VYPE: When and how did you first get started into playing your sport? 

Jaelynn: Growing up, I had two older sisters that played softball. Through watching them play the sport they loved and were passionate about, I began to fall in love with the sport myself. I decided I really wanted to follow in their footsteps and began playing for myself when I was six. I have been playing ever since. 

VYPE: Which professional athlete do you look up to and why? 

Jaelynn: I really look up to, and admire, Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback. Throughout all his success, he always looks like he is having fun and enjoying his sport, and he continuously works hard and stives to do and be better. He is an inspiration to continue to work hard but enjoy the game and moments along the way. 

VYPE: What has been your favorite memory of playing your sport?

Jaelynn: My favorite memory would be when my senior teammate, Addyson Brown, carried my off the field and into the dugout after I hit a double that cleared the bases. It was one of those moments while playing softball that I will always cherish and never forget. 

VYPE: What is the best advice anyone has ever given you? 

Jaelynn: The best advice I have received is to be better than everyone else you must work harder than anyone else. That advice has inspired me to keep working and pushing to be the best that I can be. 

VYPE: What is your favorite part of being on a team? 

Jaelynn: My favorite part of being on a team is knowing that everyone has the same goal. You aren’t just out there playing for yourself, but also for everyone else on the team who has the same goal. 

VYPE: Who inspires you and why?

Jaelynn: Vanessa Shippy-Fletcher inspires me the most. She has inspired me to always work hard, and that achieving my dream of playing college softball is possible. She has taught me so much about the game and how important it is to be a student of the game. She has shown me what it’s like to be a student-athlete, not just an athlete. She has instilled in me that academics are just as important as softball itself. 

VYPE: Why are you passionate about your sport?

Jaelynn: I am a competitive person. Softball has always been there for me and has always been my way of expressing myself. It has shown just how competitive I am in the game, and life itself. 

VYPE: What accomplishment or memory are you most proud of? 

Jaelynn: One of my biggest accomplishments I am most proud of it starting on varsity as a freshman. The way the five seniors have welcomed me as a freshman and supported me on the field, but also in the classroom, has been my favorite part. 

VYPE: Here is your chance to give a shoutout or say thank you to anyone you wish. 

Jaelynn: I want to give a huge thank you to my parents for doing all they can to put me in the position to reach my goals. I would also like to thank my past and present coaches for teaching me and supporting me in becoming the athlete that I am today.