SIGNING: CBA's Waddell headed to UMO

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on November 13, 2016 9:40 AM

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PIKEVILLE -- Intimidating.

That's one of the buzz words C.B. Aycock softball coach LaVon Matthews used to describe Taylor Waddell. The University of Mount Olive coaching staff wholeheartedly agreed with Matthews' assessment.

Waddell signed to play with the Trojans and will surely bring that formidable mound presence along with her.

"It's an honor," said Waddell, who plans on pursing a major in the medical field. "I'm very proud of myself for working hard to get to this spot and thankful for all the support that I've had over the years to get here."

Much of that hard work immediately translated to the softball diamond last year. Waddell finished with a 9-1 record, threw eight complete games -- including six shutouts -- struck out 58 batters and posted a 1.23 earned run average inside the circle.

The right-hander said her biggest strength is that she never gets too low. If she gives up a walk or hit, Waddell said she knows how to move on to the next pitch.

"I worked hard," Waddell said. "I pitched every single day for a good 45 minutes. And I had confidence when I was on the mound and knew that I had to get the job done."

At first, Waddell said she had no idea that UMO would be in the equation. She said they attended a game last season to watch her pitch, but she just happened to be playing third base.

However, a conversation still sparked interest. Waddell visited the school and fell in love with the campus and the coaches. She believes she will have a chance to quickly contribute.

"My pitching -- (the coaches) really liked it," Waddell said. "They like my attitude, and they can see me being a very big asset to the team."

Matthews, who has coached Waddell for the past four seasons, said he expects her to take on an expanded pitching role this spring. Among the list of things to work on will be perfecting her change-up, which is something he asks of all his pitchers.

The veteran head coach said UMO is getting a good ballplayer -- one that no batter is eager to face.

"(Waddell's) got very good speed," Matthews said. "She's intimidating with her size. You have some little pitchers out there who probably can throw the ball hard, but don't look like they can. When you get a taller girl on the mound and they've got a little bit of speed on it, that's sort of intimidating."

Waddell joins a program headed in the right direction. UMO advanced to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional in 2013 and 2014. The senior will have no issue helping the Trojans continue that winning tradition.

She's played in two N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 3-A state championship series with the Golden Falcons. Aycock is expected to make another title run in 2017.

The Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference, along with the rest of the area, should expect Waddell to be a significant part of that run. It's a safe assumption that the intimidation factor will be included along the ride.

"(I expect) for us to go out working hard in all of our big conference games," Waddell said. "Because most of the teams we'll play -- like Conley and South Central -- we've played those girls since we were little. And we want to beat them for the last time."