Taylor Purus gets ready to pitch for WCU during 2017 season. Photo by Becca Ross.
For Taylor Purus, WCU senior and pitcher, dreams and aspirations of playing Major League Baseball has come with a price tag. From Tommy John surgery to waiting two years to get an offer to play at Western Carolina University, it has not been an easily-paved road for Purus.
Originally from Long Island, New York, Purus moved to Hudson, North Carolina, just outside of Hickory North Carolina. When he made the move, he was in the sixth grade. He fell in love with the game of baseball as he would constantly follow his older brothers around and watch them play on the ball field.
“Watching them succeed, and my dad playing a little bit of professional baseball, it sort of seemed like baseball was the sport for me before I was even born,” Purus says .
Hoping for a fresh start, Purus transferred to Western Carolina, a division one university in the SOCON conference, from Catawba Valley Community College, in August of 2016. Purus always considered Western Carolina his dream school. It was the waiting game Purus had to play before he was able to transfer to WCU. The call from the coaching staff at WCU came in the fall of his sophomore year, giving him the chance to play division one.
“Honestly, it was not a tough decision at all. I wanted to go to Western out of high school, when the opportunity came and coach Mo called I had a feeling I was going there,” says Purus.
Now a senior, Purus’s motive for his big dreams and positive energy on the field rubs off on his teammates.
“Taylor is a great teammate man, he’s just a big ball of energy and he brings that energy everyday, he’s funny and just an all-around great guy,” says Jalen Jones, a shortstop and freshman for WCU.
That call served as a glimmer of hope for Purus’ vision to be a part of the MLB. Coming off of Tommy John surgery in July of 2016, Purus was looking to be medically cleared to play baseball again after tearing his UCL (Unlar collateral ligament) pitching for CVCC. He was granted that opportunity from Western Carolina.
“The surgery was a very long and grueling process, but I never lost hope or a positive mindset. It took a total of 15 months to start feeling like myself again. I’m extremely thankful for the training staff at Western, they did an incredible job at getting me healthy and back to full strength again during that time,” says Purus.
Despite the long process of his unfortunate injury, and waiting for the call from his dream school, his love for the game, competitiveness for winning, and vision of playing professional baseball kept Purus determined to stick with the game he loves most.
Since last spring, Purus has recorded 100 total strikeouts. He has been healthy and injury-free for a year and a half now, and his vision to play in the MLB has not changed.
“Playing professional baseball is my number one dream right now and has been since I watched my first game at Yankee Stadium. It takes a lot of talent, a whole lot of work with a little luck mixed in but it’s for sure in reach for a college athlete, it’s been an exciting college baseball experience, from junior college to a four-year college career. Lord willing, I’ll be able to close out my college career by being drafted,” says Purus
Come February, Purus will be in his last season of eligibility to play at Western, as he enters his second year at WCU in the starting pitchers’ rotation. Purus hopes to end his last year at Western Carolina with his name being called in the upcoming MLB draft.
