Randall’s Taylor McDaniel named GOAT Scholar Athlete of the Week

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Our GOAT Scholar Athlete of the Week signed to play DII college baseball at UT Permian Basin, but first he’s looking to leave his mark at Randall. Meet Taylor McDaniel.

Randall’s 6-foot-2 first baseman Taylor McDaniel is known for his defense.

“Having that length really helps me get to some of those balls that obviously a shorter guy wouldn’t be able to get to,” said McDaniel. “It makes it quite easier for the other guys to have a big target over there.”

So far in 70 at-bats, the UT Permian Basin signee has 23 hits and 16 RBI. His goal is to get a base hit allowing his teammates to bring him home.

“He’s really good in the locker room. His teammates love him. Coaches love to coach him,” said Cory Hamilton, Randall baseball head coach. “He can take criticism. He applies it to his game. He’s very coachable and he’s very fun to be around.”

The 2-year varsity player started playing baseball at 5-years-old. McDaniel’s father wanted Taylor to play for Randall, and when his dad passed away from a Hemorrhagic Stroke the Raiders helped him stay strong.

“That was a difficult time,” said McDaniel. “It’s difficult for anyone to lose a loved one like that. End of my sophomore year at the start of the season and going there was and being away from baseball was obviously hard. Being away from school was hard, but whenever I came back I didn’t skip a beat.”

McDaniel aspires to play in the Majors one day following in the footsteps of 2020′s number 2 overall draft pick from Randall.

“Growing up in this program you hear about Heston Kjerstadt and all those guys and I just want to be the next name and put this town on the map,” said McDaniel.

Congratulations to Taylor McDaniel on being named our FirstBank Southwest NewsChannel10 GOAT Scholar Athlete of the Week. To nominate a senior, go to https://www.newschannel10.com/sports/goat/.

The Randall Raiders play their UIL 5A Regional Quarterfinal against Lubbock Cooper starting Thursday at 8 p.m. at Wayland Baptist University. Game two is set for Friday at 7 p.m. and if necessary game three will be played Saturday at noon. Randall is riding a 17-game winning streak.

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