For the second time in three years, Labette softball has a new career leader in home runs. Jaden Jordan, a native of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, hit two bombs in Saturday’s KJCCC series against Hesston to bring her career total to 24, tying Winter Snyder.
The Cardinals swept Saturday’s series, 8-1, 12-7, for their eighth straight win in conference play.
Snyder, a Humboldt native who played three full seasons with the Cardinals (202123) due to the COVID-19 pandemic eligibility waiver, broke the record previously held by Jennifer Owen (201112).
Owen coached Jordan in high school.
Jordan’s dominant month of April was punctuated with the two home runs in Game 1 on Saturday. After the second, Hesston stopped letting her try as they intentionally walked her five times in Game 2.
Since the calendar flipped to April, Jordan has been arguably the most dangerous hitter in the country.
In 31 plate appearances over eight games, she has five home runs, 14 hits, 11 RBIs and 10 walks. In that same span, Jordan has only seen 33 strikes.
Her OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.913 is the highest in the nation.
“We’ve got to keep being better with the hitters behind her,” Labette head coach Ryan Phillips said. “Jaden isn’t getting many pitches because she’s producing. She’s hitting the ball to all fields. If we can get girls to stand up behind her and hit, Jaden will keep being a threat. But more and more teams are seeing what Jaden can do. We’ve got to be able to support her with hardhit balls.”
Jordan has 15 home runs on the season, placing her second all-time in Labette history and two behind current record holder Hayley Bonython, a member of the Australian national team who’s currently playing at Newman.
Labette’s two wins on Saturday followed up a Thursday road sweep of Cloud County. The Cardinals needed extra innings to win Game 1, 8-4, before earning a run-rule victory in Game 2, 10-0.
“We struggled early in Game 1. Their pitcher kept us off balance and we just didn’t adjust until the sixth inning,” Phillips said. “But then we were able to put some pressure on them. We still had opportunities to score and didn’t move runners when we needed to. Overall, though, we played well minus the first five innings. At no point did I ever feel like we were out of contention to win that first game.”
On Saturday, Jaelah Mc-Dannald tossed a gem in the circle in Game 1, allowing two hits and striking out three in a complete game. McDannald also tossed a three-pitch inning in the third frame.
“I can’t remember hardly any three-pitch innings in the 22 years that I’ve been here,” Phillips said. “She just got in there, worked fast and let her defense get involved. She didn’t give hitters good counts. She pounded the zone and just gave our defense the opportunity to make plays.”
Labette improved to 8-4 in KJCCC action and 1418 overall. The eight games Labette has won in a row in conference play is the longest streak in the KJCCC.
“Our success now is a testament to our non-conference schedule. We didn’t let the start of our season dictate how we’re playing now,” Phillips said. “We’ve got a lot of depth in the circle and teams aren’t seeing the same pitchers to pick up on patterns. Offensively, we’re a big threat. We’ve got speed to take the extra bases. Obviously, we’ve got power with Jaden. We’re scary right now. This is one of the best offenses we’ve had in a long time.”
Up next
Labette hits the road on Thursday to take on Fort Scott, coached by former Labette assistant Kae Lani Bryan and former Labette All-American shortstop Katy Taylor. Fort Scott, after making the national tournament last year, has struggled out of the game with a 2-10 record in KJCCC play this spring.
“They’ve got two of the best coaches in the country and they’ll have their kids ready,” Phillips said. “No matter how they’re playing, they’ll play their best against Labette.”
