« Softball 2018

Taylor White

School
The Ohio State University
Position
OF
Major
Sport Industry

Classroom

Taylor White is a member of the dean’s list as a sport industry major on schedule to graduate in May. She is also the recipient of the Miechelle Willis Academic Achievement Award recognizing students who have constantly strived to improve their academics.

Last summer, White took part in the “Bucks Go Pro” internship program which places student-athletes in work environments in Ohio State’s Athletics Department and campus wide. She was the lead programmer for Buckeye Bash, an event for over 800 student-athletes with a budget of over $60,000. She also worked in the Marketing and Fan Experience office, assisting with attendance analysis for softball, lacrosse and men’s basketball.

Character

Last summer, White was selected to attend the NCAA Leadership Development Forum in Indianapolis. She was the only female selected from the Big Ten’s 14 institutions. White sat in on committee meetings and had the opportunity to listen to legislation and proposals that were being discussed. A native of Granada Hills, Calif., she traveled over 2,000 miles from home to attend Ohio State, all while her mother was battling an illness back at home in L.A. She also endured an eight-month rehabilitation process to come back from an injury that occurred at the end of her junior season.

Community

On campus, she founded an organization called S.H.E.R.O.E.S. which stands for Sisters Helping Everyone Reach Opportunity for Success. Its goal is to empower African-American student-athletes on campus and create a close-knit, supportive environment.

This past fall, she planned an ESPNW event on campus that included student-athletes and coaches from all of Ohio State’s female teams.

Competition

As of nomination time, White had started 142 of the 155 career games in which she’d played and had amassed a .308 batting average, 93 RBI, 19 home runs, 22 doubles and 37 stolen bases. Last year, she was a second-team All-Big Ten selection after hitting .324 in conference play with 34 RBI and a .703 slugging percentage. Her 42 RBIs overall were a career high and the second most on the team. During her sophomore year in 2016, she hit .342 in 23 Big Ten games and also had a .972 fielding percentage in center field. In 2017, she was a second-team All-Big Ten selection, and for the past two years, she has helped the Buckeyes make NCAA Tournament at-large appearances. Ohio State’s Rookie of the Year in 2015, she made her debut by hitting .341 in 48 games with nine doubles, 19 RBI and eight stolen bases. She has seen her RBI total, slugging percentage and home runs increase in each of her three seasons.