In the Lone Star State, even announcing the signing of a college National Letter of Intent can be ginormous.
For Leah Taylor, when she made it official that she was headed to her “dream school” of Tarleton State—about a two and a half hour drive southwest from her hometown of Lucas, Texas in the Dallas/Fort Worth area—her family went bigger-than -life in announcing to the world where she was headed.
A one-of-a-kind sign as big as a Texas semi-trailer was posted in front of the Taylor home that had the words “NLI,” “Congrats,” “Signing Day,” “Leah” and “Tarleton” on it along with some balloon, glove softball and other celebratory images.
Leah's father, Tim Taylor, explains that the family hired a company out of Allen, Texas called The Sign Gypsies to surprise the senior standout.
"They make custom signs for any event and install them in the place of your choosing, usually people's yards) for 24 to 48 hours, then come back and remove it."
"We came back home from batting lessons the night before signing and Leah saw it when we were turning into our driveway. She loved it!"
As a junior in 2019, Leah was the Defensive Player of the Year for 10-5A as a centerfielder for Lovejoy High and also was Academic All-District.
Playing shortstop, she didn't make an error all year long in district play while batting .485 with a .538 on-base percentage.
At the club level, she played outfield for Excel Elite - Williams 18U and help the team capture the 2019 USA Softball 18U Gold National Championship.
The senior, who can play multiple positions well but looks to be an outfielder for the Texans, says it was on her trip that she fell in love with the school which “is the perfect size, not too big or too small!”
Based in Stephenville, Texas, Tarleton State will be playing in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) starting in 2020 so Leah has a chance to be a trailblazer for her university of over 13,000 students.
Here's more on this talented 2020...
*****
Player Name: LEAH TAYLOR
Club Team: Excel Elite - Williams
High School: Lovejoy High School (Lucas, Texas)
Positions: OF/MIF
College: Tarleton State University
Where did you sign your National Letter of Intent (NLI)?
I signed my NLI at Lovejoy High School
Was it a big occasion or was it more low-key?
It was a medium-key event!
Did you do anything to celebrate the big day?
Yes we celebrated! It was nothing fancy but lots of friends and family were there for the signing ceremony and then a pizza party with two of my fellow teammate signees at our community’s favorite restaurant.
*** Scroll down to learn more about Leah including what stands out most to her about the recruiting process!
