The Lady Indians of Stilwell wrote a new chapter last spring by reaching the slowpitch softball state tournament for the first time in school history. That experience continues to fuel the fire for Taya Ross and her teammates to go back-to-back in 2023.

“It’s no longer just a dream, it’s our mission,” said the junior shortstop. “But to get there you can’t take anything for granted, you can’t make any excuses. It’s going to require a lot of hard work.”

Having played softball since she was six years old on a team that included current day teammates Katelyn Wilson and Kaysia Thurber, Ross cherishes the learning experiences playing the game she loves most.

“It’s more than just wins or losses. Learning how to play softball and becoming successful also teaches you priceless life lessons,” Taya said with a spirit of confidence in her voice. “I’m still learning how to keep pushing myself and my teammates to be successful. I know one thing from playing softball, you can NEVER give up.”

Playing shortstop during the slowpitch as well as during fastpitch season, Ross explains another value of the game she’s learned game by game.

“On every pitch, you have to be ready because you’re going to get a lot of hot shots off the bat giving you a chance to come through in the clutch. It requires me to always be mentally focused.”

In the classroom, Taya enjoys crunching numbers in her math classes. And if given the choice of food for her team’s after game meal, she knows exactly what she’ll say to coach Kyle Decker when he asks what’s for dinner.

“I’m always going to say, coach let’s eat spaghetti and maybe some pizza.”

Ross, who wears the number-5 Stilwell red and white jersey with pride, is defined by most as faithful, competitive, encouraging and hard working- the latter of which she chooses to show her teammates on what it will take to reach the state tournament in May.

“We all have to push each other to the limits. To me that’s what leadership is all about,” defined Ross. “That means setting the standard by your actions not just getting in someone’s face with words. Hollering won’t get the job done, but doing things the right way everyday is the road I try to follow, on and off the field.”