The Taylor Ducks varsity baseball team has turned to a familiar face to lead the program, recently promoting longtime assistant coach Lance Larson to head coach.
Larson replaces Kale McQuillen, who led the Ducks for the past two seasons. After spending the last decade coaching in Taylor ISD, Larson said stepping into the head coaching role is both an honor and a unique opportunity because of the relationships he has built with the players over the years.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Larson said. “A bunch of the kids I will have, I had since they were in sixth grade when I was doing pre-athletics, along with coaching them in seventh and eighth grade. It’s really cool to see them grow into the young men that they have become, and I’m excited to help them continue to grow in all aspects of life.”
Larson began his coaching career at the middle school level before joining the high school staff, giving him the chance to watch many of his current players develop throughout their athletic careers. He believes those longstanding relationships will help make the transition into the head coaching position a smooth one.
“The relationships are the biggest part because I know the kids well, and they know me just as well,” Larson said. “I know their weaknesses, I know their strengths. We all know how to talk whenever something isn’t going right, and we work together to fix it. That makes communication really easy.”
Taylor enters a new era looking to regain its footing after finishing 5-19 in district play over the past two seasons. Larson said changing the culture of the program starts with building trust, improving communication and making sure every player understands that success comes from playing together rather than trying to do everything individually.
“We need to work on communication and being able to know that we have each other’s back instead of younger guys feeling like they have to make every play,” Larson said. “We want to grow together and know that the pitcher doesn’t have to strike everybody out because his teammates behind him are going to make the hard plays and the routine plays.”
Larson said creating a team-first mindset will be one of his top priorities as he works to establish the identity he wants the Ducks to have moving forward.
“I want to build athletes who are player- driven,” he said. “I want them working on every aspect of their game and hustling on and off the field. I want kids who are going to grind when things get hard, put their heads down and keep working. I want us to grow together as a team so we can accomplish the goals we set for ourselves.”
Beyond wins and losses, Larson hopes to develop players who take pride in their work ethic, accountability and commitment to one another. He believes those qualities will ultimately translate into success on the field.
One reason for optimism is the amount of experience returning to the roster. The Ducks graduated just one senior from last season’s team, meaning the majority of the lineup will return with another year of experience under its belt.
Larson believes that continuity will allow the program to hit the ground running during the offseason and build momentum heading into the spring.
“I’m really excited to work with all the returning players,” Larson said. “It’s a positive thing to be able to build a program from the lower levels all the way up.”
Taylor will also face a new challenge next season as the Ducks compete in a new district featuring Travis, Early College High School at Eastside, Manor New Tech and Northside Early College. Larson said he is looking forward to the opportunity and believes his experienced roster will be ready for the challenge.
With a veteran group returning and a coach who has spent the last 10 years investing in the program, the Ducks hope the combination of continuity, experience and a renewed culture will help Taylor take a step forward as it begins a new chapter under Larson’s leadership.
