Pearl River baseball strengthened its championship-caliber program with the addition of Sam Taylor as hitting coach and recruiting coordinator. Head coach Michael Avalon announced the addition Tuesday afternoon.
Taylor replaces long-time assistant coach Slater Lott, who was recently named head coach at Itawamba.
"We are excited to welcome Sam to our coaching staff," head coach Michael Avalon said. "He brings valuable experience as a player in the MACCC and at the Division I level, along with professional experience from working as a scout with the Cleveland Guardians and, most recently, as an assistant coach with Southeastern Louisiana. His connections across the state will be a huge asset to our program. He will serve as our recruiting coordinator while working with our hitters and infielders. We are thankful to have Sam and his wife, Tori, join our family at The River."
Taylor joins the Wildcats after two impactful seasons at Southeastern Louisiana, where he served as Director of Player Development. In 2024, the Lions racked up 30 wins, made a postseason appearance and set single-season records for home runs (86) and batting average (.282.). A season later, Taylor helped the Lions improve their team batting average by 14 points to .296 for a brand-new record. Additionally, the Lions won 38 games and clinched the Southland Conference's Regular Season Championship.
Before getting into the collegiate coaching ranks, Taylor worked as a scout for the Cleveland Guardians and spent time as a medical device rep with Stryker. His baseball journey began at Mississippi Gulf Coast, where he earned NJCAA Academic All-America and All-MACJC Academic Team Honors. He then transferred to Northwestern State, where he was a two-time Southland Conference Honor Roll selection and was a 2019 All-Southland Honorable Mention selection. As a senior, he led his team with a .311 batting average and was second in hits (64) and stolen bases (12). As a junior, he helped lead the Demons to a Southland Conference Tournament title and a berth in the NCAA Regionals.
Taylor is a native of Columbus and earned his bachelor's degree in Health and Exercise Science from Northwestern State in 2019.
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