Longtime professional pitcher Jordan Taylor announced her retirement on Saturday, coinciding with the final game of the Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF) league’s summer season.
“Today is my last day as a professional softball player,” Taylor wrote on Twitter. “Still in awe that for the 11 years, I’ve gotten to travel the world and get paid to throw around a ball for a living. Best first job ever. Thanks for the mems, y’all.”
https://twitter.com/7ordan7aylor/status/1555926170880835584?s=20&t=fTc21PXqI2Py509mbBHN-w
Taylor played collegiately at Michigan, finishing her career in maize and blue in 2011. She was a three-time All-American selection as a Wolverine, including being named to the All-American Second Team in back-to-back years in 2010 and ’11. She earned all-region honors in each year of her collegiate career, was the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year in 2010, and earned the conference’s Freshman of the Year award in 2008. She holds eight Michigan program career records, including for wins and strikeouts in the circle.
Following her collegiate career, Taylor was part of the US National Team, helping guide the squad to a gold medal at the Canada Cup in 2011 and a silver medal in the same event in 2012.
Drafted to the now-defunct National Pro Fastpitch league in the third round of the 2011 college draft, Taylor recorded three wins and thirty strikeouts during her rookie year. She went on to earn all-NPF honors in 2015 and 2016, leading the league in saves in each season.
In addition to her domestic professional career, Taylor also spent the better part of a decade playing professionally in Japan.
