Laura Taylor

				Last College: Seton Hall '05 Position: Assistant Coach At St. John's: Third Season

Laura Taylor is in her third season with the Red Storm and carries with her a vast amount of knowledge about the BIG EAST as both a player and an assistant coach. She spent the 2006 season, her first as a coach, with the Providence Friars, who finished sixth in the league with an 11-11 mark and a 29-19-1 record overall. It was the first time since the 1996 season that the Friars advanced to the BIG EAST tournament, as they compiled the program's most conference wins since 1995.

"Taylor has been a loyal and hard-working assistant for me and the St. John's program. She has been on board every step of the way with the rebuilding process and adds valuable ideas and knowledge to our staff," said head coach Amy Kvilhaug. "Taylor is the first to arrive to the office and the last to leave, working hard to ensure that all the "little details" are taken care of. As our recruiting coordinator, she has assisted in landing some top recruits as well as securing future visits with some of the top athletes in the country. Her work ethic is just as apparent on the field as she spends countless hours with the players, analyzing their swings and discussing their plans to achieve offensive success. She is consistently looking to learn and improve herself, an admirable quality when working to be successful."

Taylor has also spent her summers working with various camps and clinics in the New Jersey area. She has served as an assistant and a hitting instructor for many camps, working with athletes both individually and in groups and continues to do so at St. John's.

As a player, Taylor had a phenomenal four year career at Seton Hall. She closed out her career as one of the top hitters in the NCAA and in Seton Hall history. The assistant coach is the Pirates all-time leader in home runs with 59, a record that also places her 11th on the NCAA's all-time list. Taylor also contributed 180 hits and a program-best 160 RBI. She was named BIG EAST Player of the Year in 2005 and was a three-time All-BIG EAST and All-Northeast Region selection. The slugger earned BIG EAST Player of the Week honors five times over her career and was named Seton Hall's Female Athlete of the Year on three separate occasions. In 2002, her rookie season, Taylor was the NCAA Home Run Statistical Champion.

Taylor graduated from Seton Hall with a bachelor's degree in finance. In 2005, Taylor signed a professional contract with the NY/NJ Juggernauts of the National Pro Fastpitch League. Her father Jeff is currently a top-ranking scout for the Cincinnati Reds and has scouted for the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays in the past. Originally from Hockessin, Del., Taylor currently resides in Queens, N.Y. and she is pursuing her MBA at St. John's.