Sports
Gimme 5: 'Big Game' Jayme Helped Rich Central Baseball Make Plenty of Noise
Senior pitcher Jayme Taylor gave his all as the Olympians enjoyed a terrific season.
Rich Central baseball player Jayme Taylor has gone by a couple of different nicknames this year.
There’s Big Game Jayme, because he’s been the starting pitcher in so many of the Olympians’ most important games. And there’s One Dog, which is a tribute to how hard he plays in every game.
Taylor most wanted to be named a state champion, but
Find out what's happening in Chicago Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Still, Taylor was a key factor in the Olympians posting a 22-7 record, and for winning the conference title and a regional title for the first time in over 20 years.
“When we played as a team, nobody in the state could beat us,” Taylor said.
Find out what's happening in Chicago Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Taylor had a rubber arm for the Olympians, going deep into every game that he pitched. The key to his success was his ability to change speeds and keep hitters off balance.
The highlight of the season for Taylor was winning regionals, and though the Olympians came up short of their goal of winning a state title, they established a mark for upcoming Olympian teams to strive to reach.
“We had our hurdles this year,” Taylor said. “We had a losing streak that helped us play better as team we always played like it was our last game.”
