By Jim Konst, Boulder City Review
It’s not difficult to see where Boulder City junior catcher Taylor McKeever gets her softball skills.
Her mother Tammy (Bahde) McKeever played softball for the Lady Eagles, and was even inducted into the Boulder City High School Sports Hall of Fame.
“It feels so good having my daughter follow in my footsteps,” said Tammy McKeever, who also played at UNLV. “I’m very, very proud of her. Taylor is a great athlete and is awesome. She had to switch from shortstop to catcher this year and she’s getting pretty good at it.”
Tammy McKeever graduated from Boulder City in 1985, and competed on the basketball, softball, and track and field teams.
Her Lady Eagles softball teams were the state champions in 1984 and 1985, and she received first-team, all-state honors at shortstop both years.
“I’ve enjoyed going to all of Taylor’s games over the years,” Tammy McKeever said. “Taylor’s my last kid, and I don’t know what we’ll do when she graduates. I don’t know what we’ll do with all the time.”
Tammy McKeever also played in center field for UNLV, earning the first academic all-American honors for the program.
“I loved playing softball at UNLV but it was hard,” Tammy McKeever said. “It was like having a full-time job. I enjoyed all the travel, and we even got to go to Hawaii twice. We were in one of the toughest conferences, and we always seemed to lose the championship to UCLA.”
Taylor McKeever has been playing softball for over nine years, with three years on the varsity squad at Boulder City including last season’s state championship team.
She competes almost all year long on her club team called Extreme, and enjoys playing catcher, shortstop, third base and outfield.
Taylor McKeever said her mom’s interest in sports has fed her desire to succeed.
“My mom has always been there for me with my softball,” she said. “She taught me how to field, and always is the first one to notice when something is wrong with my batting stance or swing. She always spots the little things that make a big difference.”
Taylor McKeever is the Lady Eagles’ top hitter with a .552 batting average, 17th in the state across all classes.
She’s been the clean-up hitter since her freshman year.
On Friday against league rival Moapa Valley, Taylor McKeever went 7-for-8 with a double and a triple in the doubleheader.
The Lady Eagles swept the Pirates 21-0 and 19-0.
Taylor McKeever followed by hitting a three-run home run on Monday in the Lady Eagles’ 10-2 win against Spring Valley.
“I love softball,” Taylor McKeever said. “I’m hoping to get a scholarship and continue to play in college. It would be so cool if I could get a scholarship to UNLV like my mom did. She’s such a stud and I love her.”
She was named to the Class 3A second-team, all-state for softball at shortstop last season.
Taylor McKeever’s skills go beyond the softball field as she was named the Athlete of the Season for winter sports at the end of basketball season this year.
She has received 12 letters of interest from different colleges for softball and basketball.
She has played all three years at the varsity level for the basketball Lady Eagles at shooting guard and point guard.
She was named Class 3A all-Southern first-team this year for basketball.
The whole McKeever family has been full of athletes involved at Boulder City. Tara McKeever graduated in 2008, and played on the basketball and softball teams. Timmy McKeever was a 2010 graduate, and starred on the football, wrestling and baseball teams.
Even their father, Tim McKeever, has been an assistant coach with the softball program for the last seven years with the Lady Eagles.
“I love playing softball at Boulder City,” Taylor McKeever said. “It’s so much fun, and I enjoy all the girls on the team. We’ve played together for so many years through club ball and high school. We feel like a family, and everyone gets along well.”
Boulder City has an important double-header tomorrow, Friday, in Mesquite against the Virgin Valley Bulldogs. The Lady Eagles undefeated league record will be on the line, and seeding for the regional championships next weekend.
Boulder City is on a quest to defend their state softball championship for a second straight title.
“We’re continuing to get better,” Taylor McKeever said, “and I think we have a solid shot at repeating as the state champs. We’ll probably have to face the tough team from Dayton this year.”
Jim Konst is a freelance writer and can be reached at jkonst54@aol.com, or 294-1992.
