154 innings heading into the postseason, saved her best for last.
She allowed just three combined runs and struck out 54 hitters in the Lady Bulldogs four games leading up to the final four, a feat even more important when considering the Lady Bulldogs struggles at the plate.
Even in Portageville's now infamous 1-0 loss to Pleasant Hope in the semifinals, Tiffany didn't allowed an earned run as the Lady Pirates plated the deciding run on an error.
"On the mound she started off well, but has matured exceptionally in a year," Lady Bulldogs' head coach Ashlie Patton said. "She has better control of the ball, and her off-speed (pitch) is improving every game. In the past year she has learned to control her emotions on the mound.
"She is a year younger than the rest of her classmates, so that makes it even more amazing that she has emotional control like she has."
Tiffany exhibited some of that maturity when she came back just hours after watching her team's title hopes dashed in the semifinals to lead them to a third-place finish that night.
In a 3-1 extra-inning win over North Platte she fanned 23 hitters to set a new single-season state record of 391 strikeouts while finishing the day having thrown 17 innings.
"It was a little hard coming back (after the loss)," Tiffany said at the time. "But our coach told us to wear our emotions on our sleeve and give it our all this whole game."
Likely the biggest statement to Tiffany's ability to dial it up when the season's on the line came in the Class 2, District 1 championship game against Kelly.
All three meetings during the regular season the Lady Hawks had Tiffany and Portageville's number, outscoring them by a combined 11-5. In what Tiffany considers her best game of the year, however, she out-dueled Kelly ace Alexis Dock for a 2-0 decision to upset the two-time defending district champions.
"That was a big game I had to go into and work my best and try to get through it," Tiffany said. "Our coach would always tell us it only takes one game and that district game was the one.
"We just knew even though they had beat us three times we couldn't lay down that fourth time. We had to come through and we did."
With the season now at a close awards have started to come in, starting with a first-team, all-state selection by the Missouri State High School Coaches Association.
They'll likely be plenty more to follow as Tiffany's season statistics put her in elite territory.
After finishing the year with 199 1/3 innings pitched she posted a 23-6 record and 0.597 earned-run-average. Her record 391 strikeouts left her averaging 13.7 strikeouts a game with hitters swinging and missing on 34.9 percent of her pitches.
Of her 2,895 pitches this season 70.8 percent went for strikes and she held opposing teams combining for just a .121 batting-average against her without surrendering a single home run.
On her success on the mound, Tiffany said, "My movement on the ball is what one of my big things. Also my mental toughness out on the mound, having to work through pitches, work on spin and everything out there each batter at a time."
While she may not get as much recognition for her contributions at the plate, Tiffany came away from the season as one of the Lady Bulldogs' top hitters. Batting near the top of the lineup, Tiffany hit for a .333 average and .385 on-base-percentage.
Her average improved to .410 with runners in scoring position, driving in a team-high 30 runners and scoring 19 times herself.
Tiffany's five home runs were a team high and her 10 doubles tied Kelsi Miller for most on the squad.
"Her hitting usually gets overlooked because her pitching is so dominant, but offensively she is one of our top hitters," Patton said. "One area she has worked on this year and has improved tremendously is taking the ball to the opposite field. During the off season and the spring school softball season, she will be working on improving hitting consistency and working on being able to place it when needed."
While her success this season has set a new bar as Tiffany prepares for her senior year, it's certainly not from out of nowhere.
She earned all-state honors as a freshman at Blytheville High School in Arkansas before transferring to Portageville and making second-team, all-state as a sophomore with the Lady Bulldogs.
Besides playing spring ball with her high school team, Tiffany credits staying active in the offseason to improving between seasons.
"During the offseason, last winter, we actually would go up to the building and had conditioning night," Tiffany said. "Me and my dad would go up there some nights and pitch and work on spin, just trying to get stronger for this year. It added to this summer of playing with my summer team.
"It was just a great experience with him and getting better in the summer to come out this fall and have a great season."
Though Portageville's 24-7 record and third-place finish is an impressive feat for a program in just its third year of playing fall ball, Tiffany and her teammates remain hungry.
She'll spend the offseason gearing up for her senior season and one more shot at bringing Portageville it's first ever stater championship.
"Taylor would be the first to tell you that there is always room for improvement," Patton said. "Her speed is there, but most of all her movement control is good, but will be even better by next year. Her fastball is definitely a great tool, but if she can't master the off speed then all of her work is for nothing. Her off speed is really good today, but a goal is to improve it even more for next year.
"One thing she has seen this year, especially in the postseason, the competition is great. Those teams eventually start to pick up her speed, and that is when the off speed and movement come in to play. She is at a level most 16 year old pitchers dream of. Now it is time to live that dream and make it bigger."