#Team26 Newcomer Q&A: Jenna Lord

Jenna Lord Bio Page

How did you get your start in softball?

"I started when I was about five or six. I had two older siblings, one played baseball and one played soccer, both at the travel ball level. I followed the lead of my older brother who played baseball and went to his games. I played soccer when I was little and gymnastics and tennis for a few weeks, but nothing really stuck like softball did. I didn't do those other sports for too long. I liked the team aspect of softball and relying on other people. The teamwork of it drew me in."

When did softball become a serious pursuit?

"When I started watching it on TV, I was about eight or nine and I saw how much passion that the women had for their sport. I wanted to be part of something like that. I started watching the Women's College World Series, and then I started watching Alabama play and I saw that they won in 2012. It was really about that time that I started getting interested in it and wanting to do that as well."

Was playing in college a goal for you at that point?

"Yes. My first hitting instructor when I was eight was neighbors with [University of Tennessee All-American] Megan Gregg, so she would come in from Tennessee and hit. When I would see her, I was in awe."

When you were first looking at colleges, what criteria was high on your priority list?

"I moved a lot, but I always lived in the south, so it was always my dream to play in the SEC. I never really closed my heart to any type of school or area because I wasn't the type of kid that needed to stay close to home, but I also wasn't the type of kid that needed to go far away either. I think where I am now is a perfect place for me."

At what point did the goal of playing in college become more of a reality?

"I was around 14 going into my freshman year of high school and I played on a team that was a year older than me. They were all highly recruited and ranked kids and the coaches were really great. I learned so much from that team and grew so much that I think after they grew out of the age group, I had to be put on a younger team and I realized that I could play on a high level like they were."

When did Alabama come into the picture?

"It was summer going into my sophomore year when I first heard that they were interested. After the Sept. 1st deadline had passed, I was getting on the plane and my mom facetimed me in the airport to show me a bunch of things Alabama had sent me, like letters from coaches. I started tearing up because the letters really showed how much they cared about me as a person. I was going on another visit at the time, and my dad told my mom that I had lit up.

"Later I came on my visit to Alabama and it was a perfect home for me. As soon as I set foot on campus the coaches really made me feel like I was welcomed and wanted here. I didn't even need to go home and think about it, I committed on the spot when they asked me. That was the last day of my visit right before we were leaving, we were saying our goodbyes and talking about it. They asked me what I was thinking, and I told them that I didn't need any time and that I was where I was supposed to be."

After committing did you feel a sense of relief or was it added pressure?

"It was both. At first it was a little bit of relief because the recruiting process with my age group was strung along for so many years. It was a little bit of pressure too, not necessarily for me to live up to anybody's expectations, but to know that I was going to get everyone's best game against me. It was a chance to compete against the best and learn from it."

How has the transition to college been off the field?

"Alabama does a really good job of getting resources to the student-athletes here so that the transition, especially for freshman, is a little bit easier. That helps so much because anything you need or are struggling with, they can help you."

What about the adjustment on the field?

"At first it was a little bit different learning how Alabama does things compared to what I've been used to and getting myself a little out of my comfort zone. All my teammates, especially the infielders that we work with do an amazing job. Kaylee Tow is an amazing leader and if you ask her anything, she is on the spot to answer you with a positive attitude. Bailey Dowling is an amazing leader as well because our whole infield is practically new and there's only a few veterans that have been here. They have done an amazing job making sure that we're comfortable, but still pushing us and holding us accountable to do better when they know that we can."

Has it been helpful to have such a large group of newcomers to lean on?

"It's been good, especially because there's no division between the older newcomers and the freshmen. It feels like we're all in it together because none of us knew anyone. If I have a question, I don't have to lean on just the freshmen, I can ask anyone. All the newcomers are amazing, and it feels like we've gelled so quickly and that we're not really that new anymore."

What was it like putting on the Alabama uniform for the first time this fall?

"I remember that I was in the bathroom at Lipscomb putting on the uniform, and I was thinking that this is what every six-year-old dreams of. It was a surreal moment. All of the hard work and everything that people had poured into me and sacrificed for me. This is what can happen."

What are your individual and team goals for this season?

"This year for me personally, I'm going to do whatever the team needs. Whatever role they want me to be, even if it's not the role that I necessarily want, that is what I will do. It might change every year, or it might not, but especially this year it 's important just to learn. If my role is to learn and help the team wherever I can, then that's what I'm going to do. For the team goals, at the beginning of the year we wanted to gel and mesh, and that is something that I think went way better and faster than expected. We decided early on in August that we wanted to win the Natty. Everything we do, whether we're tired or not, goes towards that. From day one we've all been on board with that and it's going to help going through the season."

What is your advice to young girls who wants to play college softball?

"Whenever the pressure gets hard and you get older and there are things you're anxious about, remember why you started playing in the first place. Remember why the six-year-old started playing. For me, I loved going to my brother's baseball games, I loved watching the sport, and I also continued because of the women and girls before me that had so much passion for the game. For the younger ones, remember that we're all writing history. The game is growing every day and I think it's a cool thing that if you're playing this sport and you're playing it at whatever level that you are writing that history."

University of Alabama Athletics