By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
College underclassmen rarely have a breakout year like freshman Taryn Burkhardt had for the Johnson County Community College softball team in the 2023 campaign.
Taryn Burkhardt
The former Silver Lake standout compiled an outstanding 504 batting average, the third-best for the 33-8 Cavaliers.
Her breakout year earned her All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference D-II and Region 6/Plains District first-team honors.
Burkhardt’s older sister Torey also played for Johnson County Community College. The family ties played a part in her decision to attend JCCC, and her older sister made it easier for her to settle into the college game.
“My sister actually went to Johnson County from 2018-2019, so I’ve been around this environment before,” Burkhardt said. “Coming in, I knew Johnson County had high standards for its athletes. I didn’t need to adjust to that because when I was at Silver Lake, they also had high standards for everyone. Just knowing that I had to work hard for a spot motivated me.
“There are plenty of people around here that are great and that are here for a reason, so I knew what I had to do. I think understanding you have to work hard to maintain or earn a spot anywhere was the biggest thing for me that I realized before I got here.”
In addition to her .500-plus batting average, Burkhardt had seven doubles, three triples, a home run, 51 runs scored with 18 driven in and a team-high 37 stolen bases. Her 51 runs ranked fourth in the conference and she wasthird in stolen bases. Burkhardt’s 37 steals are the seventh-best season in Johnson County Community College history.
“I’m not too far away from home, but coming to Johnson County was a big adjustment for me because I am such a homebody,” Burkhardt said. “I love being at home, so that adjustment of being away was hard.
“But I never thought I put too much pressure on myself, which helped me. I just knew that’s what I had to do if I wanted to be here. When I finally got adjusted, everything became fun.”
Every college athlete is a fish caught from the water when they first get to the next level. They’re away from home, have to adjust to college courses and prepare for a mental and physical wakeup call with daily practices.
Obviously, Burkhardt felt the pressure similar to everyone else but had a great perception of how to take on these new challenges. She knew everyone else was going through the same difficulties, so she just took it on the chin and learned how to be a professional on the fly.
“Maintaining my classes and practicing every single day all year was a challenge,” Burkhardt said. “But I knew everyone around me was going through the same thing, and we’re all adjusting to this new lifestyle. I learned more by relying on my teammates when things get complicated. Once I grew and developed a relationship with (my teammates), I adjusted so quickly, and they made everything easier.
“It’s okay that I’m stressed out, and it’s fine that I feel overwhelmed, but if we are all going through these hard times together, we might as well have fun with it. I just have been so big on friendship. Understanding that we are all tired, worn out and want to go to sleep makes getting through every day feel easy. If we want to be good, we need to have continuity, and we need to learn how to fight through adversity.”
Burkhardt’s upbringing in Silver Lake was a big boost for her that not everyone has. Silver Lake has a rich tradition of sustained success in its athletic programs. The support and expectations of coaches and the community for her and her teammates weren’t new for Burkhardt.
Transitioning from Silver Lake to Johnson County Community College wasn’t always smooth. Still, Burkhardt knew what to expect because of the professional mentality she learned early in high school.
“The high standards that we had in high school really helped me,” Burkhardt said. “Summer weights and getting better in the off-season was big for myself and the other athletes that have come out of there. The high expectations came from the team and community, which helped us become who we are now.
“In college now, it’s all about making the older generations that went to Johnson (County) proud and being around the community at Silver Lake was very similar. They’re setting athletes up for success.”
Burkhardt realized that she could play with or against anybody at the collegiate level later in her freshman campaign. Despite putting up relatively good numbers earlier in the season, her numbers at the plate exploded, and her production defensively helped the Cavaliers down the stretch.
“I felt really comfortable later in the season in a pretty big game,” Burkhardt said. “I was batting leadoff, and we had a really big game against Cowley. We were both tied in the conference. I remember starting the game with a leadoff bunt that turned into an error that ended up being a home run.
“We had prepared so long in that winter for moments like that, and although we lost that game, at that moment, I realized I’m as good as everyone else out here, if not better. I took a step back and realized I could be as good as I wanted to be, and I could be better than whoever I wanted to be better than. My coaches prepared me all year for it to face this type of pitching, and that helped build my self-confidence.”
Burkhardt has high expectations for herself in 2024, but her successful freshman campaign gave her the confidence to approach this off-season and her upcoming sophomore season.
“My goals are to end my sophomore year with a stellar batting average,” Burkhardt said. “My batting average my freshman year was great, but I struck out way more than I wanted to. I want to work on being more patient and not swinging at every ball that is thrown at me. I want to grow my patience at the plate and be more confident at going after flyballs in the outfield.
“Hard work pays off, and I’m excited for next season.”
