Beating Valencia Tandem Amounts to a Tall Order

There isn’t much time to react when 6-foot-1 Jordan Taylor of Valencia unleashes one of her 65-mph fastballs from 40 feet.

“It’s intimidating, the girls tell me,” she said.

Taylor, a 16-year-old sophomore, could be the next elite softball pitcher in Southern California. She has such a mammoth stride and pushes so powerfully off the pitching rubber that she ends up seven feet away from the rubber after releasing the ball.

As talented as she is, Taylor might not be the No. 1 pitcher at Valencia. She shares duties with Hawaii-bound senior Courtney Baughman.

“It’s a good one-two punch,” Coach Donna Lee said.

Valencia (27-3), seeded No. 2 in the Southern Section Division I playoffs, has the option of using either in big games, such as today’s quarterfinal at Camarillo (24-5).

Taylor threw a one-hitter to beat Westlake Village Westlake, 3-0, in the first round. Baughman threw a four-hitter to beat Garden Grove Rancho Alamitos, 1-0, in the second round.

Taylor is 16-3 with 214 strikeouts in 127 innings. The 5-11 Baughman is 11-0 with 110 strikeouts in 86 innings.

“They’re right on the batter as soon as they deliver,” Lee said. “It’s frightening to have two pitchers so tall.”

What’s frightening is how well they get along. Both want to pitch, but with only one ball, it’s up to Lee to decide who sits and who plays.

“Both of us want our team to do well,” Baughman said. “Whatever works out for the team, we want.”

Added Taylor: “Courtney is a sweetheart, and I don’t think anybody could dislike her. Of course, everyone wants the spot, but people agree with Ms. Lee.”

Taylor’s development has opposing coaches fretting over the next two seasons. She was a junior varsity pitcher last season and helped her travel team, Gordon’s Panthers, finish third in the 16-and-under nationals last summer. She throws hard and also has a drop screwball that gives batters fits.

As far as sophomore pitchers in California, the clear No. 1 college prospect is Donna Kerr of San Diego Henry, who recently struck out 31 consecutive batters and had 39 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings. Some say she’s ready to pitch at the college level.

Taylor, though, is making progress in gaining the consistency of an elite pitcher.

“It goes game to game,” she said. “You can have the best game of your life and the next game completely blow it. The best pitcher is the one who goes out every game and shuts down the batters. I can’t say that about myself.”

Baughman’s experience should be helpful to Valencia’s title bid. She has come through in pressure situations, but so has Taylor.

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It never ceases to amaze me how foolish fans can be when evaluating a coach based on a won-loss record.

Mike Maio guided Woodland Hills El Camino Real to four City Section baseball titles in the 1990s. He came out of retirement this season to coach at Westlake Village Oaks Christian. The Lions finished 9-17 in the regular season, causing some to wonder if Maio should be sent home to a rocking chair.

If only all players and their parents could realize what a special coach he is. He sees his job as teaching discipline and preparing his players for life, which is why his teams do so well in the pressure of playoff competition.

It should come as no surprise that Oaks Christian has made it to the Southern Section Division V quarterfinals with two upset victories. Suddenly, Maio is a genius again. No, he’s just a man who knows how to coach.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.