Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Austin sophomore is thriving in her first  ‘normal’ softball season in three years

Austin grad Jordyn McCormack had plenty of options coming out of high school.

She had a chance to play Division I or Division II softball, she could’ve played college hockey and she may have been able to play college volleyball.

With all of those options, McCormack stayed close to home and decided to play college softball at Division III University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. The sophomore slugger could not be much happier with her choice as she is currently hitting .410 with three homers, eight doubles, one triple and 18 RBIs for the Eagles (15-8 overall).

“I was kind of thinking the other day about how things played out, and I’m really grateful that I went here,” McCormack said. “I love the team and coaches and it’s really been an awesome team. This season has been so much fun.”

McCormack was a standout three-sport athlete with the Packers as she surpassed 100 points in her hockey career and finished with over 350 kills and 250 digs in her volleyball career. McCormack lost her senior softball season with Austin due to the COVID-19 pandemic and she missed most of her junior season due to suffering from mono.

It was looking like she couldn’t catch a break last spring when college players were required to wear masks, take weekly COVID-19 tests and practice social distancing, all while McCormack was trying to get to know her new teammates at UWL.

“Last year, it held everybody back. This year we’ve become closer as a team and it’s really helped us on and off the field,” McCormack said. “We have a super young team. About half of our team is new and my class had a weird year last year. We’re all ready to go and we’re all super talented. We’re just really excited to get after it and use our talent.”

McCormack has come into her own with the Eagle softball team as she has made the adjustment to playing just one sport. The change has led to a surge in interest for softball from McCormack.

“It was a weird transition to playing just one sport. It really helped me focus more on softball and it’s really helped me become a better player,” McCormack said. “I miss my two other sports a lot, but I feel I’ve found an even stronger love for this game and I genuinely look forward to going to the field every day.”

McCormack, a sophomore at UWL, was named Howies Dynamite Student Athlete of the week for the week of April 4, when she went 13-for-20 with a 1.050 slugging percentage. McCormack hit a walk-off, two-out home run in a 5-3 win over UW-Eau Claire and she had the game-tying single in the top of the sixth in a 6-5 win over UW-Stevens Point on April 10.

McCormack went 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs against MSOE, she went four-for-six with three RBIs and two runs against UW-Eau Clarie.

McCormack grew up watching her older siblings play sports and they’ve always played a huge role in her life. She’s embraced all of the time she’s had on the field, and she’s made a lot of lasting friendships.

“I’ve always been around sports from the time I was watching my siblings and I love sports so much,” McCormack said. “I’m going to be sad when they’re all done. It’s a great way to meet people and you can’t take it for granted. It really puts you out there and you get to make a lot of fun memories. I recommend all kids in high school to at least try it out.”