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Guided by Faith

Senior Ta'Tyana McElroy has been a highlight of softball program in more ways than one since she arrived in Corvallis four years ago

Noah Tinker

Issue date: 5/3/07 Section: Sports
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From the pitching circle to academics, Ta'Tyana McElroy has become a model student-athlete for the OSU athletics program. She has also been a part of the Rebuilding Baseball in Inner-cities program since her days growing up down in Los Angeles.
Media Credit: Peter Strong
From the pitching circle to academics, Ta'Tyana McElroy has become a model student-athlete for the OSU athletics program. She has also been a part of the Rebuilding Baseball in Inner-cities program since her days growing up down in Los Angeles.
Ta'Tyana McElroy doesn't give up easily. The senior softball pitcher, who turned 22 on Monday, rarely fails to accomplish any goal she's set her sights on whether it's in school, softball or life.

"It was just persistence that helped me to get to where I'm at now," she said.

Which, if one looks at her resume, are many places.

A starter with a 14-8 record for the No.13 Beavers, she also earned a spot on the second team Pac-10 Conference All-Academic squad, is a member of the Boys & Girls Club and a motivational speaker for RBI (Rebuilding Baseball in Inner-cities).

Balancing all these demands and responsibilities can be a bit tough though.

"It's definitely been difficult to balance both academics and softball but I just have to prioritize and manage my time as well as I possibly can," McElroy explained. "Sometimes I don't sleep to get stuff done and I try not to procrastinate. I think that's been the biggest thing that's helped me."

McElroy first got involved with RBI as a youth growing up in Los Angeles.

"I've been a part of RBI since I was 12, they've helped me so much softball-wise by just being able to play on a competitive softball team for free. And then academic-wise, they pay for SAT courses and tutoring so they helped a lot with my success in high school," McElroy said.

So, too, did her father Jim, who helped coach his daughter at Washington High School in LA.

"One day, he came home and asked me if I wanted to play softball and I just said 'yeah'," McElroy said. "I think I was eight when I first started playing and ever since he's been a great coach and always pushing me to succeed."

According to McElroy, it was a dictum from her father that helped keep her focused on self-improvement.
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