Freshman Alex Jones Talks About Her Transition to the College Level
Feb. 18, 2010
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Freshman pitcher/outfielder Alex Jones took time between road trips to talk with Kansas Athletics about her transition to college softball and how opening weekend was for the Enid, Okla., native.
Q: As a freshman starter, did you feel intimidated on the field or in the batter’s box?
AL: “Intimidated I don’t think is the right word. More of just first game jitters, especially knowing I was coming into a college game. My sister plays at Iowa State and she told me that it is completely different playing in college. I didn’t know what to expect. I’d seen a lot of games but I knew it was going to be different playing in them. I wasn’t intimidated, just nervous, but the upperclassmen did a really good job of making me feel comfortable. I feel like I came out and had a good start to my freshman career.”
Q: Did the upperclassmen give you any advice heading into the first few games?
AL: “Yes, they made me feel really comfortable. They told me we have practiced everything we need to in practice, just do the exact same thing we do there and take it to a game. There is going to be those little errors because everyone makes mistakes and everyone has a bad day. But if that day is your day, then forget about that game and that whole entire game and just came out the next day and do your best. We started preaching that in fall ball. It was not, ‘Hey it’s our season now, we can start thinking about that.’ It started during the first practice in the offseason, even in the weight room. They [upperclassmen] told us freshmen to get relaxed and become a part of the team. It was never, ‘You are a freshman, you have to listen to us.’ It was ‘You are a part of the team now. If you have something to say you can say it.'”
Q: What is the biggest difference between the college level and high school level?
“Definitely, definitely it is not a social outing anymore. You are here to play softball because you love it. You are not coming out because your friends are. Even though all the girls on the team are your friends and your family, that is not the reason we are playing. We are playing because we love to play the game of softball and we want to win and be successful. Another difference is knowing that it [your position] is not something that is just given to you. You are playing each day for someone else, you are earning your spot every single day. In high school, if you are “good,” then you are going to play because there are not many other people who can take your spot. In college, everyone is good.”
