Taylor Hinshaw went through the usual adjustments for a college freshman, but the former Winder-Barrow High School standout is now settled in and even looking to the future.
Hinshaw recently completed his first season for Chattahoochee Valley Community College in Phenix City, Ala., and has set a goal of helping lead his team to a conference title next spring.
“My first year of college baseball was a great experience,” Hinshaw told the Barrow Journal. “Coach (Adam) Thomas and Coach (Dash) O’Neill’s style of baseball was a little different than I was used to in high school, but it wasn’t hard to make the transition.”
CVCC won its regular season division title and was fourth at the conference tournament.
“Our team workouts in the fall were really intense,” Hinshaw said. “That helped us bond as a team, helping and encouraging each other to the finish. It was a great experience and I can’t wait for next season.”
Hinshaw, who helped the WBHS Diamond Doggs to the state tournament his senior season, quickly picked up on a few differences in the levels of play.
“The differences I noticed making the transition from high school to college baseball were that the runners were a lot quicker getting down the lines and that the baseball got off the bat a lot quicker,” Hinshaw said. “Even with a change in the bats, there were some teams which had power throughout their lineup, which you weren’t used to seeing everyday in high school.”
Another adjustment Hinshaw had to make involved time management.
“It was difficult at times managing school, practices, workouts and not having much free time during the spring got very tiring,” he said.
Still, Hinshaw has pressed on and is set for his sophomore season.
Hinshaw and his Pirate teammates are looking forward to competing for a conference title in 2012 and making it to the Junior College World Series for the first time.
“I am also hoping to get the chance to be re-recruited and play at either the University of Georgia or Georgia Southern for my junior and senior years,” Hinshaw said.
Former WBHS teammates Trace McDaniel and Dustin Dunagan also competed for CVCC this spring.
Former teammate Clint Spratlin is set to join the trio for the upcoming season after a year at Connors State in Oklahoma.
