Palo Verde softball star Taylor Johns comes from a family filled with success on the diamond.

Her father, Matt, played college baseball at UNR. Her brother, Tanner, is playing baseball at Grand Canyon University.

And, on Mother’s Day, it’s worth noting that her mother, Dena, was a standout softball player at UNLV, where she helped lead the Rebels to back-to-back College World Series appearances.

Taylor? She is committed to play college softball at Georgia next spring. Even though Taylor hasn’t played a college game yet, Dena said her daughter is already ahead of where she was at.

“Her aunt (Jennifer Baker) played at Cal State Fullerton, and I played at UNLV, and we will both say she is better and more driven than both of us were,” Dena Johns said.

Taylor is showcasing that skill set in her senior year, her best prep season. Entering Friday, Johns leads the state with 20 home runs and is the top hitter statewide in 5A, batting .703, with a .765 on-base percentage and 1.828 slugging percentage.

The shortstop has led Palo Verde back to the Class 5A state tournament, which begins Thursday at Faith Lutheran. The Panthers are looking to defend their state title and become the first team since Centennial (2012, 2013) to win back-to-back titles in the top classification.

“Coming in from freshman year to now, Taylor is a completely different player,” Palo Verde coach Angel Council said. “She’s always been great at what she does, but her leadership on the field is one of the best things that I’ve seen. She is always there (for her team). She plays the field really well; she’s very knowledgeable.”

Taylor has used the lessons learned from her mother to pave her own way in the softball world. She is one of the top prep players in the country and was sought after by many of the top Division I colleges.

Taylor has proved through her four-year varsity high school career that she’s one of the top players in the country in her class. But Taylor credits the foundation of what’s made her excel to her mom.

“It gave me a lot of guidance growing up, just having someone to always help me out with things that I hadn’t already experienced because she already had experienced it,” Taylor said. “It instilled a sense of competitiveness, especially because my dad played baseball, my brother plays baseball, my aunt played softball. It was just in the family.”

Dena said she never imagined that Taylor would have as much success as she’s had, but added that once Taylor started working on her craft, she realized the sky could be the limit for her daughter.

“She’s always been good at everything she’s pretty much picked up,” Dena said. “I didn’t think I realized what she would turn into until she got older and you can see her work ethic. She doesn’t have to be asked to do anything, she just does it.”

Family support

Naturally, Taylor gravitated toward softball after trying other sports. Dena was Taylor’s coach during youth leagues. But it was when Taylor played on her 10-U team in California that Dena said she knew it was time to let Taylor grow her game with other coaches in different environments.

“When I saw how much she was thriving under other coaching voices,” Dena said, “I started to realize it’s time that someone else needs to coach her, she needs to learn how to be able to hear other people and take things in and have different coaching styles and figure out what she wants.

“I saw it when she asked to start going to California to play on a regular basis, because she felt like they were as driven as she was.”

Dena, who works as a therapist, said not coaching Taylor allowed her to be a “soft place for (Taylor) to land” to support Taylor in whichever way she needs.

“I wanted her to learn from some of those mistakes that I made,” Dena said. “The mental side of the game is so huge, and I want to be able to be there for her in that capacity, versus trying to be everything to her.”

Growing up with four athletes led to a competitive household. Taylor said it was hard earlier to separate family and sport, but now she is glad that she can have that support around her. The biggest lesson Taylor learned from Dena was how to handle the failures that come with softball.

“Sometimes I can be very upset, I can be a little bit sad, harder on myself about it, so it’s nice to hear a voice that’s more supportive and there for me and people that know so well and can be there for her like that,” Taylor said.

‘Playing with joy’

Palo Verde’s softball team has lost just one game dating back to the start of the 2025 season, when the Panthers, behind Johns’ stellar play, went 25-0 to become the first undefeated softball state champion.

This year, Palo Verde’s road to repeat hasn’t been as smooth. The Panthers have played without a home field this year with their softball field being renovated.

One aspect of Taylor’s game this season that Dena has noticed a difference in is Taylor showcasing her leadership on the field as a four-year starting senior.

“My main goal was to prepare myself for college, but once I got into the season, it was more so being present in the moment and giving it my all for my teammates, knowing that it’s my last year,” Taylor said. “I worked on little things like leadership and consistency in my game, but it was just enjoying it while it lasts.”

Dena is Taylor’s biggest supporter, attending every game, as she’s helped provide guidance for the other players.

“She doesn’t just help Taylor, but she also helps the other girls with hitting, and I’ve seen a big improvement this year from last year on hitting and everything like that, going through the ball,” said Council, the Palo Verde coach. “I’m a mom myself, anyway that you can give back to the team, that’s great.”

Taylor’s 20 home runs this year are tied for the state record for most in a season by a player in the top classification (5A/4A). With at least two more games guaranteed in the double-elimination state tournament, Johns could reach and break the overall state record of 21 home runs in a season (3A Lowry’s Savannah Stoker in 2023).

Palo Verde’s 2025 state title came after the Panthers had come up short in 2023 and ’24. Dena said she sees Taylor “playing with joy” and not “pressing” while finding the balance of handling the pressure of being one of the country’s top players.

“(Her success is) just coming from playing with that joy and looseness,” Dena Johns said. “I’m so proud of her. She balances life so well, between her sports, her academics. She’s handled that really well.”

“I think it says a lot about her as a person and maturity as an 18-year-old senior, getting ready to go off on her own that she’s already handling this like an adult.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.