Dutch Fork standout, Clemson signee earns SC’s top baseball honor
Will Taylor earned the top high school baseball honor for the state of South Carolina on Tuesday.
The Dutch Fork High School standout was named S.C. Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year. The award is given to the top player in the state on and off the field. Taylor is the fifth Midlands baseball player and first since Lexington’s Nick Ciuffo in 2013 to win the award that has been handed out since 1986.
Taylor hit .450 with seven homers, 33 RBIs and 34 runs scored this season for the Silver Foxes, who advanced to Class 5A district championship. He also stole 21 bases and had on-base percentage of .586 and an OPS of 1.455.
In addition to his on-field prowess, Taylor is a member of his school’s Key Club, volunteered locally at a foster care facility and a food bank in addition to donating his time as a youth wrestling coach.
“Will Taylor has one of the greatest work ethics of any player I’ve ever coached,” Dutch Fork baseball coach Casey Waites said. “He has MLB power and speed. He is all business when he crosses the lines to play, and his baseball knowledge is at a very high level.”
Taylor, a quarterback on Dutch Fork’s state championship football team, is one of the top baseball prospects in the country. Baseball America projects Taylor going No. 9 to the Los Angeles Angels in its latest Major League Baseball 2021 mock draft released Monday.
Taylor signed with Clemson to play baseball and football and arrived on campus last week. He and his family haven’t publicly announced if he will stay at Clemson or play professional baseball. The MLB Draft is July 11-13 in Denver, Colorado.
Midlands SC Gatorade Players of Year
A list of Midlands high school baseball players who have won SC Gatorade Player of the Year since the award has been handed out in 1986.
2021: Will Taylor, Dutch Fork
2013: Nick Ciuffo, Lexington
2010: Forrest Koumas, Lugoff-Elgin
1996: Henri Stanley, Richland Northeast
1995: Reggie Taylor, Newberry
This story was originally published June 29, 2021 at 10:46 AM with the headline "Dutch Fork standout, Clemson signee earns SC’s top baseball honor."
