Clemson baseball outfielder Will Taylor spoke to the media ahead of Friday’s practice on Jan. 27. As opening day approaches, Taylor reflected on where he is physically coming off a long football season and how he’s balancing his transition back to baseball.

“I’m feeling great,” he said. “This is probably the best that I have felt this week for a long time, probably a year and a half. I’m glad to be out here with my brothers and I’m excited to get going.”

The transition from football to baseball is a change that Taylor has grown accustom to for many years, which has helped equip him in his preparation for this season. The sophomore emphasized that any sport and any game at Clemson is the biggest stage and that’s the exact mindset that he has as he enters this season.

“It’s the same, the same stage,” he said. “We’re here playing at Clemson University, it’s the biggest stage in the country. Just excited to be out here, we have the best fans in the country, can’t wait.”

“I’ve been doing it my whole life, since I was in eighth grade, so nothing new,” he added. “It’s been easy, these coaches have been working around my schedule, making it work together.”

Since head coach Erik Bakich has stepped on campus, there has been an emphasis of community service and building the Clemson baseball program around strong morals and values. Bakich’s approach of transforming the athletes into men of strong moral character has even been compared to the efforts of Clemson football head coach Dabo Swinney. Taylor expressed how he views his coaches in both football and baseball and his perspective on what Bakich has brought to the program.

“It’s been great, both sides football and baseball, it’s the same type of people and that’s the type of players they are going to coach and have,” he said. “Those are the types of coaches that win championships, so I’m excited to get back over here. It’s kind of the same, similar culture here and football.”

“Absolutely, we do a lot of community service, team meetings, and bonding the guys together,” he added. “That’s really important, especially in baseball, bonding with your teammates and having a close knit team together. That’s what going to win games in June.”

The outfielder is now ready to put his time, energy and focus into baseball and as the season quickly approaches, he is putting an intense focus in refining his performance in the outfield as he is vying for a starting role out there.

“Just stick to the plan all along, keep my head down and grind and it’s finally baseball season, so I’m away from football now,” he said. “I’m over here all the time now.”

“Really just my outfield game,” he added. “I jumped in it a little too quick last year. I was ready physically, but felt like I could get more reps, which was tough because the rehab process didn’t allow me to do that stuff, but I definitely feel like I’m crafting my work out there in the outfield. That’s one step I can definitely take in my game.”