On Tuesday, May 11, 2021, Hatboro-Horsham’s Kristen Myers & Kayla Tauber were recognized for committing to play collegiate softball.
“All the girls on the team were just a delight to coach, and we were just so excited we had a season with them,” HH coach Kelly Krier said. “Kristen and Kayla obviously missed their junior season, and they made our job easier because they were really just wonderful adults. We were just so bummed that our season ended (with a 1-0 loss to eventual state champion North Penn) because we just really enjoyed being together. Championships are great and titles are great, but after a year of not having those social connections – from a coach’s perspective, it was fantastic. If you asked the players, they would say the same thing.
“We had two 1-0 games with North Penn. I like to think we gave the well-deserved state champion a run for their money when we played them. The last four teams playing in the state tournament were out of District 1. It shows how great of a region that we play in. It was a great run, and Kayla and Kristen were so important to that. I think what matters most is what they passed on to the younger players that will help us each season moving forward. They really passed on what we hope is that tradition of teamwork, hard work, and it’s not about individual stats or individual accomplishments. It was a team effort, and they really embodied that. They really made it special.”
Kristen Meyers – University of Rochester (Softball)
Coach Kelly Krier says: “Kristen was leading a new outfield, and it was really their first time working together. She did a great job being that leader in the outfield. When Megan (Mills) got hurt, Kristen did a great job working with some of the jayvee girls that we brought up just to get them working together as a group in the outfield. Both she and Kayla did their jobs as captains in their respective areas of play.
“Kristen brought a sense of levity to the team. She was always smiling and positive. She was our leadoff hitter, and she really stepped up for us in that spot. She had some really big hits, and what made her such a clutch leadoff was she saw pitches really well, she ran deep counts. She was a really aggressive base runner, and when we needed to get her in scoring position, we could get her there pretty easily. She set the tone for us offensively, and having Kristen and Kayla hitting at the top of our lineup was really important. We didn’t have a lot of seniors, but they were what we needed for this year, coming off not having a 2019-20 season. They lost their junior year, but they stepped up really well and were just great leaders for this season.”
Kayla Tauber – St. Joseph’s University (Softball)
Coach Kelly Krier says: “Kayla is just a solid leader. She leads by example. I always knew Kayla was always going to be that rock. She’s super steady, super reliable. She set the tone throughout our preseason and season. What was also really nice was you could see the younger players brought out a ‘young excitement’ in her for lack of a better term. With Kristen too – it was their senior year, but they got to have a really great experience with young players, and they could be young players too in some ways.
“On the field, Kayla was always reliable, always so surehanded, she saw the ball so well. Even though she doesn’t play shortstop all that much for her travel team where she plays second base, she really just was a solid anchor of our infield. She was playing with a freshman at second base who had never played second before, a sophomore at third base and Marissa Rapino was playing first base for the first time, so Kayla was so important to the development of our defense in the infield. She had a really good connection with our pitchers. She always pulled the team together and just got everyone refocused. If there was an inning where there was a runner in scoring position or was threatening to turn the game, she would pull everyone in and say, ‘Let’s get focused.’ Kendal Leitner had such a strong year pitching, and Kayla didn’t have to have lights-out plays every game, but when they did happen, she always made it. She was just so reliable in the field.
“Offensively, some of her bunts were just so beautiful. She really turned it on after our first five games. She was so clutch hitting for us, and by the end of the season, she hit .500. Whether she was bunting her way on, getting a clutch hit, working a count to get walked, there was never a time where she was an easy out. She just worked so incredibly hard, and that shows in her going to St. Joe’s and all of her accomplishments.”
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