Taylor to compete for junior college championship

When the Alpine Bank NJCAA Division I JUCO World Series begins this weekend in Grand Junction, Colorado, a local name will be among the athletes from one of eight teams competing for a national championship. 

Former Graham Steers pitcher Ryder Taylor will represent both Graham and Seminole State University when the tournament kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 23.

Seminole College is a small school, with less than 2,000 students in Seminole, Oklahoma. Taylor and the Trojans compete in the Bi-State Conference as one of 24 schools across Oklahoma and Arkansas.

While Graham High School is more known as a football school, Taylor said he is excited to show that there is baseball talent in Graham.

“It’s pretty special because Graham is known for having a history of good football players, so being able to represent Graham as a baseball player is special,” Taylor said. “...I want to show that Graham can produce good baseball players.”

As a member of the Graham Steers baseball team, Taylor helped take the team to the playoffs each year of his varsity career. He capped his high school career with a trip to the regional final.

A 2025 graduate of GHS, Taylor has shone in junior college baseball. Making a deep playoff run so early in his collegiate career is a special experience.

“It means a lot. I’ve worked super hard this season to be able to compete at the college level,” Taylor said. “I have found that what I do will work in college, so there isn’t a whole lot I (have had) to change about my pitching except just throwing harder and throwing more accurately.”

So far in his freshman season, Taylor has eight wins in 12 starts. He averages 11.83 strikeouts a game with an earned run average of 3.67 in 54 innings pitched. He has five appearances in which he gave up no runs. 

Taylor’s first collegiate win came Friday, Feb. 27. He threw four innings, giving up two runs in a 15-5 win over Redlands Community College. In his most recent start, a 12-5 win over Northeastern Oklahoma A&M on May 9, Taylor struck out nine batters in six innings.  

Looking back at his time as a Graham Steer, Taylor said there were many lessons he learned that have helped propel his career in college. Hard work, dedication and making himself stand out have helped bring him to where he is today.

“I’ve learned that Seminole is a lot like Graham, as the coaches are going to push me to do more and push me to be the best version of myself,” he said. “They are also (going to) weed out the guys that want to be there and the guys that don’t, so thankfully Graham already engraved that mindset that I am going to be pushed to my limits, so it felt like I was in the same atmosphere here at Seminole.”

As Taylor and the Trojans prepare to compete for a national junior college championship, he does so with his hometown of Graham on his mind.

“I’d like to say thank you to the Graham coaches for helping me push myself to be the best version of me and helping me on my journey,” he said. “I’d also like to thank both my mom and my dad for pushing me to work for what I want and believing in me and my dreams.”

As the seventh seed, the Trojans will meet the fourth seed, Walters State. With a win, the Trojans would meet the winner of Johnson County and Harford at 7 p.m. Monday, May 25. 

The tournament is double elimination. Should the Trojans lose Saturday, they will play the losing team between Johnson County and Harford Sunday, May 24 at 3 p.m. All tournament games are available to stream online on ESPN+.