Taylor Peacock, a senior at Culver City High School and a captain of the girls’ softball team, received an athletic scholarship to San José State University for softball.

Peacock, who got into the sport by playing tee-ball with her brother, started getting recruited during the summer of her sophomore year, with San José State and Iowa State being the first to reach out. She took a tour of both schools but ended up connecting with both San José State and the head coach of softball at SJSU, Coach Tammy, through text messaging during her junior year. 

During Peacock’s time playing softball, she has been recognized for her skill countless times. 

“She has many impressive recognitions for her citizenship, character, hard work, and athletic awards,” Coach Brandy Peacock said. 

Peacock was the female athlete of the year in 8th grade and obtained “All CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) First Team Recognition” in 2021, 2022, and 2023, which is given to the top performers in a specific sport from a variety of high schools within the CIF section. She was also named the “All CIF Co- Most Valuable Player for Bay League” in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

And on the field, it clearly shows why she’s been recognized. Peacock recalls her team’s memorable upset against Norwalk in the third round of CIF playoff games last season amid challenging circumstances.

“Norwalk had the home field advantage and played their music incredibly loud so we couldn’t communicate with coaches and teammates like we hoped,” Peacock said. “Their players disrespected the game and ourselves by their body language, mimicking us, and not respecting our ability. When we shut them down, winning in the 8th inning at their field 1-0, that was the highlight of my high school career. We beat them through hard work and never giving up.”

In addition, Peacock mentioned a time when her team defeated North Torrance 2-1, even when everyone thought Culver would be the one to walk away with a loss after that match.

Finally, she said: “Softball has impacted my life the most because I learn life lessons through the game of softball. I learn how to fail and recover, and look within myself to improve to keep my teammates believing in us. I also learned that nothing is easy. Everything is won through a fight. I have always fought to pitch my best to represent my school, my team, and my friends. I love Culver softball. I would give the advice to a younger player to always work hard and believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody else will. So I would advise my teammates or anyone wanting to play D1 (Division 1) to work on their mental game as equally as their physical game.”

All in all, Taylor Peacock is a very capable softball player who has shown time and time again that she possesses valuable skills, not only in softball, but in life as well. With the scholarship that she received to San José State University, she looks forward to continuing to impress those around her with her skill and determination.