Senior outfielder Taylor Goldstrohm sauntered to the plate, wanting to make an impact for the team. She was still longing for her first home run and knew that she was due for her first round-tripper. She went into the at-bat imbued with frustration, knowing that she had yet to hit a home run. She saw the first pitch was inside, and she swiftly got her hands through the zone and drove the ball over the left field fence for her first career home run.

“I saw the first pitch it was inside and I took the first pitch right over the left field fence,” Goldstrohm said. “It just felt like it was nothing.”

Goldstrohm’s first career home run was a memorable one for her. Nonetheless, she had come a long way leading up to the moments of her first dinger.

Although softball is her number one sport, she’s also dedicated time to soccer and track & field.

Her love for soccer and softball and baseball was one of the main reasons she went to Point Park University.

“It was just an easy choice for me because I could do both soccer and softball,” said Goldstrohm. “It just made sense to go to a smaller school and focus on my athletic events and school at the same time.

The opportunities and the proximity to home also helped in her decision to attend Point Park. She also realized she had the opportunity to play at Highmark Stadium, which is the home of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

“Highmark Stadium was one of the things that attracted me to PPU. City in the backdrop, clean professional facilities, great turf and just a short trip from campus,” said Goldstrohm. “My family is from Pittsburgh so they were able to come see me play in one of the conferences best if not the best venue.”

Goldstrohm did not have to travel far to attend Point Park. She grew up in Mcdonald, PA, and went to West Allegheny High School, which is a short distance away from the city. She was a member of the track & field team and played both soccer and softball in high school.
Track and field was her first option in which she got a scholarship. Nevertheless, she was a walk-on for the softball team. Despite being a walk-on, Goldstrohm had experience in high school and adjusted quickly to the collegiate level.

“I was technically a walk-on (for softball) and I wasn’t really prepared,” said Goldstrohm. “Whenever I don’t think I do my best. It was kind of easy for me because I’m used to the high intensity at West A because we were at such a high level. It was pretty easy and it was a smooth transition.”

The outfielder took no time to adjust during her freshman season, starting in 37 games. She held a .281 batting average, while collecting 32 total hits. She was a contributor for the team and helped them make the River States Conference Softball Championship. However, the team fell short in the RSC softball championship, losing to Indiana University Southeast. Despite making an impact on the diamond, she also made an impact in soccer during her freshman season.

In the 2018-19 season, she started 9 games for the team and scored three goals. The team also reached the semifinals in the River States Conference (RSC) Championship. Her success continued into her sophomore season where she started in 19 games and put up 8 goals, tallying 19 total points.

She also saw improvement during her sophomore softball season. In nine games, Goldstrohm batted .433 with 13 hits, and 10 runs scored. She was on pace for an incredible second year for the team, but the season was cut short. This was tough for the entire team. The season was cut short, but the team realized that all teams were going through the same issues. In 2020 going into 2021, sports returned for Point Park and Goldstrohm continued into her soccer season in the fall. In her first 11 games, she achieved a career high in goals for a season, scoring nine, while also notching 19 total points. Nonetheless, the soccer season was split into a fall and spring portion. Soccer and softball collided, and Goldstrohm was challenged with a difficult decision and had to choose between the two sports.

“The two coaches allowed me to do off season training as I could fit it into my schedule. Understandably after coaching changes, there were conflicts between soccer and softball. I was expected to attend more and more practices in the ‘offseason’ to be prepared for the playoffs that were pushed to the spring due to COVID,” said Goldstrohm. “I was already training five days per week with softball so something had to give, and it wasn’t going to be my school work. After consulting with my family, I made one of the most difficult decisions I had to make in a long time and that was to end my soccer career.”

She made the decision and chose to play softball, but she misses the competition and her teammates in soccer.. This decision paid off though as she started in 40 games throughout her junior season. Goldstrohm batted an astounding .441, along with achieving a .476 on base percentage. She also hit her first home run and tallied 16 extra base hits. Goldstrohm had career highs in hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, and stolen bases.

“At the end of my high school season, I thought I was gonna lose it [softball] forever, and I was really upset,” said Goldstrohm. “Whenever I got the opportunity to play in college, I took it because I couldn’t let it go. I don’t know, it’s just something about the game that I love to do.
And it’s such a game of failure that it kind of picks me up whenever I’m down in real life. So it’s just like a life lesson too.”

Goldstrohm said she loves the game of softball. In her last season, she stuck with softball and wouldn’t play soccer her senior season. The team recently returned home from Florida and is prepared for the season. Goldstrohm is excited for her senior season and wants to be able to contribute to the team.

“I love doing anything for my team. I’m a big team person. I love it,” said Goldstrohm. “Playing well is good for me and my team. I wish we could have gone further in the playoffs, but it was really cool.”

Goldstrohm said she is not only ecstatic for the season but is prepared for her future in schooling.

“I have a legal studies major with an econ minor, and I was applying for law school and trying to get into law school, so after this in about two weeks I’ll figure out if I get into law school or not.”