University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Jaydyn Goodwin
March 02, 2023 | Softball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
During her long softball career, Jaydyn Goodwin has had loads of superstitions. Some involved her hair and how she had it up during a great game. Or maybe she was delivering at the plate on a day when she put her belt on wrong. Superstitions don't have to make sense for anyone but the person that's riding a hot streak.
A freshman utility player from Paris, Ky., in Bourbon County, Goodwin heads into this weekend's Bulldog Classic at Jack Turner Stadium having played in 16 games, starting 11. She's batting .262 with three doubles, and is 4-for-4 on stolen-base attempts. Next Wednesday, when the Bulldogs host Georgia State, Goodwin will be going up against her older sister Jaycee, a sophomore on the Panthers' squad.
During a recent Quick Chat, Goodwin talked about her start in softball, her best moment ever on a softball diamond, her ups and downs with superstitions, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:Â
Frierson: How did you get started it softball? Did you play a bunch of different sports when you were young?
Goodwin: I started when I was just 2, playing tee-ball, and then I kept going with it from there. And in middle school and high school, I also played basketball. I didn't play basketball my senior year because it was kind of a sister thing. I have two sisters, an older one and a younger (Jaylynn) one, and my older sister graduated and my younger sister transferred schools, so it was just me. My parents were like, just focus on softball your last year.
Frierson: Are there things in basketball that have helped you in softball?
Goodwin: It helped me a lot mentally, because softball is, I'm better at it, it's more natural to me, but in basketball, I had to go through learning all the things like shooting. I had to do so much to figure that out. It taught me a lot mentally that I think has helped me.
Frierson: What is your best moment ever on a softball diamond?
Goodwin: It was it was my 14U (14-and-under travel ball season), and everyone on the team was like my best friend, we were all so close, and we won nationals together. That's always a really good memory. We were all so excited and so close, and we achieved our goal together.
Frierson: What is something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Goodwin: Steak, for sure. My perfect steak dinner is probably a steak with my mom's mashed potatoes and green beans, with a roll.
Frierson: How are you in the kitchen? Is there anything you like to cook?
Goodwin: I'm more of a baker. My family's from Louisiana, so they're all Cajun. My older sister's a really good cook, my grandmother and my mom, but I didn't really get that. I'm more of a baker. I've got a good, ole sweet tooth.
Frierson: If you wanted to bake some stuff for your teammates, to show off your skills a bit, what would you bake?
Goodwin: This doesn't really show my skills but it's my favorite: chocolate-covered strawberries. Those are my favorite.
Frierson: Who is the funniest person on the team?
Goodwin: It's probably Jayda (Kearney), or Hayley (Eaton). They're both really funny. They're not trying to be funny, and that's what makes it even more funny, that they're not trying. They're just goofy.
Frierson: In my experience, softball and baseball players tend to be the most superstitious of all the athletes. Do you have any superstitions or anything you do before or during every game?
Goodwin: We all talk about how in travel ball we had our superstitions. I was so bad back in travel ball about having superstitions. But we're all against them and we're trying not to have them. But sometimes I'll catch myself, when I do bad, wanting to change my hair or something.
Frierson: What was your best or favorite superstition?
Goodwin: I wouldn't do it on purpose, but I put my belt in backward, on accident, so my Nike sign (swoosh) wound up upside-down. And then I just kept doing it; I was like, I can't change it now, I'm doing good. And it stuck with me.
When we were down in Florida (last month), I noticed that I did it. And I was like, I can't do this. We're on TV and I have to look good, so I had to switch it.
Frierson: What can you tell me about home, about Paris?
Goodwin: We do have a mini Eiffel Tower [laughs]. My dad's in the horse business and I live on a horse farm. We raise horses and all that. It's a lot of land and animals; not very big.
Frierson: Did you ever compete on horses?
Goodwin: I didn't but my little sister did get into equestrian jumping. I did it at home for fun on the horse that I had at home, but I never actually competed.
Frierson: In a perfect world, what are you doing in 10 years?
Goodwin: I have a good family, I live somewhere warm, near my family but not like next door, and I'm working in the sports world. I want to go into sports marketing and I want to work my way up on a big project or something 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.
