University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Jaiden Fields
May 17, 2023 | Softball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Jaiden Fields is smooth and polished in front of a microphone. From the moment she arrived at Georgia, the softball standout has wanted to go into sports broadcasting one day. She shows all the signs of being a natural.
Fields is also making big things happen at the plate this season. The fifth-year player, who graduated last Friday, is batting .307, has hit eight home runs, driven in 31 runs, and has an OPS of .909.
When it comes to her future, Fields may also follow a different path, having signed with the WWE's Next In Line program. She's one of 15 athlete's in the 2023 class who will have the opportunity to train at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla.
More immediately, Fields and the No. 14-seeded Bulldogs begin NCAA Athens Regional play on Friday at Jack Turner Stadium. Georgia takes on North Carolina Central on Friday at 4:30 p.m.
During a Quick Chat before practice Tuesday, Fields talked about one of her idols, broadcaster and former Georgia volleyball and basketball player Maria Taylor, plus what it's like to be in the final weeks of her career, her favorite moment on a softball field, and much more. Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: Is Maria as cool as I think she is?
Fields: Probably cooler. She's really cool, an easy person to talk to, very inspirational. She's somebody that I've definitely looked up to.
Frierson: What is it like to be at this point in your career? You've been around here a while now.
Fields: I think a lot of times I just find myself appreciating where I am and how much I've grown. When I got here my freshman year, if you'd told me about what I was going to do and who I was going to be able to talk to, I wouldn't believe you.
Just to be able to have an opportunity here and to be able to really grow in those different spaces has been super great, and I couldn't be more grateful.
Frierson: Have you grown more as a player or a person in your time here?
Fields: I would say a person. Being on the field has definitely helped both. Growing on the field is great, obviously, but I think growing as a person is more important. You know that softball's going to end and that growth outside of softball is super important.
Frierson: When you look at the sports media landscape right now, what do you see?
Fields: I see that it's definitely something that I can see myself working in. Having the (Carmical) Sports Media Certificate has been a great opportunity; I can't believe they didn't have it back when Maria went here. I think that has just solidified what I want to do because every time I take on a new project, I fall more in love with it.
A lot of the time we do stuff that puts me in uncomfortable positions where I'm like, I don't know what I'm doing but I'm going to figure it out.
Frierson: What is your favorite project that you've worked on over the years?
Fields: I'd say my favorite class was sports stories (Multiplatform Storytelling for Sports). We got to put together our own packages and we broadcast our own show live, so that was really fun. I got to do some live broadcasts of high school football games in surrounding areas, and I got to do some sideline reporting.
Diving into all those different kinds of roles has been a lot of fun.
Frierson: Is there any part of you being an athlete that has to be poised and mentally present in the big moments that helps with live TV?
Fields: Absolutely. I think that's a big reason I wanted to do sports broadcasting specifically, because I can relate to athletes. When I'm sitting down and interviewing them and having conversations, it's cool to be able to know what that feeling is like.
Frierson: What is it like being a part of this team that has knocked the heck out of the ball (81 home runs) for most of the season? It looks like a lot of fun.
Fields: We have a very talented team, and it's a lot of fun and very fulfilling to know that if I don't produce one day, my teammate's going to be on and she's going to get it done. Just to be able to have that, it takes the pressure off of one single person, to know that if you don't have it going on, your teammate will. It's really nice.
Frierson: What is your favorite moment ever on a softball field?
Fields: There are so many. I would have to say going to Oklahoma City (for the Women's College World Series in 2021) in general. That's what every little girl dreams of, and it's what we work our whole career for, to get to that point.
Just getting on the field, not even playing, stepping on there for warmups before each game and just seeing how packed the stands were, it was just crazy. It was a little overwhelming but a really cool experience. And I hope to experience it again.
(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.
