Softball: Richmond-Burton’s Taylor Davison commits to Syracuse after reopening recruitment

Richmond-Burton’s Taylor Davison, who verbally committed to Michigan State in October, was told last month that the Spartans, with a new coaching staff, would be going in a different direction.

Davison, as to be expected, took the news hard. But the Rockets senior didn’t have to wait long before a bunch of other schools came calling.

One of them, Syracuse, stood out above the rest.

Less than a month after reopening her recruitment, Davison committed to the Orange after a four-day visit to the Atlantic Coast Conference school in New York that checked all the right boxes. She announced her commitment to Syracuse softball coach Shannon Doepking on Saturday.

Davison, a power-hitting catcher, was blown away by the response she got after reopening her recruitment.

“I had other ones, but Syracuse was my No. 1 school that I really wanted to go to,” said Davison, a Northwest Herald All-Area first-team pick in the spring. “I got a few emails, text messages and a few people were DMing me on Twitter. It was actually crazy. I was not expecting that. I was super thankful for everything.”

Davison hit .333 with 12 homers and was named the Kishwaukee River Conference Player of the Year after she helped lead the Rockets to their third straight conference and second straight regional title. R-B came up one win short of its first state appearance in program history with a 1-0 loss to Rockridge in the Class 2A EastSide Centre Supersectional.

Davison said she had lots of support from family, friends, coaches and teammates throughout the process. One of her biggest supporters, she said, was College Bound Jocks, a recruiting service that had initially led Davison to Michigan State.

“Especially in the beginning, I was doubting myself a little bit, but I quickly learned that to make it work, to get interest back, I’ve got to work,” Davison said. “I worked my butt off this past month, and I’m going to continue to work until I go to college and even through college. I knew I’d be OK, even if I didn’t feel like it.

“I had a lot of people helping me. I had a few close friends who were really awesome. [College Bound Jocks] have had my back since my sophomore year. They’ve helped me so much.”

Davison built a strong connection with Doepking and the rest of the Syracuse coaching staff on her visit. She got to meet a couple of players and ate some good Italian food. Doepking was an All-SEC catcher at Tennessee during her playing career.

“She talks just about as much as I do, which is really cool,” Davison said. “We had four days to get to know each other and for her to get to know my family. I want to be on a team where I feel appreciated, and right out of the gate with Syracuse, I felt super appreciated.

“I’ve always loved the outdoors. I’ve always wanted to go to a bigger school and play high-level softball. Playing in the ACC is going to be a great experience. There are so many awesome things about the school. The people are great, the coaches are great, and the team chemistry at Syracuse is just awesome.”

Davison has one more year at R-B before continuing her dream of playing college softball. The Rockets bring back everyone next season and have a good shot of reaching state for the first time.

“I’m super excited because people are going to be more mature this year, and I feel like we’re just going to make it as far as we can,” Davison said. “I really want to experience state my final year. I don’t see why not.”