EDWARDSVILLE – Jordyn Henricks has meant a considerable amount to Edwardsville's softball program the last couple of seasons.
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The senior will now have the opportunity to show what she can do at the next level after she signed a letter of intent to attend Lindenwood University-Belleville beginning in the 2019 season in a ceremony held at Edwardsville High School Wednesday morning. The Lynx are a member of the NAIA and play in the American Midwest Conference with schools such as Columbia (Mo.) College, Harris-Stowe of St. Louis, Missouri Baptist of St. Louis, St. Louis College of Pharmacy and Stephens College of Columbia, Mo.
“I'm very excited,” Henricks said about the opportunity. “I love their softball program and the coach (Charlie Kennedy) seems to be the perfect fit for me; they have biology as a major which I'm going into and I'm going to go into being a physician's assistant afterwards – it's a good fit.
“It's about 30 minutes away (from Edwardsville) so It's like of like a home away from home, but it's close enough so I can go visit my family when I want and far enough away so I can have that college experience.”
Henricks played a key role in the circle for the Tigers last season, appearing in 21 games, starting in 20 with a 17-3 record with 13 complete games, conceding 102 hits and 53 runs (42 earned) for a 2.50 earned-run average with 95 strikeouts. On the offensive end, Henricks hit .348 last year with an on-base percentage of .437 and a slugging percentage of .551 with 31 hits in 89 at-bats with 14 RBIs, seven doubles, a triple and three homers.
She started playing softball at age five. “It's been my life,” Henricks said. “I'm a very competitive person and I like to compete at the next level; I love the relationships I've built with everyone on my team and my coaches.”
That Lindenwood was able to get Henricks – the seven-year-old programs first player from the Edwardsville program – to join the program was a big thing for them, thought Tiger coach Lori Blade. “It's local and that was important to her,” Blade said. “She should be able to go in and really compete well for them.
“She made a big jump from her sophomore to her junior year (for the Tigers) offensively and pitching both; I expect her to be a little bit stronger this year again and be able to produce a lot. She's been a kid that over the years has developed really well; she didn't get rushed into the No. 1 position – she got to learn from behind some older kids which, to me, is important with the pitchers. She's come along really well and she's expecting, as we are, to have a really good senior year.”
“We're very excited about Jordyn Henricks,” Kennedy said. “It's been important for us to build within the community and this is our seventh year of existence; it's our first Edwardsville Tiger; (Blade) and I have known each other a long time and Jim Greiner (Henricks' pitching coach) and I are great friends – we were fortunate to find a kid who maybe got lost in the shuffle because of an injury and now she's available to us.
“It's all a matter of finding the right fit for somebody with a degree interest and the job they might get; all those things fell into place and we're very excited about it.”
As for what Henricks would like to accomplish as a member of the Lynx, “first of all, I would like to be a leader to all my players and try to accomplish all the achievements I can as a pitcher,” Henricks said.
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