On Saturday, August 21, Spencerport native Jake Welch, a pitcher for the pro minor league baseball team York Revolution, proposed to his girlfriend, Taylor Gray, during a doubleheader game in York, Pennsylvania.
Jake is a 2011 Spencerport High School graduate who began playing baseball at five years old. He continued with the sport after high school, going on to play during college at Notre Dame. Jake has been a professional baseball player since graduating from college in 2016.
Jake met Taylor, who is from Saratoga, while he was playing summer ball for the Albany Dutchmen, and Taylor was an intern for the team. The two developed a friendship that lasted four to five years. They began dating while Jake was playing for the Windy City Thunderbolts in 2018. After three years of dating, Jake decided to propose.
He coordinated the proposal to happen at the home doubleheader on August 21. Both Jake’s and Taylor’s families were aware of the special event he was planning and were able to be in attendance. To Taylor’s surprise, she was called to throw out the first pitch of the game. “She was complaining about going out on the mound. She didn’t like cameras and all the media attention,” said Jake. When she realized that Jake would be catching her pitch, she felt more comfortable. Unbeknownst to Taylor, Jake had a different ball with “Will you marry me?” written on it. After Taylor pitched her ball, Jake handed her the ball with the proposal as he kneeled down and presented an engagement ring. She said yes.
The couple lives in Chili, and they are planning a November 2022 wedding. They are considering either staying in the Rochester area or moving to Saratoga or Florida after they are married.
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