BY ERIC-PAUL JOHNSON
HEMET › Taylor VanZee needed to dedicate countless hours of training in her goal to be one of the best softball players in the nation. So it came as a small surprise when VanZee decided to try out for the volleyball team during her freshman season at Hemet High. This is the era of sports specialization, and it’s extremely rare to see a softball player of VanZee’s caliber take on a second sport. However, VanZee wanted to try something new, and she fit time into a busy schedule. “I’ve always liked to mix things up and do more than one thing,” VanZee said. “I love softball, but I also just love sports in general. I played many different sports when I was growing up, and I wanted to keep doing that. “All my best friends were playing volleyball, and I wanted that experience of being on that team. Sports are supposed to fun, and fun is what I got out of playing both sports.” And VanZee excelled in both of those sports. She leaves Hemet as the area’s career leader in hits (218) and doubles (63). VanZee also established Riverside County records for career batting average (.596), career runs scored (173) and career triples (17). As a senior, she hit .624 with 49 runs and 39 RBI. On the volleyball court, VanZee worked her way up through the years and eventually became the team’s starting libero as a senior. She registered 354 digs (5.3 per set), which ranked seventh in the Inland area. For these reasons, Van-Zee has been voted the HSGametime Girls Athlete of the Year. “Taylor is someone who you just describe as being a pure athlete,” Hemet softball coach Jeff Galloway said. “She also has a high sports IQ, and that’s something that helped her become a very solid volleyball player. Taylor, I believe, is somebody who’d excel at a high level no matter what sport she tried.” Galloway knew he had a special player when top college coaches were asking him about VanZee during her freshman year. VanZee made an immediate impact for the Bulldogs, starting her career with a 41-game hit streak, which stands as a Riverside County record. VanZee, a shortstop who has signed with Washington, continued to impress as the years passed. Before her senior season, VanZee was ranked the 14th best senior player in the nation by StudentSports.com . It wasn’t easy to reach that elite level, and VanZee had plenty of help along the way. Since she was 10, VanZee has trained with Nina Lindenberg, whose solo homer helped Fresno State capture a national title in 1998. And VanZee also gave credit to Tony Rico, her longtime travel ball softball coach with the Huntington Beach-based Firecrackers. “And, of course, there are my parents,” VanZee said. “Their support, their dedication and their sacrifice throughout the years has really helped me get to this point in my life.” Jeff and Stacey VanZee have been the foundation behind their daughter’s success. They’ve made trips to lessons, games and practices, many of those taking place more than a hour away from their Hemet home. “It was very important for us as parents to give her all of the opportunities to succeed,” Jeff VanZee said. “That was our job. Taylor has taken those opportunities and done her job by working to become better every day.” “We’re definitely proud of the athlete she has become, but even more proud of the person that she has become,” Stacey VanZee said. “With Taylor, it’s never been about individual success. She’s always been a team player who cares about her team and teammates.” The records she set on the softball diamond are not what VanZee said she will remember most. No, it’s the CIF-Southern Section championships she helped the volleyball and softball teams win in her junior season that will stand out. “I still get chills thinking of them,” she said. VanZee said she hopes to achieve the same feeling playing at the collegiate level. She leaves for Seattle on Sept. 7. “I’m very excited to start this next chapter,” VanZee said. “I want to be successful both academically and athletically. It’s going to be a real challenge, but I’m ready to take it on.”