It all started on two small fields at Children’s Memorial Park in the Northwest part of Las Vegas.
These fields were not the best states Woody Ramos, father of 2022 grad Jordyn Ramos of Las Vegas Centennial High, a Purdue signee, claims.
“They have bad dirt, huge ant hills, no dugout cover and are pretty much just a big sandlot,” he laughs, “and most ball players couldn’t find these fields on a map!”
Still, these fields are only half a mile from where Jordy lives and are where five of the eight Extra Elite 100 players from Las Vegas have worked out with Coach Woody. And they hold sentimental value to Jordyn and her family.
“‘Everyone starts somewhere’ is what my dad says all the time,” the athlete begins. “I’m very grateful to have a place to practice and grow.”
Jordyn, who has played in almost every single major tournament or showcase across the country, has a great sense of pride coming from “Sin City” in the heart of the Mohave Desert.
“To me, Vegas never gets its due,” she said.
Back when she used to play for the late, great coach Mark Campbell in the OC Batbusters organization, she learned what some coaches think of Las Vegas softball.
“Coach Campbell told me once after I made an error: ‘We don’t play that out here in California, you want to play that way, take that weak stuff back to Vegas!’ That made me want to be the best player I could possibly be to show everyone what Vegas players can do.”
When Jordyn was 11 years old, she attempted to make the switch from rec ball to club ball and her prospects didn’t look good; she tried out for three teams and after three days of tryouts had three days of rejection.
However, right after the young infielder got off the phone with the third coach who said “No,” something happened, according to her father.
“After hearing that she was only good enough to be a project player, something remarkable happened in her,” Coach Woody recalls. “She became what I like call a ‘Killer.’ A ‘Killer’ on the hill, in the box and on the dirt.”
Instead of her “breaking down, crying and getting some Ben and Jerry’s ice cream,” remembers her coach and father, “Jordyn turned up the heat and changed her attitude right then and there.”
The flip of the switch was immediate.
“’Dad, this is unacceptable,’” she told me, he recalls his determined daughter saying. “’We are going to practice softball until I become the best player to ever come out of Las Vegas. Do you understand? We will start practice tomorrow and do whatever it takes. Do you understand me?!?’”
There was only one thing he could say, according to the surprised and very pleased father.
“I got you, honey,” Coach Woody replied.
The rest, as they say, is history… at least when it comes to Las Vegas club softball.
From that day forward, Jordyn took on the “Killer” mentality and has achieved her goal of becoming one of the best ball players to come out of Las Vegas.
Fast forward five years and the senior could very well be described as one of the most decorated softball players to ever come out of Nevada: she’s been an All-American multiple times, won a Boulder IDT National Championship, been selected as MVP of a major tournament, and has the third highest Allister Index in the country for the 2022 class. In the final 2022 Extra Elite 100, the senior was ranked in the Top 40 of her class.
Her resume, though, didn’t just happen after that firm declaration a half decade ago.
Jordyn works out six days a week, either at Children’s Memorial Park or in a nearby batting cage.
“It’s pretty strenuous,” the soon-to-be Boilermaker explains. “My workout and approach isn’t for everyone. When I walk into the box, I try to intimidate the pitcher—we usually have a stare down and that is where I let them know they can’t get in my kitchen.”
When she was just 13-years-old and playing with and against the best players in the country when suiting up for the OC Batbusters-Campbell 14u team, Jordyn learned quickly the advanced level she was at. Competing with future Oklahoma commit players like Mya Bland and Ella Parker, she was with a nationally powerful team that finished 9th at PGF that year and got her first taste of playing on a national scene.
Unfortunately, though, the team broke up and Jordyn moved on to play for the American Pastime- Velasquez squad which had won the Colorado Sparkler Power Pool at 12U the year before and was another Top 10 team. She played for Coach Ruben Velasquez for the following two years and during that time gained the attention of coaches from Power 5 programs nationwide. More recently, she’s played for the Explosion program out of Southern California led by Bret Denio.
In the fall of 2020, Jordyn was competing in a showcase in Phoenix when Purdue assistant coach Dorian Shaw saw the young player hit a ball that one-hopped the adult fence at the Big League Dreams complex.
“I heard a pop that was as loud as can be,” Coach Shaw recalled later. “I got to watch Jordyn play and was really impressed by her strength and versatility. She is a tenacious ball player who takes big, healthy cuts at the plate, dives for balls, has tons of communication and is a great fit for our program as we love gritty players like Jordyn here at Purdue.”
When it came time for college coaches to start contacting prospective recruits—every softball player’s dream—Jordyn, like many others, couldn’t sleep. It didn’t help too, that because of the COVID pandemic, the recruiting process became more complex.
Seniors were granted an extra year to return to play due to the pandemic so in some cases only about half of the scholarships were available to new players. Throw in the no-contact and no-visit rules plus the new realities of virtual recruiting with conversations and interactions happening over the computer now and the recruiting journey became more complicated.
Still, that fateful day in October of 2020 became one that the Nevada prospect would never forget.
Jordyn had several calls with other schools, but something about Purdue gave her butterflies.
My baby on her signing day. Could not be happier for you honey@CoachDeOliveira @PurdueCoachD @PurdueSoftball @BrenttEads @Los_Stuff pic.twitter.com/1J54L3vpYy
— Woody J Ramos (@woody_ramos) December 17, 2021
“We sat down and looked at everything,” the athlete remembers. “School size, weather, campus size, playing field, facilities… event the coaches’ resumes. We left no rock unturned. I loved Purdue and having people who will direct me like (Head) Coach Boo (De Oliveira)and Coach Shaw is a player’s dream.”
“We had a 30-minute discussion and I knew right then and there I wanted to be a Boilermaker. I committed on the spot and, although I never visited one single school, I’m very happy with my decision!”
But what about those cold Midwestern winters, though? No problem, the teenager says… in fact, she’s looking forward to it.
“I can’t wait to get started!” Jordyn laughs. “I’m so tired of the hot weather coming from Las Vegas. Anyone can accomplish their dreams if they put their mind to it,” she adds. “I had to go through all types of obstacles to get to where I am and for that I am very grateful.”
An interesting journey to say the least… and what advice would Jordyn give to up-and-coming talented players like herself?
“I would say work hard, have a ‘Killer’ mentality and don’t give up on your dreams,” she says. “I’m a great example of that. I was very bad ball player when I was younger, who no one wanted and now I’m a Big Ten commit to Purdue! It can happen if you keep grinding. It also doesn’t hurt to have a place like Children’s Memorial to practice on, either.”
