Rye Country Day’s senior softball sensation Taylor Forte ended her high school career by leading her team to a 15-2 record, which included a heartbreaking 4-3 loss in the State Championship game on May 22.
By Melanie Cane
Rye Country Day’s senior softball sensation Taylor Forte ended her high school career by leading her team to a 15-2 record, which included a heartbreaking 4-3 loss in the State Championship game on May 22.
Forte was on deck when the third and final out of the game was made. Who knows what would have happened if she had gotten that last at bat with runners on first and second? Maybe something big, as she had the team’s best batting average, at .630, most extra base hits, and runs batted in.
“I love playing in close games, when it comes down to the last inning. When the pressure is on, I’m most focused and perform best,’’ Forte said.
“Softball challenges me physically and mentally,’’ Forte said. “No two situations are ever the same so I always have to think quickly and react.”
Before transferring to Rye Country Day as a junior, Forte played two years of varsity softball at Pleasantville High. “I was looking for a more rigorous academic program and a more enriching school culture.” She was voted Most Valuable Player at both schools. She thanked Coach Margaret Scarcella for her leadership and support. “I am proud that we got to take her to the State Championship.”
Scarcella said Forte was one of the easiest players she’s ever coached because she’s open to doing whatever is asked of her. For example, Forte was willing to cover left field even though she usually plays first base or center field. “She always asked me what she could do to help improve the team,” Scarcella said.
Recruited by Tufts, Washington University, Middlebury, Seton Hall, Rhodes College, and Cornell, Forte chose Emory, a Division III school, because of its prestigious softball tradition and excellent academics. Emory’s softball team is currently ranked 14th nationwide.
Taylor started playing Little League softball when she was 6 years old, because her older brother played baseball, and her father coached.
By the age of 11, Forte was playing with a traveling team, Total Kaos out of Harrison. 
“As I got older, the most competitive teams became rarer. I have participated in tournaments as far away as Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, and Utah in addition to playing in the Northeast.” She also plays with the highly competitive Hudson Valley Hurricanes Gold.
Forte said she realized the extent of her passion when she kept choosing softball over everything else — including friends, parties, and her second love, soccer.
“The friends I met through softball and their families became my extended family, and that’s when I realized I loved it even more.”
Forte said she learned to do homework on the road. She always made the High Honors Roll at Pleasantville and is an AP scholar with Distinction at Rye Country Day, where she took seven Advanced Placement classes.
The senior Wildcat thanked her parents for allowing her to pursue playing college softball. “They plan their work schedules and vacations around my tournaments and I appreciate all the emotional and financial support they provide me on and off the field,’’ she said.
