CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — West Oso baseball star Kendall Taylor returned to the field for his senior night, nearly a year after a rare freak accident left him worried he would never play the game again.
Thanks to community support on the Westside, Kendall Taylor was able to travel out of state, find a specialist, and undergo a necessary hip surgery.
"I'm looking forward to playing my senior year pain free and giving everything I got on the field," Kendall Taylor said before his surgery.
Now, he has done just that. Over the past year, I have kept in touch with Kendall Taylor and his family, and this week, they invited me to his senior night. With his family walking beside him, the moment was a year in the making.
"Play carefree. Don’t worry about anything else, and just keep on playing," Kendall Taylor said.
Kendall Taylor did not get through his recovery alone. West Oso baseball coach Mike Lewis, who has known him since third grade, said watching him play on senior night was bittersweet.
"Definitely trying to hold back tears with a player like that, especially because of the way he plays," Lewis said.
Lewis said just seeing him back in the lineup is a win.
"Doctors saying he might not play anymore, but here he is," Lewis said.
When Kendall Taylor steps on the field, the whole team feels it.
"So you know when he’s on the field they’re like okay we got Kendall, we got our rock, so we’re ready to go," Lewis said.
Kendall Taylor's mother, Stacy Simmons, said the night was a complete 180 from when he was injured a year ago.
"Totally different. Just 100% no pain at all," Simmons said.
Simmons said the way the Westside community showed up for her son meant everything.
Kendall Taylor's father, Tim Taylor, said the journey built more than a ballplayer.
"Going through all this, I think he’s ready. He’s ready to take on life," Tim Taylor said.
The experience built a young man learning how to push through, and he even earned a college baseball offer along the way. Kendall Taylor plans to announce where he will be signing next month.
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