Taylor Edwards Season 2014

Career Game-By-Game Stats
Career Honors & Awards

• No. 8 Pick in National ProFastpitch Draft (2014)
• First-Team NFCA All-American (2014)
• Diamond Sports/NFCA Division I Catcher of the Year (2014)
• First-Team NFCA All-Midwest Region (2014)
• Two-Time First-Team All-Big Ten (2013 & 2014)
• Two-Time Big Ten All-Defensive Team (2013 & 2014)
• USA Softball Player of the Year Watch List (1 of 50 in 2012)
• USA Softball Player of the Year Finalist (1 of 25 in 2011)
• NFCA All-America Third Team (2011)
• NFCA All-Midwest Region First Team (2011)
• Second-Team All-Big 12 (2011)
• Women's College World Series All-Tournament Team (2013)
• Two-Time Big Ten Player of the Week
• Big 12 Player of the Week (Feb. 22, 2011)
• Invited to try out for U.S. Junior National Team (2010)
• NCAA and Nebraska Record Holder for Consecutive Games with a Home Run (6 in 2011)
• NCAA and Nebraska Record Holder for Grand Slams in a Game (2 in 2013)
• Nebraska Record Holder for Career Home Runs (53)
• Nebraska Record Holder for Career Grand Slams (4)
• Nebraska Record Holder for Career Walks (150)
• Nebraska Record Holder for Career Hit-by-Pitches (39)
• Nebraska Record Holder for Grand Slams in a Season (2 in 2013 & 2014)
• Nebraska Record Holder for Walks in a Season (41 in 2014)
• Nebraska Record Holder for Hit-by-Pitches in a Season (16 in 2013)
• Nebraska Record Holder for RBIs in a Game (8)
• Nebraska Record Holder for Runs Scored in a Game (4)
• Nebraska Record Holder for Hit-by-Pitches in a Game (3)
• Four-Time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll
• Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award (2014)
• Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2014)

Career Capsule
Taylor Edwards was a four-year starter at catcher for Nebraska from 2011 to 2014. A three-time all-conference performer, Edwards was the first All-America catcher in school history. She earned third-team NFCA All-America accolades as a freshman in 2011, when she was one of 25 finalists for the USA Softball Player of the Year Award. Edwards earned All-America recognition again as a senior in 2014, when she was named a first-team All-American. Edwards was Nebraska's first first-team All-American in 15 years and just the sixth Husker to be named a first-team All-American. Edwards was also chosen as the nation's top catcher as a senior, becoming the first Husker to win the Diamond Sports/NFCA Division I Catcher of the Year award.

Edwards ended her career with 17 school records and a pair of NCAA records. The national records she held included most grand slams in a game (2 in 2013) and most consecutive games with a home run (6 in 2011). Edwards set Nebraska career records with 54 home runs, four grand slams, 150 walks and 39 hit-by-pitches. She also owned Husker season records for walks (41 in 2013), hit-by-pitches (16 in 2013) and grand slams (2), in addition to game records with four runs scored, eight RBIs, four walks and three hit-by-pitches.

In addition to her three Husker career records, Edwards ended her career ranked second in school history in RBIs (202), third in runs (177) and total bases (423), fourth in slugging percentage (.629), fifth in doubles (41), sixth in hits (220), eighth in at bats (673) and games played (233) and 14th in batting average (.327).

In her career, Edwards hit .327 with 220 hits, 177 runs, 41 doubles, 54 home runs, 202 RBIs and 150 walks. She posted a .471 on-base percentage and a .629 slugging percentage, while stealing 12 bases and earning 231 career starts.

Edwards produced more than 150 career hits, runs scored and RBIs, joining three-time All-American Ali Viola as the only players in school history to reach each of those milestones. Edwards and Viola are also the only Huskers to produce two 50-RBI seasons and produce 40 career doubles and 40 career home runs. Edwards was the first Husker to post two seasons with more than 15 home runs, and she was also the first Husker with three 30-walk seasons, a feat she accomplished four times. Edwards reached double-digit home runs in three of her four seasons, as she and her twin sister Tatum became the third and fourth Huskers to accomplish that feat.

Senior Season [2014]
Edwards capped a stellar career by earning first-team All-America honors in her senior season, becoming the first Husker to garner first-team accolades in 15 seasons. Edwards was also a first-team NFCA All-Region selection, a first-team all-conference honoree and the catcher on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team. She was also named the Big Ten Player of the Week on April 21.

Edwards batted .346 in 2014 with eight doubles, 18 home runs and 43 RBIs. She set career highs in runs (58), hits (65), homers and walks (41). Edwards also posted the highest on-base percentage of her career as a senior (.492) and the second-highest slugging percentage (.676). Defensively, she posted a .990 fielding percentage and led all Big Ten catchers in pickoffs, runners caught stealing and opponent stolen base percentage. Edwards started all 62 games at catcher for Nebraska in 2014, as she ended her career with 123 consecutive starts behind the plate.

Edwards' 41 walks tied the school record and her 18 homers and 13 hit-by-pitches ranked second on Nebraska's season charts. Edwards also posted the third-highest run total, the sixth-most total bases (127) and the eighth-highest slugging percentage.

Edwards opened the year with a 22-game hitting streak, the longest season-opening hitting streak in school history. She also hit safely in the final three games of the 2013 season, stretching her overall hitting streak to 25 games, one shy of the record. The final hit during her hitting streak was a walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning that lifted NU to a 2-1 win over No. 6 Washington.

Edwards hit her final home run at Bowlin Stadium on May 3 against Indiana. The homer was the 53rd of her career, tying Ali Viola's school record. Edwards then broke the record with the final home run of her career in the NCAA Regional against No. 15 Missouri on May 18.

Off the field, Edwards earned a Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Leadership Award and an appointment to the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.

Junior Season [2013]   
Edwards made a strong case as the league’s best catcher in 2013, as she was the catcher on the Big Ten All-Defensive team and one of five players to be chosen as a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection. Edwards started all 61 games behind the plate during a record-breaking junior season, setting one NCAA record and six school records. Edwards, who also earned a spot on the Women’s College World Series All-Tournament team, batted .328  with 14 doubles, 13 homers and 54 RBIs.

She led Nebraska in doubles, home runs, runs scored (45), hit-by-pitches (16), slugging percentage (.622) and on-base percentage (.463). Her 16 hit-by-pitches smashed the previous school record of 11, while she twice set Nebraska’s single-game record after being hit by three pitches. Edwards set Nebraska’s single-game record and tied NU’s season record with two grand slams, accounting for eight of her Husker junior-class record 54 RBIs. She ranked sixth overall in school history in RBIs in 2013, while also ranking sixth in doubles and eighth in home runs. Additionally, her 14 doubles and 13 home runs both ranked among the top three totals by a Husker junior.

Edwards led Nebraska with 17 multi-hit games and nine game-winning RBIs in 2013, while ranking second with 16 multi-RBI efforts. She ranked in a tie for 22nd nationally in hit-by-pitches and was second among all Big Ten hitters in hit-by-pitches, fourth in home runs, fifth in RBIs, sixth in doubles, eighth in total bases (112) and 10th in runs scored.

With 14 doubles and 13 homers, Edwards became just the seventh player in school history to hit 10 doubles and 10 home runs in the same season. She also surpassed 30 career doubles and 30 career home runs during her junior campaign, becoming only the fifth player in school history to reach both milestones and joining three-time All-American Ali Viola as the only Huskers to reach those marks as a junior. With her 54 RBIs, Edwards also joined Viola as the only players in school history to produce more than one 50-RBI season, as Edwards produced 67 RBIs as a freshman in 2011.

Edwards drew 32 walks in 2013, becoming the first player in school history to draw 30 walks in three separate seasons. The 32 walks increased Edwards’ career total to 109, the highest three-year total in school history. With her 16 hit-by-pitches, Edwards drew 48 combined free passes, the second-highest total in school history, trailing only Gabby Banda’s 50 in 2013.

Overall, the big junior season helped Edwards become only the third player in school history to produce 100 career hits, runs and RBIs prior to her senior season. She is just the 10th member of the 100-100-100 club overall.

Edwards began her junior campaign in grand fashion. She was named the first Big Ten Player of the Week of 2013 following an outstanding opening weekend. Edwards produced four multi-hit efforts in five games, finishing 10-for-18 (.556) on the weekend with two doubles, three home runs, four walks, six runs scored and 15 RBIs. She produced three hits, a double, a home run and five RBIs in the final game of the weekend against New Mexico, but the highlight of the weekend came on the second day of the season against Illinois-Chicago. Against the Flames, Edwards hit two grand slams to mark the only multi-homer game of her career. She tied an NCAA record by becoming just the fourth player to hit two grand slams in a game, while her eight RBIs were a school record, eclipsing the previous record of seven set by her twin sister Tatum in 2012.

Taylor excelled during the Big Ten Conference portion of Nebraska’s 2013 schedule, batting .373 with nine doubles, five home runs, 22 RBIs, 18 runs scored, 14 walks, a .780 slugging percentage and a .553 on-base percentage. Her nine doubles in league play led all Big Ten hitters, while she produced more hits and doubles during the 2013 conference slate than she did in her first two conference seasons combined. Overall, Edwards set conference career highs in every category in 2013, with the exception of walks.

Edwards’ big conference season got off to a strong start in a doubleheader at Illinois in the final weekend of March. She went 1-for-1 with a double, a walk, three hit-by-pitches and four RBIs in game one, before homering and driving in three runs in game two. Edwards produced a career-high two doubles and recorded one of her four three-hit efforts on the season at Iowa in the first weekend of April, producing two runs and two RBIs. Two weeks later, she went 3-for-5 with a double, a homer and four RBIs at Purdue. Edwards was 0-for-3 in the series opener against No. 9 Michigan the final weekend of April, snapping her streak of reaching base safely in 22 consecutive games.

Edwards excelled in the NCAA Tournament, helping her become Nebraska’s first Women’s College World Series All-Tournament team selection since 1998. Edwards went 4-for-9 (.444) in Oklahoma City with a game-tying extra-inning home run against No. 2 Florida and three runs scored and a pair of RBIs overall. During the NCAA Lincoln Regional, Edwards produced four runs scored and four RBIs in three games.

Defensively, Edwards continued to be one of the nation’s top catchers. In addition to her spot as the catcher on the Big Ten All-Defensive team, Edwards tied for the conference lead in pickoffs (7) while allowing only 32 stolen bases in 61 games. She posted a .990 fielding percentage, committing just four errors in 416 chances.

Sophomore Season [2012]
Edwards started 53 games in her sophomore season, including 45 behind home plate, seven as the designated player and one at third base. Edwards batted .269 in 2012 with 12 doubles, five home runs, 38 RBIs and 40 walks. The 12 doubles were a career high and ranked third on the team, while she was second in on-base percentage and tied for second in RBIs.

Edwards’ numbers dipped as a sophomore in part because teams were less willing to pitch to her, as she tied NU’s then-single-season record by drawing 40 walks in 2012. Her mark tied the previous record set by first-team All-American Ali Viola in 1998 and fellow first-team All-American Jennifer Lizama in 1999. Edwards matched the production of the first-team All-America duo in four fewer games and 13 fewer plate appearances than Lizama and seven fewer games and 21 fewer plate appearances than Viola. Edwards drew at least one walk in 29 of her 53 games, including 11 games where she walked twice. Overall, Edwards ranked third in the Big Ten in walks and 30th nationally in walks per game.

One year after setting a then-Big 12 Conference record for RBIs by a freshman, Edwards continued to drive in runs as a sophomore, producing 12 multi-RBI games in 2012, including tying her career high with four RBIs against Colorado State on Feb. 17. The 38 RBIs she produced increased her career total to 105 RBIs in only 110 career games. In 2012, Edwards joined Viola as the only Huskers to record 100 career RBIs prior to their junior season. Edwards was at her best in RBI situations as a sophomore, batting .313 with runners in scoring position and ranking second on the team with 17 two-out RBIs and five game-winning RBIs.

Edwards tied a school record in the opening weekend of the season when she scored four times in Nebraska’s 11-10 upset of eighth-ranked Arizona in the second game of the year. Despite fewer games and fewer plate appearances, Edwards matched her 2011 total with 37 runs scored in 2012. She also produced 11 multi-hit games, including nine in the season’s first 14 games, when she proved why she was one of 50 players nationally selected to the USA Softball Player-of-the-Year watch list. Edwards batted .426 in 16 February games, and she was hitting .346 at the start of Nebraska’s Big Ten season in late March.

In Big Ten play, Edwards drew 25 walks in only 23 games. She averaged one walk for every 3.3 plate appearances, while posting a .439 on-base percentage and a 5-to-1 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Edwards’ 25 walks in conference-only games ranked second among all Big Ten players.

Freshman Season [2011]
Edwards was arguably the nation’s top catcher and best freshman position player in 2011. She batted .356 on the season with 18 home runs, 67 RBIs, 37 walks, a .738 slugging percentage and a .483 on-base percentage. Edwards started 50 games at catcher and made her other five starts as the designated player. The third-team All-American became the first Husker catcher to earn All-America accolades after producing a record-breaking freshman season. She established an NCAA record by homering in six consecutive games in February and finished among the national leaders in RBIs (7th) and home runs (13th). Edwards ranked among the top 10 freshmen nationally in home runs (1st), RBIs (1st), walks (5th), slugging percentage (7th) and on-base percentage (10th).

Edwards was the nation’s only freshman to be named one of 25 finalists for the USA Softball Player-of-the-Year award. She was also one of only two catchers named a player-of-the-year finalist, along with Oklahoma’s second-team All-American Jessica Shults.

Edwards’ season left an impression on the Husker record book. She ranked second in school history in home runs, third in RBIs, fifth in slugging percentage and walks and seventh in total bases despite playing only 55 games. Edwards set the Nebraska freshman record for home runs and walks, while posting the second-most RBIs, second-best slugging percentage and third-highest batting average. Her 67 RBIs were a Big 12 freshman record, while Edwards joined three-time All-American Ali Viola as the only Huskers to hit 15 home runs and have 50 RBIs in the same season, regardless of class.

On the conference level, Edwards led the Big 12 in RBIs and ranked second in home runs, third in total bases, sixth in walks, slugging percentage and on-base percentage and ninth in batting average. For her efforts, she joined Shults as a second-team All-Big 12 selection at the catcher position.

Edwards produced an RBI in 35 of her 55 games, including 22 multi-RBI games, while driving in the game-winning run in 14 of Nebraska’s 41 victories. She twice produced a streak of seven consecutive games with an RBI, tying the then-school record and becoming the only Husker to reach the mark twice in a career, let alone the same season. She reached the 30-, 40-, 50- and 60-RBI marks faster than any other hitter in NU history and hit 10 home runs faster than any other Husker. As her RBI total would suggest, Edwards was a clutch performer. She batted .524 with 10 home runs and 57 RBIs in only 63 at bats with runners in scoring position on the season. Edwards was even better with runners in scoring position and two outs, going 15-for-23 (.652) in those situations with two home runs and 25 RBIs.

Edwards added 14 multi-hit games and found her way on base in 46 of Nebraska’s 55 games. She produced a career-best 11-game hitting streak early in the season, while also reaching base safely in 28 consecutive games in February and March. She excelled against top competition, batting .318 with a .636 slugging percentage and .467 on-base percentage in Nebraska’s nine games against top-10 opponents. Edwards added a double, two home runs, seven walks and six RBIs in those nine contests.

Defensively, Edwards committed only three errors in 439 chances behind the plate. She threw out more than 30 percent of would-be base stealers and added two pickoffs.

Before Nebraska
Edwards had an outstanding career at Vista Murrieta High School. She was one of only two players nationally selected to participate in the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Under Armour All-American Softball Games, which are annually limited to 30 of the top high school players in the country. Edwards also earned first-team All-America honors from EA Sports in 2009 when she was named the nation’s top junior. In 2010, Edwards was one of 44 players to earn an invitation to try out for the 2010 U.S. Women’s Junior National Team, along with Husker sophomore Hailey Decker.

Edwards was selected as the 2009 California State Junior of the Year and was named a first-team all-state selection regardless of class or school size. She repeated as a first-team all-state selection in 2010 when she was one of six finalists for California Ms. Softball, in addition to being named an All-American by MaxPreps.com. Edwards also earned a spot on the CalHiSports.com all-state underclass team, reserved for non-seniors, in each of her first three seasons. She was a second-team selection as a freshman and earned first-team honors in both her sophomore and junior seasons.

In her prep career, Edwards boasted a .520 career average with 38 home runs, 30 doubles and 135 RBIs. She tied the Inland-area record with her 38 home runs, while boasting a .977 career slugging percentage and an on-base percentage better than .610.

As a senior, Edwards finished with a .452 average, nine homers and 28 RBIs. Teams pitched around her, as Edwards walked 29 times - including 13 straight at one point - to average a free pass every three plate appearances. For her efforts, she earned a spot on the Los Angeles Times’ all-star softball team for the second straight season.

In 2009, Edwards put up incredible numbers at the plate. She batted .571 with nine doubles, 15 home runs and 45 RBIs in only 32 games. She struck out just twice on the season and drew 20 walks to post a .649 on-base percentage that complemented a 1.209 slugging percentage. According to MaxPreps.com, Edwards led all California juniors with her 15 home runs, while ranking third in RBIs and fifth in slugging percentage.

Edwards also posted terrific numbers in 2008 when she was one of only four sophomores named to the 30-player all-underclass first team. She batted .544 with a .602 on-base percentage and a .900 slugging percentage after hitting 12 doubles and slugging six home runs. She also produced 40 RBIs in only 30 games.

As a freshman, Edwards batted .500 with seven homers, four doubles and one triple. She added 22 RBIs in 28 games while posting a .522 on-base percentage and an .841 slugging percentage. Edwards was selected for the CalHiSports.com underclass all-state second team, as she and her sister Tatum were among the only three freshmen selected to the first or second team.

Edwards played her travel ball for Marty Tyson and the Corona Angels. Coached by the father of current Husker infielder Dawna Tyson and former Husker Tori Tyson, the Angels posted a runner-up finish at ASA Gold Nationals in 2008, to go with two more runner-up finishes at the 12- and 14-and-under national championships (2007) and a third-place finish at the 2007 14-and-under national tournament. For her efforts, Edwards and her sister, Tatum, were both selected to attend the 2007 adidas Futures Top 100 camp, which is an invitation-only event designed for the top high school softball prospects in the nation.

Personal
Taylor Brianne Edwards was born on April 26, 1992, in Fountain Valley, Calif. The daughter of Brian and Denise Edwards, Taylor has one brother, Tyler (27), a twin sister Tatum (21) who is also a senior for the Huskers, and a sister Tristen (15). Taylor is a sociology major and was a four-time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll selection.

Year	Avg.	GP-GS	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	OB%	SLG%	SB-ATT	FLD%
2011	.356	55-55	160	37	57	7	0	18	67	37	27	.483	.738	2-2	.993
2012	.269	55-53	145	37	39	12	0	5	38	40	17	.443	.455	1-1	.975
2013	.328	61-61	180	45	59	14	0	13	54	32	31	.463	.622	6-7	.990
2014	.346	62-62	188	58	65	8	0	18	43	41	26	.492	.676	3-4	.990
Total	.327	233-231	673	177	220	41	0	54	202	150	101	.471	.629	12-14	.987