SPRINGFIELD, IL – University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) baseball all-American Cole Taylor signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim organization on Monday.
 
Taylor is the first player in UIS history to sign with an MLB-affiliated organization. The senior from Fairmount, IL debuts in Rookie-ball with the Orem Owlz in Orem, UT.
 
Taylor describes what it was like to get the call from the Angels organization:
 
"It felt great. I was at a loss for words. It felt as if everything you had worked for your entire life had fallen into place and that all the hard work was worth it."
 
Although the transition from college- to pro-ball will require some adjustments, Taylor's approach will rely mostly on providing the same work ethic that he brought in college.
 
"I feel that my approach can't change. If I change something, then that would be like I wasn't working hard enough to begin with. I just have to take it one day at a time and give everything I can into that day."
 
Before beginning his college career, Taylor put together an outstanding prep career while representing Jamaica High School as a two-way player in the Salt Fork Co-op. The Storm went 22-4 during his freshman year and 18-7 during his sophomore year.
 
During his junior year, Taylor went 43-for-107 with eight doubles, three triples, 26 RBIs and a .402 batting average. On the pitcher's mound, Taylor put together a 9-3 record with a 1.18 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 77 and one-third innings. Salt Fork locked up Illinois High School Association (IHSA) 1A Regional and Sectional titles before taking fourth place at the state tournament and finishing the season with a 22-9 record.
 
As a senior, Taylor went 49-for-87 with a .563 batting average. He set Salt Fork single-season records in hits, batting average, runs (43), doubles (17), triples (4) and RBIs (41). Taylor also recorded eight wins, struck out 88 batters and registered a 0.84 ERA. The Storm went 24-3 and claimed its second-consecutive IHSA 1A Regional crown.
 
Salt Fork put together an 84-23 record during Taylor's tenure. Taylor received All-Vermillion County recognition and All-Vermillion Valley Conference honors during his sophomore, junior and senior years. He collected IHSA 1A all-state honors, garnered Danville All-Area recognition and was tabbed the Commercial-News All-Area Baseball Player of the Year in both his junior and senior years.
 
Continuing his career at Parkland College, the Cobras went 34-24 during Taylor's freshman year. As a sophomore, Taylor finished 66-for-184 with a .359 batting average. Taylor tallied 15 doubles, six triples, five home runs, 48 RBIs and 47 runs. Parkland finished No. 9 in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II national rankings and ended the year with a 45-16 record. The Cobras won the Region XXIV Tournament to advance to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament.
 
In 2017, Taylor went 85-for-215 with a .395 batting average for UIS. He turned in 25 doubles, which ranked first in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) and third among NCAA Division II leaders. Taylor was selected to the All-GLVC East Division First Team, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) NCAA Division II All-Region First Team, the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Midwest Region First Team and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) NCAA Division II All-Midwest Region First Team, in addition to being selected as the UIS Newcomer of the Year. He then received NCBWA NCAA Division II All-American Honorable Mention amd garnered ABCA NCAA Division II third-team all-American honors. Among UIS single-season leaders, Taylor's 2017 performance puts him first in doubles, first in hits (85), T-1 in triples (4), second in batting average, fourth in runs (63), fourth in total bases (154), fifth in RBIs (47) and fifth in slugging percentage (.716). UIS put together a 33-21 record while finishing third in the GLVC East Division with a 19-9 conference record.
 
The Prairie Stars went onto have a historic season in 2018. UIS established a program record in wins, going 47-9 on the season. The Prairie Stars went 23-1 in the GLVC East Division to capture their first-ever division title while setting a program record in conference wins. UIS received its first-ever regional and national rankings, peaking at the end of the regular season at No. 2 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (CBN) NCAA Division II poll, No. 4 in the NCBWA NCAA Division II poll, No. 5 in the Perfect Game NCAA Division II poll and No. 1 in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional rankings. The Prairie Stars qualified for their first-ever NCAA Tournament and went 2-2.
 
Among NCAA Division II leaders, UIS ranks finished in home runs per game (1.86), first in scoring (9.4), first in slugging percentage (.581), seventh in doubles per game (2.36) and eighth in batting average (.327). The Prairie Stars led the GLVC in each of the previously listed categories. UIS also ranked third in the conference with 1.61 stolen bases per game.
 
Taylor began the 2018 season by being tabbed as a CBN NCAA Division II Preseason All-American. He went 79-for-225 with a .351 batting average on the season. Among NCAA Division II leaders, Taylor finished eighth in doubles (24), T-12 in runs (67), T-15 in total bases (149), T-33 in RBIs (61) and T-39 in hits. Amid GLVC leaders, Taylor closed out T-2 in runs, third in doubles, fourth in RBIs, fourth in hits, fourth in total bases, fifth in slugging percentage (.662), T-5 in homers (14) and T-8 in stolen bases (18). Taylor has been named GLVC Player of the Week. He was also selected to the All-GLVC East Division First Team, NCBWA NCAA Division II All-Midwest Region First Team, the D2CCA All-Midwest Region First Team, the ABCA All-Midwest Region First Team, the ABCA NCAA All-American Second Team, the D2CCA All-American Second Team and the NCBWA NCAA Division II All-American Third Team.
 
Among UIS single-season leaders, Taylor's ranks T-1 in runs, second in hits, second in doubles, second in stolen-base percentage (.900), T-3 in stolen bases. fourth in home runs, fourth in RBIs, fifth in total bases, T-5 in walks (27), sixth in slugging percentage and 10th in on-base percentage (.435). Taylor finished 164-for-440 with a .373 batting average for his career. Among UIS career leaders, Taylor ranks first in doubles (49), first in stolen bases (25), second in batting average, second in slugging percentage (.689), second in homers (26), second in RBIs (108), second in runs (130), second in total bases (303), second in hits (164), second in triples (6), fourth in on-base percentage (.447), T-5 in walks (48) and sixth in sacrifice hits (9).
 
"UIS gave me the opportunity to pursue my career at the next level. They pushed me to excel in my sport, in the weight room, on the field and off the field. UIS is on the rise, as we showed this year, and I see continued success in the near future."