Everything just seemed to make it the right decision to make for Vian assistant football and baseball coach Jaykob Taylor.
In the end, Taylor accepted the position of coaching the Vian Lady Wolverines fast-pitch softball team, succeeding John Mays, who left to become the Cave Springs Hornets foot-ball coach and the high school’s dean of students.
One reason Taylor was excited to get the job was it won’t be too much longer before his own daughters will be in the program.
“I have a couple of girls coming up that are fixing to be in the program,” Taylor said. “I kind of figured it might be time to start focusing on them and leave football in the back seat for a little bit.”
However, the more important reason was the job will allow Taylor to do something he’s always wanted to do — be a head coach of an athletic program.
“The main thing that kind of threw me to it was I’ve always wanted to be a head coach,” he said. “I’ve been under (Vian baseball) Coach (John) Brockman. He taught me a lot about being a head coach. He kind of loosened the reins a little bit this year for me and let me do some more things than normal. My thought in the back of my head was if they’re going to go ahead and open it (the fast-pitch softball coaching job) up, and me being an option, then I’d like to get in there and bring some of the young energy I’ve got to the ladies. I think that’s important for them right now, and needed.”
Taylor is quick to point out it was a hard decision to give up being one of the assistant coaches for the Vian Wolverines football team, which was the Class 2A-II state runner- up and has a chance to end a 54-year drought without a state championship this upcoming season.
“I’ve been doing football for the last nine or 10 years,” Taylor said. “We made a (state title game) run last year, and it’s very likely we’re going to make another run again. Stepping away from that is a pretty big deal because I could have been coaching in the state championship game again. Baseball is my first love, and football is my second. We kicked around the idea that if it would happen (the fast-pitch coaching job opening), and they offered it to me, was I going to take the job. The ultimate thing was I think the girls deserved to have someone in there with some high energy and somebody to hold them accountable.”
Taylor said the first order of business is to change the Lady Wolverines softball players’ mindset.
“The main thing I want to get through to the girls, the community and the parents is I don’t want to settle,” said Taylor, who will have Inola assistant softball coach, and good friend to him and his wife, Vian cheer coach Jordan Taylor, Courtney Williamson helping out. “I want to bring a different level of commitment than maybe what they’re used to. I do have some pretty good girls coming up. We’re going to play a lot of ball games and play a lot of good teams. I think the main thing is with them, and me as a coach and for my assistant, is to just get the fire back about girls sports around here. This is the first girls sport out of the gate (fall fast-pitch softball season) for the year. I think it would be nice to kind of set the tone for our fast-pitch (softball) program, and not only for fast-pitch and the cheer — my wife is the head cheer coach — but on into basketball and on into slow-pitch. I just kind of want to get the girls in a mindset. We’re going to work and have the same goal, which is to get better and be competitive.”
Taylor said he can’t wait until the 2025 season arrives in August.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “This wasn’t one of those things where they asked me, ‘We need somebody to do this. Are you willing to do it for a year?’ I’ve always wanted to be a head coach. I think it’s going to open up new doors for me later on. It was definitely a decision that was very well thought through, and I’m 100 percent on board.”
