Weatherford Kangaroos baseball player Taylor Massey decided during the offseason between his junior and senior year that he wanted to focus on being a better pitcher in an attempt to get a college scholarship. Massey put in the work required in the weight room and on the field and it paid off more than once for him and his teammates during the 2008 season.

Weatherford benefited from a bigger, stronger and more polished Massey last season. He recorded 11 of the team’s wins and helped guide the Roos to a third place finish in District 4-5A with a district record of 11-5. He earned Co-MVP of District 4-5A, was named Weatherford’s 2008 Team MVP and was named to the Academic All-District Team.

The Roos also reached the area round of the playoffs before being knocked out by the Amarillo Sandies in a best-of-three series in Midland. That series was preceded by a two-game sweep in a best-of-three series against the Odessa Bronchos in the bi-district round.

“It was nice. Our defense definitely really came through this year,” Massey said of Weatherford’s 2008 success. “Our hitting was a lot better than last year, that’s for sure. We had pretty good chemistry on our team this year.”

Along with those accomplishments came a college scholarship that allowed Massey to remain close to home and his family, while playing for the Weatherford College Coyotes. However, that has since changed and Massey will be taking his talents to the Big XII where he will pitch for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers.

“It was a lot of work, a lot of running and a lot of drive,” Massey said. “I’ve always wanted to play in the Big XII. That’s always been a dream of mine and when it become an opportunity, I took it.”

Massey said he was able to take advantage of some bad luck — or good luck, depending on how you choose to look at it — for the Cornhuskers, which played a vital role in his move to Lincoln, Neb.

“It came about three weeks ago,” Massey said of the opportunity to play at Nebraska. “They called me and said they really needed left-handed pitching because of the draft, they lost a bunch of guys to the draft and they weren’t accounting for that, so they gave me a call and said they needed me to come up there.

“They made me a decent offer, they offered me about 30 percent at first and if we had gone up there it would have been hard to afford being out of state and everything. They came back with 48 percent and we said we can deal with that.

“I decided to go up there and I saw the campus and everything and the facilities are amazing. They’re second to none. It’s pretty nice.”

Massey recently returned from his visit to the university, which was earlier this week, after he and his mom went north to enroll for the upcoming semester. He admitted he was nervous about the trip and is still nervous about the change, but added he’s looking forward to the opportunity.

“It was pretty exciting,” Massey said of his time in Nebraska. “I was a little nervous and I’m still ... I’m excited and nervous at the same time about going up there, but it’s going to be a great experience. Just going up there is real exciting and fun.”

Massey played a key role for Weatherford. Whenever he wasn’t on the mound, he was in the outfield and although he is a pitcher, which is a position not often known for the ability to hit, especially in MLB, he contributed at the plate as well.

Throughout his career Massey has played under the watchful eye of his father, WHS head coach Terry Massey. Now, he will have to adjust to taking signs and signals from a different coach, but that doesn’t mean he won’t call upon his dad for advice now and then.

“He’s been around the game for a very long time and he knows it well, so I always go to him for advice,” Taylor Massey said. “During summer ball he calls all my pitches from the stands, it’s pretty neat the little system we had during the summers. He’s always there to help.”

Despite his ability to play multiple positions and his ability to contribute at the plate, Massey said he will be used as a pitcher during his time as a Cornhusker, noting that his time on the field and when he gets it all depends on the work he puts in this fall.

“The way the coaches talked about it, it’s one of those things in the fall you’ve really got to work hard and earn your way in there for the spring time,” he said. “They really like to ease you in there as a pitcher. They’re not going to throw you out there against [a Texas] A&M; or a Texas. You’re going to get one inning at a time, try to get a lefty hitter out here and there. You’ve got to come in and earn your playing time, of course.”

Massey said there is one team in particular that he is looking forward to facing and he made sure to point out it’s not just because it’s another Big XII opponent.

“[University of Texas], definitely. I am a big [University of Oklahoma] fan, honestly,” Massey said. “I have never been a big UT fan and hopefully, we can go out there and kick the dog out of them like usual.

“Last year, Nebraska had good success against Texas and hopefully, we’ll do it again.”

Massey said he hasn’t yet decided on a major, but he has a plan of attack for when he begins his academic career at Nebraska.

“It’s probably going to be kinesiology or education or something like that,” he said. “Right now, I’m just going to get my basics out of the way and go from there.”