Get on board with Extra Inning Softball’s regular feature, The Last Inning!
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Here’s our TLI for Monday, Sept. 5, 2022:
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EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT: JAELYNN ANTHONY
2026 RHP/SS Jaelynn Anthony recently talked to Extra Inning Softball about the Wasco Diamonds, bringing positivity, menatal game, national events, Nebraska Gold, being a college softball coach, Jocelyn Alo and Jordy Bahl, Soulja Boy, “Grey’s Anato,y” and bringing up spirits.
EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT Q&A
Name: Jaelynn Anthony
Hometown: Montgomery, IL
High School: Oswego High
Club Team: Wasco Diamonds 16U
Graduation Year: 2026
Height: 5-foot-5
Position: RHP/SS
Nickname: “Jae” and “She Hulk”
Twitter: @JaelynnAnthony1
Honors: Tiger Pride Award for outstanding Grades and Character; Honor roll for all three years in middle school; USSSA All-Star (2019); USSSA Nationals MVP (2020); USSSA Nationals MVP (2021); direct invite participant at OnDeck Chicago Jamboree (2022)l #108 in the Class of 2026 (2022); #67 pitcher duo in Class of 2026 (2022); and received 4.5 star rating by OnDeck Softball.
Travel Ball Highlights/Summer Stats: Pitching — 74.1 IP, 1.72 ERA, 67 Ks, 1.38 WHIP, .247 batting average against, pitching speed of 61-65 mph and 67 mph PR; Hitting — .377 AVG, 32 RBIs, .439 OBP and 27 runs.
Tell us about your travel team/organization and how you became involved with them? I played for the Wasco Diamonds organization for the first time this past 2021/22 season. Prior to that, I played for a local Oswego Outlaws organization for three years. When I was going into my 14U season, my family and I decided it was time for a change and to step up into a more competitive environment. When we started looking for an organization, I was blessed to have many offers and opportunities to play for clubs such as the Illinois Chill and the Wasco Diamonds. In the end, my decision came down truly to my current Coach Megan Mahaffy, she was my deciding factor. I don’t know how to explain it, but I just connected with her and knew that’s who I wanted to play for. She has been where I strive to be, playing at the highest level of the game I love. She was a Division 1 pitcher/shortstop at Bradley University. I mean, who better to learn from than someone who has been where you’re trying to go, right??? Oh, and I definitely fell in love with every girl on the team after attending a practice to “check them out” too. It was all a no-brainer for me. I am excited to be back this 16U season as a freshman.
What do you bring to the team? Although last season I was literally the “baby” of the team (as a 13-year-old 8th grader), I feel like I brought smiles, energy and strength to an already talented roster. I like to think every single member of my team sees me as a leader and a motivational teammate. Also, I am proud of myself and the work I put in to pitch with the strength and speed I do at my age. Last season, I consistently threw between 61-65 mph for my team and even hit 67 mph in a few games. I’m hoping to build more on that this upcoming season, training with my amazing pitching Coach, Jill Waldron.
What areas are you focusing on/trying to improve this fall? I really want to build on my mental game, as they say this game is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. Mental strategies, mental strength and mental focus is so important, especially playing for coaches that push you to be the best you can be. Knowing how much they care about you helps, but it can still be stressful at times. I’m sure others can agree with that (lol). Physically, I also want to increase my spin rate on movement pitches and commanding the zone early in games, sometimes I take a few batters to get into my rhythm, so I want to keep improving that.
Can you tell us about your experience at national events this summer? This past season was my first truly higher level nationals experience and I had a blast with my team/coaches. We ended up placing 5th and I played well. I have been working with my batting coach (Tim Mahaffy), who also happens to be our team assistant coach, to improve my swing mechanics and I felt like things clicked so well at the end of summer at nationals and I was a presence at the plate for my team. I ended the season leading my team in RBIs!
Which player/team was your toughest opponent and why? I think our toughest opponent last season was the Nebraska Gold team we faced in the championship game of the Top Gun Fall Invitational in Kansas. They have a really strong program too and although I feel our team is more than capable of taking on anyone we face, they definitely play with strategy and intention. They challenged me as a pitcher a lot. I definitely had to be dialed in and focused on every pitch. I was so proud of my team when we went home as champs that night! I have to say though what I love and remember the most about that game was how the Nebraska Gold played with such grace and positivity. They even tagged me in a shoutout on Twitter afterwards back in October 2021, complimenting my pitching and congratulating our team on the win! #teamwithclass
What areas are you interested in future occupations and why? I am just entering my freshman year in high school now, so I am not set in what I want to do, yet. However, if it was time to decide now, I would say something in the sports field. Maybe, a softball college coach or even a pitching instructor like my pitching coach. She definitely inspires me.
Who is your sports hero and why? OK, well … I have two and I cannot decide between the two — Jocelyn Alo and Jordy Bahl. For obvious reasons, Jocelyn hits the crap out of a ball in ANY part of the zone and Jordy, well, she just dominates … period, both in pitching and her presence in the circle. #bothidols
What’s the best hype song and why? I love to listen to upbeat songs on my drive to games. My favorite is probably “Crank That” by Soulja Boy because you can’t help but get hyped and play it obnoxiously loud in the car lol.
What’s your favorite TV show to binge and why? “Grey’s Anatomy,” because it’s interesting and has so many characters that come and go, always seems like something new is happening in it. Plus, it has like a million episodes so it goes on for what seems like forever.
Do you have a secret talent/skill? A secret skill? Hmmmm … I would say it is bringing up the spirits of others around me or making people smile. From what I’ve been told in the past, “it’s hard to be around you and not be happy.” I take that as a complement and consider it a skill of mine 🙂
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