Colton Taylor Rounds Out ACU Baseball Staff as Assistant Coach
7/31/2026 10:00:00 AM | Baseball
ABILENE - Colton Taylor returned to his West Texas roots and joined the Abilene Christian baseball staff as an assistant coach, head coach Rick McCarty announced Friday. Taylor will work with the Wildcats' infielders while assisting in recruiting and offensive development after spending the past six seasons at the junior college level.
Taylor has advanced more than 60 student-athletes to the Division I ranks and heads to Abilene from Panola College in Carthage, Texas. His coaching journey has included stops at Frontier Community College, the University of the Southwest and Bethany College. The Tahoka, Texas native has also spent three seasons coaching collegiate summer baseball in New York, Nebraska and Virginia.
"We are excited about what Colton will bring to our program," McCarty said. "He has earned a great reputation as an elite worker and has consistently shown an ability to identify and develop talented players. What really stood out to me is his ability to connect with people, evaluate players and find guys who have gone on to make a real impact at the four-year level. We have had several young coaches make an immediate impact on our program in the past, and I believe Colton will be the next.
"His work ethic, relationships and hunger to grow make him one of the bright young coaches in our game. I believe our guys will connect with him immediately, and I can't wait to see the influence he has on them both on and off the field."
Taylor is the final addition to the Wildcats' coaching staff, joining associate head coach Brett Doe and assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Nate Causey.
"Coming to Abilene to work with Coach McCarty is a dream come true," Taylor said. "ACU is an amazing place and a job that I've had my eye on for quite some time. I look forward to many successful seasons in Abilene and can't wait to get to work. Being able to move back to West Texas and be closer to my family is something I'm incredibly thankful for."
This past season, Panola registered its highest batting average (.307) and OPS (.940) and most home runs (66) since 2018. ACU signee Brian Schumacher was named the NJCAA Region 14 North Conference Freshman of the Year. Two Ponies tied for the second-most home runs in the conference, while a pair of Panola ballplayers, including Schumacher, tallied the most stolen bases.
Taylor made an immediate impact with the Ponies, with his first recruiting class ranking as high as third in the nation, per Perfect Game.
Taylor previously served as recruiting coordinator at Frontier Community College in Fairfield, Ill. Taylor played a significant role in rebuilding the Bobcat program, improving from just three wins in 2017 to a program-record 36 victories in Taylor's second season in 2021. Frontier established numerous team records under Taylor's watch, including batting average (.337), runs scored (502), home runs (45) and RBIs (423) in 2021. He mentored a pair of Gold Glove winners.
Taylor spent one season each at the University of the Southwest in Hobbs, N.M. and Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan. He also coached three summers in collegiate summer baseball with the Niagara Power (NYCBL), Western Nebraska Pioneers (Expedition League) and New Market Rebels (Valley League), serving as the primary hitting and infield coach at each stop.
The Power won the 2019 NYCBL championship and led the league in nearly every offensive category. Taylor developed a number of future DI student-athletes and professional draft picks in summer ball.
Taylor played baseball collegiately at McPherson College before transferring to Eastern New Mexico University to complete his playing career. He earned his Bachelor of Science in physical education from Eastern New Mexico, graduating cum laude, and later received his Master of Business Administration from the University of the Southwest.
Taylor has advanced more than 60 student-athletes to the Division I ranks and heads to Abilene from Panola College in Carthage, Texas. His coaching journey has included stops at Frontier Community College, the University of the Southwest and Bethany College. The Tahoka, Texas native has also spent three seasons coaching collegiate summer baseball in New York, Nebraska and Virginia.
"We are excited about what Colton will bring to our program," McCarty said. "He has earned a great reputation as an elite worker and has consistently shown an ability to identify and develop talented players. What really stood out to me is his ability to connect with people, evaluate players and find guys who have gone on to make a real impact at the four-year level. We have had several young coaches make an immediate impact on our program in the past, and I believe Colton will be the next.
"His work ethic, relationships and hunger to grow make him one of the bright young coaches in our game. I believe our guys will connect with him immediately, and I can't wait to see the influence he has on them both on and off the field."
Taylor is the final addition to the Wildcats' coaching staff, joining associate head coach Brett Doe and assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Nate Causey.
"Coming to Abilene to work with Coach McCarty is a dream come true," Taylor said. "ACU is an amazing place and a job that I've had my eye on for quite some time. I look forward to many successful seasons in Abilene and can't wait to get to work. Being able to move back to West Texas and be closer to my family is something I'm incredibly thankful for."
This past season, Panola registered its highest batting average (.307) and OPS (.940) and most home runs (66) since 2018. ACU signee Brian Schumacher was named the NJCAA Region 14 North Conference Freshman of the Year. Two Ponies tied for the second-most home runs in the conference, while a pair of Panola ballplayers, including Schumacher, tallied the most stolen bases.
Taylor made an immediate impact with the Ponies, with his first recruiting class ranking as high as third in the nation, per Perfect Game.
Taylor previously served as recruiting coordinator at Frontier Community College in Fairfield, Ill. Taylor played a significant role in rebuilding the Bobcat program, improving from just three wins in 2017 to a program-record 36 victories in Taylor's second season in 2021. Frontier established numerous team records under Taylor's watch, including batting average (.337), runs scored (502), home runs (45) and RBIs (423) in 2021. He mentored a pair of Gold Glove winners.
Taylor spent one season each at the University of the Southwest in Hobbs, N.M. and Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan. He also coached three summers in collegiate summer baseball with the Niagara Power (NYCBL), Western Nebraska Pioneers (Expedition League) and New Market Rebels (Valley League), serving as the primary hitting and infield coach at each stop.
The Power won the 2019 NYCBL championship and led the league in nearly every offensive category. Taylor developed a number of future DI student-athletes and professional draft picks in summer ball.
Taylor played baseball collegiately at McPherson College before transferring to Eastern New Mexico University to complete his playing career. He earned his Bachelor of Science in physical education from Eastern New Mexico, graduating cum laude, and later received his Master of Business Administration from the University of the Southwest.
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