Venus Taylor concluded her first season at the helm of the Charleston Southern women's softball program in 2019 after leading the Buccaneers to their best conference record in seven years.
CSU posted a conference record of 7-14 a year ago, and increased that to 12-12 in 2019. Overall, the Bucs finished 18-37 on the year while finishing fifth in the Big South Conference, their best finish since 2017.
Taylor guided the team to a six-game winning streak in conference play for the first time in program history.
Focussing on small ball, Coach Taylor had two players lead the conference in sacrifice flies and bunts. The team etched their name into the CSU Record Book in several different categories under her control.
Program Records from 2019 Under Taylor
- 9th in Home Runs with 19
- 12thin Triples with eight
- 6th in Hit By Pitch with 39
- 7th in Sacrifice Hits with 49
- 15thin Total Bases with 465
- 15thin Slugging Percentage with .335
- 11thin On-Base Percentage with .320
- 13thin Total Wins with 18
- 7th in Strikeouts with 224
- 7th in Lowest Opponent BA with .286
- 12thin Putouts with 1,083
- 3rd in Fielding Percentage with .963
Venus Taylor was named the new head softball coach at Charleston Southern University in October 2018. Taylor came to the Buccaneers with a wealth of coaching experience having served as the head coach at Judson University, as well as Bradley University and Lake City Community College.
Taylor spent four seasons as the head coach at Judson University amassing a 133-80-1 overall record with the Eagles. She posted successful campaigns in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference over her four years with an impressive mark of 64-28-1 in CCAC games. Each of her four seasons featured a berth to the NCCAA World Series and she added a pair of CCAC tournament appearances to her totals.
Her prior NCAA Division I coaching stops include serving as the head coach at Bradley University from 2003-05 and as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech in the early 2000s. She added an NJCAA National Championship in 2001 at the helm of Lake City Community College.
Taylor took a break from coaching to serve as a Fastpitch Business Manager for Wilson Sporting Goods where she orchestrated national sales, branding, sponsorships, endorsements, and affiliations for Wilson, DeMarini and Atec brands to increase brand development and sales. She served as a key public, media and client relations officer for fastpitch brands leveraging relationships with professional, collegiate and grassroots organizations, as well as associations and governing bodies.
Taylor was successful in planning and launching large-scale marketing and advertisement initiatives, as well as grassroots events and tournaments to highlight new product, brands, and technologies. She was a key member of the innovation team and led the execution and launch of the first-ever A2000 and A2K Fastpitch pro stock gloves. Venus negotiated and closed more than 125 collegiate sponsorship agreements with leading teams, including Michigan, Missouri, and LSU and in addition signed multiple Olympic Athletes.
In 2011, Taylor continued to follow her passion as a coach, motivational speaker, and educational leader, which resulted in the creation of her softball consulting company, Taylor Made Softball. Partnering with the Bo Jackson Elite Sports Dome in Lockport, IL, Taylor Made Softball was able to cater to young female athletes with a dream by way of providing opportunity, development, knowledge, and encouragement.
Taylor starred in her playing career at Western Illinois University from 1993-1997. During her time with the Leathernecks, she was a two-time team MVP, and an All-Conference and All-Region selection. She finished her playing career as the school’s record holder in numerous categories including hits, stolen bases, and runs scored. She was named the 1997 Western Illinois Female Athlete of the year, and in 2009 was inducted into the WIU Hall of Fame.
After graduating from college, Taylor was drafted by the now-defunct Women's Professional Softball League and went on to play for seven years with three All-Star Appearances and two World Championship rings for the 1999 Tampa Bay Firestix and the 2002 New York New Jersey Juggernauts.
Venus has one son named Talyn Taylor-Banks who she describes as "the greatest gift and blessing of her life."
