promise to his father that he is keeping, despite the tragedy that occurred nearly two years ago. On April 28, 2009, Jeff was taking
J
batting practice while preparing for summer collegiate ball with the Mar- tinsville Mustangs. As had been the case so many evenings in his life, Jeff was tak- ing his hacks from his favorite batting practice pitcher — his dad, Jeff Taylor Sr. “We were going through my second
round, and it was actually the last pitch of the round … I thought, ‘I’m going to end on a good, hard-hit ball,’” Jeff recalls. Although Jeff Sr. was pitching behind
an l-screen (a safety net designed to pro- tect pitchers throwing batting practice), Jeff ’s line drive struck his father in the neck. He collapsed to the ground. Jeff performed cpr on his father, but Jeff Sr. was pronounced dead shortly afterward at Lynchburg General Hospital. Many people might have walked away
from baseball, but not Jeff. He is now a minor league baseball player for rookie- level Arizona League Reds, living a life- long dream and keeping his promise to his father to pursue professional baseball. From early on, father and son were
bonded by the sport. It permeated every aspect of their time spent together. Lit- tle league, fall ball, high school ball, Jeff Sr., was there for nearly every one of Jeff ’s games. As a standout for Heritage High School
in Lynchburg, Virginia, Jeff could have played baseball anywhere. Instead, he elected to stay local, and patrol the dia- mond for Division iii Lynchburg Col- lege so his father could follow his quest to the pros.
18 LC MAGAZINE Spring 2011
e f f Taylor Jr. made a
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