Athlete Spotlight: SU softball player Jordan Wolford
Posted: February 26, 2013
Shenandoah University 21-year-old senior
Sport: Softball
Position: Pitcher
Parents: Paul and Michelle Wolford
Hometown: Berryville
Major: Elementary Education
High School: Clarke County (Class of 2009)
Nickname: My teammates call me “Jay” and my parents call me “Juice” because when I was really little, I really liked the movie Beetlejuice and I used to just say it over and over.
When did you start playing softball: I started playing when I was seven and started pitching when I was 15.
What you love about softball: I love everything about it. I love the challenge because you can never beat the sport, there’s always room for improvement.
Biggest strength and weakness in softball: I love my changeup, my teammates call it my money pitch. [Weakness] my coach have been working on my mental set, my mind set. Thatt’s always been a struggle for me.
Sport you always wanted to try: I’ve always wanted ice skate. We used to go as a family and I loved it, but I always thought I was too tall for it.
Most memorable moment in softball: Definitely winning the conference tournament in 2011. I pitched most of it and that year, the way that we came together as a team was just unbelievable.
Most embarrassing moment in softball: One time I was running out of the dugout to go hit in my metal cleats and I completely ice skated and fell into a bucket outside of the dugout where everyone could see me.
Favorite athlete: [Former Florida Gators softball pitcher] Stacey Nelson
Favorite sports team: Baltimore Orioles. They were the first baseball game that I went to.
Three people you can have dinner with, dead or alive: [Former president] Theodore Roosevelt, my nonu (grandfather in Italian) and [actress] Betty White. [Roosevelt’s] my favorite president and I just felt like he was a good guy. [My nonu] just so we could have a crab feast with him. He was a big part of the family and brought everyone together. And Betty is just hilarious and I think that’d be a really good time, she keeps herself young.
Favorite Quote: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” — Albert Einstein
Favorite class in school: I’m taking a Linguistics class called TESOL (Teaching English To Speakers of Other Languages) and I love it. It teaches you about speech and how it’s formed.
Pregame routine/ritual: I used to eat Hot Tamales before every game, but now I always tighten my batting gloves twice on each side before I hit and I draw an “X” in front of my left foot to help me recognize the ball.
Plans after college: I have a five-year plan. I want to either finish my master’s or go straight into speech pathology and hopefully get a teaching job in Loudoun County. I want to get my master’s degree and also have my speech pathology degree.
— Compiled by Kevin Trudgeon