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Star Aycock pitcher going to Methodist U
By Sarah A. Wise
NL Staff Writer
8 May 2008 — After a lifetime of playing softball with the same group of local girls, Aycock pitcher Emily Jordan is ready to take her game in a new direction.
For months, the high school senior has been sorting through information about various area colleges that were interested in recruiting the star player. After looking at several schools, Emily had narrowed her choices down to two options – Peace College and Methodist University.
She visited the colleges, talked with coaches, and spent time with her potential teammates. She examined the educational side of things as well, comparing which school would better fit her interests.
In the end, she decided that Methodist was the better fit for her, and she recently signed on as a member of the 2008-09 softball team.
“When I went and visited the campus, I just knew,” Emily said. “The education department there was a better fit for me, and they have a very strong softball program.”
Emily hopes to study art education, and she said that the teaching program at Methodist seemed to be a good fit for her.
She added that she was encouraged by her future coach’s emphasis on doing well in the classroom.
“You definitely know academics come first,” she said, “like I guess it should be.”
As she prepares to wrap up her senior season at Aycock, Emily said that she plans to spend the summer playing a little and working on pitching from the college standard of 43 feet, a full yard longer than the high school standard.
She adds that she had been pitching that distance in a league last summer, and had some trouble early on this season readjusting to the shorter distance. Emily feels confident that it will be a quick adjustment.
When she joins the team in the fall, Emily said an aspect she really looks forward to is working with the team’s pitching coach. That’s because, unlike any coach she’s had before, Methodist’s pitching coach is used to working with left-handed pitchers like her.
“That will be beneficial, I think,” she said.
And as she faces the challenge of stepping up to play at a new level, Emily says the biggest difficulty she sees is a little more personal.
“I think the biggest challenge will be getting used to playing with other girls,” she said.
Emily has played softball since the age of seven, and she said that she has been playing on the same team as some of her Aycock teammates since they were all seven or eight years old. She has also faced a lot of the same players on opposing teams over the years, which has allowed her to understand their playing style in a way she won’t have with players on the college level.
“A lot of the players at Methodist aren’t even from North Carolina,” she said.
But despite the challenges of learning to play with a brand new team, Emily said she doesn’t worry too much about finding a place on the Methodist team. She said when she went to visit, she already felt like a part of the group.
“I just need to have something different from the other pitchers on the team,” she said. “I’ve got to carry my weight and try to lead as a freshman.”
Emily has always played hard, moving up to the varsity team during playoffs her freshman year.
In addition to her skills on the softball field, Emily has also played volleyball since her middle school days. She said that one of the schools that recruited her wanted her to play volleyball and softball.
But as she moves on to college, Emily said she’ll be leaving the volleyball court behind to focus on softball.
“It was hard enough playing two sports in high school,” she said.
Emily’s mother Melissa said it’s going to be hard to watch her daughter move on to college. She added that the biggest help is that
Emily’s younger sister Rachel will still be at home for several years.
And Rachel seems to be following in her older sister’s footsteps. She is already an avid softball and volleyball player at Norwayne Middle School, and has done some pitching for the Cobra team this season.
Emily’s coach Brad Matthews said he is happy with his pitcher’s choice of colleges.
“I think her skill would fit at any college,” he added. “Whenever I start a game and get a brand new ball out of the box, I feel good giving it to her.”
After Emily finishes her degree at Methodist, she hopes to someday come back and teach art at Charles B. Aycock.
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