University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: CJ Landrum
May 20, 2021 | Softball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
CJ Landrum and the Georgia softball team will take the field at Jack Turner Stadium on Friday against Western Kentucky, in the Bulldogs' first game of the NCAA Athens Regional. It has been a long COVID-altered school year and season to get to this point.
For Landrum, a junior center fielder from Fort Worth, Texas, the time has actually flown by. And speed is something she knows well. Landrum was a talented sprinter in high school, and her father, Cedric, spent time with the Cubs and the Mets in the early 1990s, stealing 27 bases for the Cubs in 1991.
During a recent Quick Chat, Landrum talked about the season, barbecue, her track days, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: Given everything it took to get to this point, with the COVID protocols, online classes and all that, does this season feel like it's lasted forever?
Landrum: I feel like our season was really, really fast this year, I guess because of COVID and everything, and then not really getting to hang out with our teammates a lot. It kind of made everything go by fast.
Frierson: Growing up with a dad that was a major leaguer, is there one piece of advice that he gave you that's really stuck with you?
Landrum: My dad always tells me to play hard and to play fast, to do what you can for the team, and that's always helped me.
Frierson: Given that you're from Fort Worth, let's talk about Texas barbecue. Do you have a favorite place or a favorite style of barbecue? When you go home is there something you're dying to have?
Landrum: My dad grills barbecue all the time, so his ribs and his steak are always the best.
Frierson: How old were you when you first got started in softball? And when did you know that this was the sport for you?
Landrum: I first started when I was about 5, so I've been doing it a long time. I just felt like my love for the game never changed. I never had to question, like, do I want to go to practice? Do I want to do this for softball? Do I want to not hang out with my friends to go play? I just felt like it for me.
Frierson: When did you know you were good? Was there a tournament or a season that was a turning point?
Landrum: I committed late — my junior year I tried out for the Junior Olympic team, and going there and playing with the other players that had already been committed for a really long time, and them telling me, "You're not committed yet? That's really surprising." That kind of made me realize that I could do this.
Frierson: If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?
Landrum: I have no idea. [Sitting nearby, Ellie Armistead suggests singing.] Yeah, probably a singer because I can't sing for anything.
Frierson: Is there one song you wish you could nail?
Landrum: Anything by Beyoncé. She's a great singer, she hits all the notes.
Frierson: If you could travel anywhere in the world on somebody else's dime, where would you like to go?
Landrum: Fiji. I feel like it's different, not many people go there, and I feel like it would be a lot of fun. Fiji and Bora Bora would be really good.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Landrum: Chicken wings, I could eat them every day.
Frierson: Chicken wings are a popular answer, and everyone seems to have their preferred type of wing, so what's yours?
Landrum: I get a 10-piece lemon pepper with extra lemon pepper — all flats.
Frierson: If you could play any other sport for Georgia, what would it be?
Landrum: Probably track, because I'm fast.
Frierson: What was your favorite event when you ran track?
Landrum: The 200.
Frierson: What were those practices like?
Landrum: Hard — we ran so much. It was ridiculous how much we ran, I was always tired after practice. And in Texas, we have softball and track and field in the same season, so I'd go from softball practice to track practice — tired.
Frierson: Who is the funniest person on the team?
Landrum: Jayda Kearney, she makes me laugh every day. It's good because sometimes I have my days when I'm moody and she can just make me laugh and not think about what I'm mad about or anything like that.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
CJ Landrum and the Georgia softball team will take the field at Jack Turner Stadium on Friday against Western Kentucky, in the Bulldogs' first game of the NCAA Athens Regional. It has been a long COVID-altered school year and season to get to this point.
For Landrum, a junior center fielder from Fort Worth, Texas, the time has actually flown by. And speed is something she knows well. Landrum was a talented sprinter in high school, and her father, Cedric, spent time with the Cubs and the Mets in the early 1990s, stealing 27 bases for the Cubs in 1991.
During a recent Quick Chat, Landrum talked about the season, barbecue, her track days, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: Given everything it took to get to this point, with the COVID protocols, online classes and all that, does this season feel like it's lasted forever?
Landrum: I feel like our season was really, really fast this year, I guess because of COVID and everything, and then not really getting to hang out with our teammates a lot. It kind of made everything go by fast.
Frierson: Growing up with a dad that was a major leaguer, is there one piece of advice that he gave you that's really stuck with you?
Landrum: My dad always tells me to play hard and to play fast, to do what you can for the team, and that's always helped me.
Frierson: Given that you're from Fort Worth, let's talk about Texas barbecue. Do you have a favorite place or a favorite style of barbecue? When you go home is there something you're dying to have?
Landrum: My dad grills barbecue all the time, so his ribs and his steak are always the best.
Frierson: How old were you when you first got started in softball? And when did you know that this was the sport for you?
Landrum: I first started when I was about 5, so I've been doing it a long time. I just felt like my love for the game never changed. I never had to question, like, do I want to go to practice? Do I want to do this for softball? Do I want to not hang out with my friends to go play? I just felt like it for me.
Frierson: When did you know you were good? Was there a tournament or a season that was a turning point?
Landrum: I committed late — my junior year I tried out for the Junior Olympic team, and going there and playing with the other players that had already been committed for a really long time, and them telling me, "You're not committed yet? That's really surprising." That kind of made me realize that I could do this.
Frierson: If you could be great at anything for a day, just to experience it, what would it be?
Landrum: I have no idea. [Sitting nearby, Ellie Armistead suggests singing.] Yeah, probably a singer because I can't sing for anything.
Frierson: Is there one song you wish you could nail?
Landrum: Anything by Beyoncé. She's a great singer, she hits all the notes.
Frierson: If you could travel anywhere in the world on somebody else's dime, where would you like to go?
Landrum: Fiji. I feel like it's different, not many people go there, and I feel like it would be a lot of fun. Fiji and Bora Bora would be really good.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Landrum: Chicken wings, I could eat them every day.
Frierson: Chicken wings are a popular answer, and everyone seems to have their preferred type of wing, so what's yours?
Landrum: I get a 10-piece lemon pepper with extra lemon pepper — all flats.
Frierson: If you could play any other sport for Georgia, what would it be?
Landrum: Probably track, because I'm fast.
Frierson: What was your favorite event when you ran track?
Landrum: The 200.
Frierson: What were those practices like?
Landrum: Hard — we ran so much. It was ridiculous how much we ran, I was always tired after practice. And in Texas, we have softball and track and field in the same season, so I'd go from softball practice to track practice — tired.
Frierson: Who is the funniest person on the team?
Landrum: Jayda Kearney, she makes me laugh every day. It's good because sometimes I have my days when I'm moody and she can just make me laugh and not think about what I'm mad about or anything like that.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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