2017: Played in 45 games, earning 19 starts at both corner outfield positions as a redshirt sophomore...Hit .217 from the plate with five hits in 23 at-bats...Scored eight runs...Drove in one RBI...Was hit by two pitches...Had a .280 on-base percentage and a .217 slugging percentage...Was three-for-three in stolen base attempts...Had a .930 fielding percentage with 39 putouts, one assist and three errors...RBI hit on March 21 at South Carolina State.
2016: Redshirted in 2016 due to injury
2015: Played in 50 games, earning 25 starts at both corner outfield positions in her freshman season…Hit .237 from the plate with nine hits in 38 at-bats…Scored 15 runs…Connected on a double…Drove in two RBI…Drew five walks and was hit by three pitches…Had a .370 on-base
percentage and a .263 slugging percentage…Had tree sacrifice hits…Had a .923 fielding percentage with 23 putouts, one assist and two errors…Played in 20 games, earning nine starts in Big South play…Had a .222 batting average with four hits in 18 at-bats…Scored seven runs…Drew three walks…Had a .333 on-base percentage and a .222 slugging percentage…Had a sacrifice hit…Had a 1.000 fielding percentage with eight putouts and an assist…Two runs score on February 20 against N.C. A&T…RBI on February 13 against Delaware and February 21 against N.C. A&T…Walk-off double on February 21 against N.C. A&T.
High School: Powell came to Charleston Southern by way of Summerville High School and Summerville, S.C., where she lined up in the outfield for Coach Heather Tucker. She also lined up for the Carolina Fire 18U team under Coach Derek Mendez. Among her high school accolades includes earning All-State and All-Region honors. She also was a North-South All-Star and earned Bishop Blast and AIT All-Tournament honors. She was named the Army Reserve Female Student-Athlete of the Year and was a Post and Courier All-Lowcountry senior selection. Her career stats include a .530 batting average in the regular season and a .706 batting average in the postseason. She led Summerville in batting average and runs scored and had a .900 stolen base percentage.
Off the field, she was the Summerville Valedictorian. She was also a four-year Board of Trustees honoree and was a National Honor Society Graduate and a S.C. High School Scholar-Athlete.
Personal: Powell is the daughter of Amy and Derek Mendez. She plans on pursuing a degree in Mathematics at Charleston Southern.
"Charleston Southern is a place where I can grow in the classroom, in my faith, and on the field," Powell had to say about joining the Bucs softball program. "The girls and the coaching staff are amazing, as is the direction the Bucs program is headed. I can''t think of anywhere else I''d rather be."
Winkler on Powell: "I couldn''t be more excited to be adding Tay to our program. I''ve had the opportunity to work with her through camps and clinics throughout the years and have seen her improve a great deal. Tay is one of the hardest working high school athletes I have seen both on and off the field. Anytime you can add a student-athlete that is #1 in their high school class, you know you''re getting a player that pays attention to details and has an amazing work ethic."
