D3baseball.com Daily Dose

By Jamie Chagnon, Lynchburg College

Baseball. To many it is only a game, to some it’s a passion, and to one, Mr. Jeff Taylor, Sr., it was a way of life. Taylor Sr. was tragically killed Tuesday afternoon after a freak accident on Lynchburg College’s baseball field. With his passing, the world has lost a man who cared passionately about the things he loved: his family, his wife Mary Clare, his son, Jeff Jr. and the game of baseball.

I have met few, if any, people in my lifetime that have cared more about seeing their child do what they love than Jeff Sr. did. Jeff Jr., a junior on the Lynchburg College baseball team, has starred for the last three years at LC and the one constant during that time was always Taylor Sr.

Now, many people can say that they attend every game, and while this is impressive, Taylor Sr. went even further. The eldest Taylor almost never missed a practice at Fox Field, and with his profession as a professor of kinesiology at Liberty University, it allowed for him to get across town to watch Jeff Jr. on the field.

The way the accident happened is so freakish, that it’s almost unbelievable. Throwing batting practice to his son was something that he had enjoyed since Jeff Jr. began playing the sport they both loved and cherished so dear. On this day, though, a great baseball man and person so endeared by everyone around him was killed on the very diamond that he enjoyed frequenting.

As the head baseball contact for Lynchburg, I had the honor of talking and interacting with both father and son on a daily basis. More times than not, Taylor Sr. knew more about the baseball team and conference than I did, a blow to my confidence, but an indicator on how much baseball influenced this man. I loved my conversations with him as I knew that every time I spoke with him, a different perspective and unique observation would come from it.

Mr. Taylor loved baseball so much, that he even loved to talk about it online. Taylor developed a friendship with members of the D3Baseball.com website, where he would find anyone and everyone willing to talk baseball with him. I’m sure that the online community will miss Jeff and his infinite wisdom about the Hornets, ODAC and Division III baseball.

As talked about earlier, Taylor Sr. loved his son more then anyone I have ever met, and enjoyed any activity where Jeff was involved. Mr. Taylor was often found watching his son’s flag football games on campus as well as anything else Jeff was involved with. Even when it was 20 degrees, 100 degrees, raining, snowing or humid the one constant was always … Mr. Jeff Taylor Sr.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Taylor Family along with the Lynchburg College baseball team, the Lynchburg and Liberty communities and everyone else who knew Jeff Taylor Sr. I’m positive that next time, and every time, the younger Taylor steps onto a baseball field, classroom or when he graduates and becomes successful at whatever he does in life, Mr. Taylor will be right there with the best seat in the house.