Alabama Freshman Q&A: Claire Jenkins
1/20/2017 10:45:00 AM | Softball
Rolltide.com will be posting Q&As with each of the four freshman on this year's Alabama softball team so the fans can get to know the newest members of our Crimson Tide family heading into the 2017 season. The fourth Q&A is with Claire Jenkins, an infielder with equal offensive and defensive talent from nearby Cullman, Ala. In her senior season at Cullman High School, she was named the 6A All-State Hitter of the Year and, for the second-straight year, earned area Player of the Year honors. In club ball, she helped lead the Birmingham Thunderbolts to a third-place finish at the 2016 PGF nationals alongside fellow Tide freshman Elissa Brown.
How did you get your start playing softball?
"Growing up I played basketball and did gymnastics but when my sister got into softball I did too and really fell in love with it. We played all the same sports but mainly stuck with basketball and softball. What I enjoyed about softball was being outdoors and the team aspect of it. It's slower paced than a lot of other sports so I feel like you have time to enjoy every moment of it."
Did you and your sister every play on the same team or against each other in the same league?
"In school ball we played on the same team and I used to practice with her travel ball team. We practiced and played together a lot. She eventually played at Auburn University at Montgomery."
When did playing in college become a goal for you?
"I wanted to play in college from a very young age. I started playing competitively when I was nine or 10 years old. I saw college teams on TV, not as often then as you do now, but I always knew I wanted to play in college someday."
When did you realize that playing collegiately was a real possibility?
"I always thought that if I wanted to do it, I could. After camps when I talked with coaches and they were really impressed with how I did, that made me believe it was a real possibility."
Growing up in Cullman, were you always an Alabama fan?
"Everyone in my family is an Alabama fan. We always tailgated for football games but I never got to see much of the softball team because they were playing at the same time I was. I would watch it whenever it was on TV though."
What was your recruiting process like?
"I started the recruiting process late because I played travel basketball too. I was looking at Alabama, Ole Miss, Troy and Tennessee Tech. I've always wanted to come to Alabama though. I love the atmosphere and everything about it."
What was your first visit to campus like?
"I always came to Alabama camps growing up. The coaches and players were always so nice and enthusiastic. You could tell they all loved being there and loved the game. Rhoads Stadium is top-notch and all the other facilities here are really nice too."
When did you commit to Alabama?
"I had just returned from a camp and Coach Murphy said he'd call me again in a few days. He called me at school and offered me and I called them back later that night and committed. They had just finished practice and when I told them, they all started cheering and it was really exciting."
As Alabama fans, what was your family's reaction?
"They were all really happy. They all already had Alabama stuff so they didn't need to buy any new gear!"
What have been your first impressions of college life as a student-athlete so far?
"It's been pretty good. Before I got here, I was really nervous about college classes and how hard they would be. It's been good so far though."
What was it like playing your first game at Rhoads Stadium this fall?
"I was really happy and anxious at the same time. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. It was so amazing seeing the fans there watching us. It was great."
How has it been to spend time with the team?
"It's exactly what they always say it is here: it's a family. Everyone took us in from the very first day and even before workouts started they asked us to go eat with them and stuff. They really made us feel like family from the start."
What are your goals for the 2017 season?
"Individually I just want to be a great teammate, whether it's on the field or off the field. I just want to help us win. As a team, we want to win the SEC and the national championship and compete to the best of our ability."
