Katie Jordan: Softball extraordinaire

Daily Egyptian: What's your personality like on the field?

Katie Jordan: I don't know. I wouldn't say I'm loud.

DE: How about off the field?

KJ: Off the field, I'm kind of quiet.

DE: Are you going to miss your old field?

KJ: Not really. It was nice and everything, but I'm just so excited about getting the new field. Seeing all the pictures of it, and seeing it going up, it's just really exciting. I can't wait 'till it's all done and we get to play there.

DE: How does Fenton compare to Carbondale?

KJ: Fenton is not really a small town, but it's part of St. Louis. St. Louis is really big and here it's very small. It's like going from a big city to a small town. I love it. When we play we have all the local people coming to the games. At home, you don't really get that. You get people coming to your high school games, but not really anyone outside the parents. To have a community come and support you is really awesome.

DE: Where is your favorite place to hang out in Carbondale?

KJ: We hang out a lot at friends' houses. We go to Pinch or Carboz. Otherwise it's just people's houses or apartments.

DE: What's it like having your birthday the day after Christmas?

KJ: I like it. Everyone I tell that I have my birthday the day after Christmas, they're like, "That sucks!" I really like it. When I was little, my mom was very careful to separate Christmas and my birthday so I would never feel like I was getting cheated out of anything being so close to a big holiday. When I would go to sleep when I was little, my mom would make everyone take down the Christmas decorations and they would put up birthday signs and streamers. It was a completely separate day. People couldn't buy the same gifts for me for both days - it had to be separate. I really like it, but everyone thinks it's the worst birthday ever.

DE: You hit .473 as a senior in high school. That's better than the major leaguers. Is there a trick to hitting for such a high average?

KJ: No, it's just different in high school than playing here. You face good competition, but it's not the caliber that you see in college. My area has some pretty strong teams. It's kind of a rhythm thing. It's an everyday thing. You can have a good pitcher on Monday and a bad pitcher on Tuesday.

DE: How do you prepare for a game?

KJ: I'm very big on mental preparation. I like to understand my role and what I need to do. I need to make myself as well prepared for the game as I can. Most of the time, I just like going through situations and know that I have to be aggressive. I have to get ahead in the count. I can't let too many pitches go by. I don't really think too much about it. I need to understand my role and what I need to do. I can't think a lot, because if I do, I become a head case. (laughs.)

DE: A lot of ballplayers are superstitious. Are you?

KJ: Not really. It's funny because a lot of people are. I'm not really superstitious about anything. I don't have any lucky socks or anything. (laughs.)

DE: Did you have a ceremony for going into your high school's hall of fame?

KJ: Kind of. It was the softball banquet. Our coach surprised me and Casey with it. There wasn't a school-wide ceremony for it. We were like the first ones ever. Our school was kind of new. The first graduating class was '94 or '96. We don't have a lot of traditions or anything with our school yet.

DE: Do you have a sports idol?

KJ: Not really.

DE: How many home runs do you think you'll hit this season?

KJ: I don't know. I don't want to put a number on it. In high school, I didn't hit a lot of homeruns. Even here, I wasn't expecting to do that. Who knows? I could hit a lot, or I could hit none at all. I hope I hit a lot, but it's not something I can think about. If I do, I try too hard and it doesn't happen anyway. I don't try and put a number on things.

DE: And now for some short answers. What's your favorite TV show?

KJ: I like "Friends," and I like "Will & Grace."

DE: What's the last DVD you bought?

KJ: "Kate & Leopold."

DE: Last CD you bought?

KJ: I haven't bought a CD in like three years. I bought the "Mama Mia!" soundtrack.

DE: Favorite movie?

KJ: I like 'Lethal Weapon 3."

DE: What's your favorite band?

KJ: I don't really have one.

DE: Favorite book?

KJ: "The Power of One."

Reporter Christopher Morrical can be reached at cmorrical@dailyegyptian.com