Boyd County’s historic Wheeler sisters have continued their success through college
ASHLAND, Ky. (BVM) — When looking at the Kentucky High School Athletic Association record book, one last name will stand out among the rest: Wheeler. Not only does this stand out because of the frequency in which one will see it in the career records sections, but the fact that the last name shows up in two different sports, with two different first names, but for the same school. Taylor and Savannah Wheeler have long been known in Ashland for their combined and individual athletic prowess.
“Me and Savannah have a really good relationship; we’ve always been close,” Taylor said. “We’ve always been at a ball field or a gym in some way whether she was watching me or I was watching her.”
“She’s always been there for me,” Savannah said of Taylor. “She’s always been a role model to me. I’ve always looked up to her from a young age. She always supported me through my athletics and I always supported her through her athletics. We’re always there for each other.”
Taylor, five years Savannah’s senior, was the first to turn heads at Boyd County High School in Ashland. Taylor was a multisport athlete for the Lions during her time at Boyd County and had an extended career during her time at the school. For seven years, Taylor would play both basketball and softball for the Lions, while also playing four years of golf once she officially entered high school. Though it was hard at first, Taylor established herself well within the school and the programs over her seven years.
“I would say it was challenging for sure,” Taylor said. “I was really young. … It was kind of a new experience because I was around a bunch of upperclassmen, but it was a very good overall experience. They were extremely helpful and I still talk to the seniors [from that team]. It’s just a really good family to be a part of.”
A star player for the Lions basketball team, Taylor went as far as breaking the school’s 37-year-old career points record with 1,897 and winning the region 16 player of the year as a senior.
“It was a big deal to me just because I’m not an athlete that was very good around the perimeter,” Taylor said. “I didn’t have a shot, but I hustled a lot. I always got buckets right around the bucket. That was a really big deal to me. … Basketball was definitely my favorite sport and people really get taken by that.”
That reaction is because Taylor’s best play arguably didn’t come on the court, but the diamond.
Through her seven-year softball career with the Lions, Taylor would rack up school career records for runs, home runs, RBIs, hits, doubles, stolen bases and batting average. Her career statistics would also make their way into the KHSAA record books as well as she would be featured among the best in career runs scored (198), doubles (55), home runs (19), RBI (173) and stolen bases (133). She is also in the record book with one of the longest consecutive streaks of successful stolen bases stealing 27 straight at one point.
“I really don’t put a lot of stock into that kind of stuff,” Taylor said. “Obviously it’s an honor. Hard work paid off.”
Taylor would commit to continue her softball career at Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tenn. for her first two collegiate seasons before transferring to Division I Morehead State in Morehead, Ky. where both her father David and uncle Brad Taylor played baseball. Though her love was still for basketball, Taylor knew that her best chance to earn a scholarship to pay for school would be with softball.
“It was just one of those situations where I really wasn’t good enough to get my school paid for and when it comes down to money, that’s what I was led into,” Taylor said. “At the time, I didn’t have a lot of looks coming out of high school and I was really hard headed that I wanted to go play D1. ”
Taylor played well for the Eagles, finishing her college career in 2018 as the Eagles’ leading hitter that season with a .298 batting average. That year, she also topped MSU in hits (50), at bats (169), runs (28), total bases (72) and stolen bases (9-for-10). She was also second on the team with five home runs, a slugging percentage of .429 and on-base average of .369. In her two seasons, she started 87 contests and played in 96, totaling 73 hits and nine home runs.
“It was really good,” Taylor said of her time at Morehead. “The teammates that I was with, I absolutely loved them. I’ve got nothing but good things to say about Morehead.”
However, the Wheeler family was not done rewriting the Boyd County and KHSAA record books. Enter Savannah. Like her sister, Savannah got an early start to her basketball career playing as a seventh grader on the same team as then-senior Taylor.
“I loved it,” Taylor said. “At the time, I didn’t realize how special it was, but looking back on it, it really is something rare. I was really hard on her, but I think that kind of only made her a little bit better because she went on to do incredible things and still is.”
Savannah also looks back fondly on her time playing with her sister.
“[Playing with her] made me realize how special it was to play with my sister in high school,” Savannah said. “To me that was very special. That’s one of the reasons I wear No. 4 [Taylor’s number at Boyd].”
Unlike her sister, the court is where Savannah was at her best and it didn’t take her too long to establish herself among the top in the state.
Savannah would rack up a number of awards while leading the Lions to three consecutive Sweet 16 births including a Final Four appearance in 2018. She was named to the all-regional tournament team 2015-18 and was honored as the regional tournament MVP in both 2017 and 2018. She was named to the all-state tournament team in 2018 and earned all-state honors three times. Savannah also played in the Kentucky and Indiana Junior All-Star, Kentucky and Indiana Senior All-Star, and Ohio and Kentucky All-Star games during her career.
“I just had that mentality that I was going to do whatever it takes to help my team win,” Savannah said. “Each year it just got me motivated to get me better to get farther than the year before.”
Savannah’s senior year may have been her most memorable. Savannah averaged 31.1 points during the year, scoring a total of 947 points. Her performance was good enough to earn her the 2019 Kentucky Miss Basketball award and her 947 points gave her 3,621 for her career.
“That’s something I’m never going to forget,” Savannah said. “It seemed like it was impossible for me because you don’t get a lot of recognition in the eastern part of Kentucky. But proving everybody right or wrong, I was truly blessed and thankful. That night is definitely something I’m never going to forget.”
Her 3,621 points gave Savannah the sixth spot in career scoring in KHSAA history and broke her sister’s old record (which had been previously broken by a teammate). For Savannah, the moment hit close to home, literally.
“It was a great feeling,” Savannah said. “She’s always been a role model to me. I always looked up to her. Knowing how good of a person she was and how competitive she was in all sports, it just made me realize that I wanted to be just like her. … It was special to me, but I think it was even more special that we both got to experience that feeling together. We both knew what it was like to achieve it.”
“I definitely knew that day was coming,” Taylor said. “It was just a matter of when and what she would say.”
As one of the top recruits in the state, Savannah earned a scholarship to play basketball at nearby Division I Marshall University. When she arrived at Marshall, Savannah established herself as one of the best players on the team.
At season’s end, Savannah garnered Conference USA all-freshman team honors. She was the only freshman nationally to rank in both the top 40 in free throws made (T-37th, 130) and free throw percentage (40th, 83.9). The freshmen led Marshall in scoring per game with 13.4, field goals with 113, free throws with 130, assists per game with 2.8 and steals per game with 1.4. She also had the highest scoring game for the Thundering Herd last season when she scored 25 points in the Feb. 1 win over Florida Atlantic.
“It was a big adjustment stepping into college,” Savannah admitted. “The competition, the quickness of the game. I feel like I adjusted pretty quickly and now I know what’s going to be expected for the next three years. Now that I’ve been around it, I can apply each year to get better at it. It was a great year and I’m definitely looking forward to this one.”
While Taylor’s softball career ended when she graduated from Morehead State in 2018, the recognition for her outstanding career has not. This year, Taylor was inducted into the Kentucky Prep Softball Hall of Fame Class of 2020, solidifying her place as one of the best in the Bluegrass to ever play.
“That’s a pretty good accomplishment,” Taylor said. “That’s probably one accomplishment that I’m really proud of.”
.@MSUEaglesSB alum Taylor Wheeler was recently inducted into the Ky. Prep Softball Hall of Fame.
Wheeler was MSU's leading hitter as a senior in 2018 & is one of the top players ever at @BOYD_athletics. Congrats Taylor!
Story ➡️ https://t.co/5FVpdUthT3 #EaglesAlwaysSoar pic.twitter.com/IqChwdIlTH
— Morehead State Athletics (@MSUEagles) August 26, 2020
While Savannah continues her upward ascension at Marshall, Taylor and the rest of the Wheeler family will be there to watch her career unfold. If her high school success is any indication, she will be a gem for the Thundering Herd. If her genes are any indication, she may even be Hall of Fame worthy someday, just like her sister before her.
