Completed Event: Softball at App State on April 18, 2026 , Win , 9, to, 3
SB
Final
James Madison
9
at App State
3
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Catching Up With Jailyn Ford
10/17/2020 4:18:00 PM | Softball
From 2013 to 2016, Jailyn Ford put together the one of the strongest careers in James Madison softball history, earning three consecutive All-American honors - the first three in program history - and four First Team All-CAA nods, while breaking JMU's career records for home runs, runs scored, runs batted in, total bases, walks and intentional walks at the plate, as well as the marks for appearances, innings pitched and batters faced and strikeouts looking in the circle.
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After being drafted third overall by the Akron Racers of National Pro Fastpitch in 2016, she has played there and for the USSSA Pride in the United States and is currently playing for Honda Reverta in the Japan Women's Softball League.
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She sat down with JMUSports.com to chat about her JMU career, her professional experience and everything that put her in a position to capitalize on her talent.
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What drew you to JMU in the first place?
I think it was really just the sense of community that I felt when I visited. After I met some of the players and the staff, it just felt like a place I belonged and needed to be. It was also close to home too and it was important that my family was able to come watch.
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Obviously, both you and JMU Softball achieved an incredible amount of success across your career. What do you feel like JMU provided that put you in a position to push towards that kind of success?
We had a great coaching staff that held us accountable, but also led us to grow into good teammates and good people. They pushed us to be accountable to ourselves and each other, so every day, we would come in and push each other to be better, whether it was in the weight room or in the classroom or out on the field. The competitiveness that they instilled in us helped us all raise ourselves up in everything we did.
Â
What was the biggest way you saw yourself grow in four years at JMU, both on and off the field?
I feel like I really became a better teammate and leader across my career. I really hadn't had to take that role on in high school or on travel ball, but as the years went on, I think I became the sort of player that our team could look up to or turn to for advice. I was on the field a lot, so I had the experience I needed to take that role. I wanted to be the person our team turned to, both on and off the field, and it kind of became my responsibility to make sure our team was on the right track together.
Â
Obviously, I think I improved as a player too, which was made easier by the fact that I was surrounded by so many great athletes from all over the country. They drove me to want to be better and be more competitive.
Â
What is the most underrated area of support that you and JMU Softball got at JMU that most people wouldn't think of?
That's a really tough question because we're so well supported across so many different areas at JMU. I think the academic side of things is so great at JMU - I know Terrence and everyone in that department put in so much time to keep our athletes on track in the classroom, whether it was study halls or making sure we're finding which classes we need. I think a lot of people only see us on the field and don't always think about the fact that we are student-athletes and working hard to stay on track in the classroom. That would be so much more difficult without their help.
Â
Take us back to the night of the draft a few years ago - what was going through your mind going into that night and what went through your mind when you were selected third overall?
I went through so many emotions that night, but I always hear that I never showed it! I certainly wasn't expecting to go nearly that early, much less third overall, so I was nervous and excited. Honestly, I hadn't put a ton of thought into the possibility of playing after college. I'd always been so focused on the moment I was in, but that night was when it really hit me that I could make a career out of it and do things in the sport after college, so I had a lot to process as I went through all those emotions.
Â
What were your first few days and weeks after joining the professional ranks like in terms of getting used to new things and learning?
I think joining a team where you know a lot of the players and playing alongside people you'd watched on television, it was kind of like a "you made it" moment, for sure. That doesn't mean there weren't struggles - even though I was proud of how far JMU had grown, I was still frustrated with how my college career had ended, so to have to kind of re-calibrate myself to the sort of mentality it took to play alongside these professionals and to do it with an entirely new team was really challenging sometimes.
Â
You've come back to JMU a few times to help out the program and be a volunteer assistant coach here and there - what has that work been like?
The biggest thing I've gotten has probably been getting an entirely new sense how much work goes on behind the scenes to make a team successful. It's so far beyond just knowing what the lineup is or where somebody is playing that day - getting to see first-hand every part of planning practice every day and building those schedules for a whole team has been eye-opening. And all the support is incredible from a different angle too - whether it's academics or communications or strength & conditioning; everybody coming together for that common goal is amazing. There's so much more to being successful than what we saw from the players' side of things.
Â
You've played in the U.S. and you're currently playing over in Japan - what went into the decision to play overseas and pick up those extra games?
After I got drafted by Akron in the NPF (National Pro Fastpitch), I'd gotten an opportunity where this league was also looking for left-handed pitchers, which is kind of a rare things overseas. At first, I didn't give it much of a shot and didn't think much about it, but as things went on, I realized it would be a good opportunity for me. Especially after coaching back at JMU a little bit, I realized that, even though I liked the coaching side of things, I want to play as much as I possibly can. Obviously, your playing career is a whole lot shorter and you can always go back to coaching, but I just really wanted to hop on this chance while I could and I thought it would be a cool opportunity to see more of the world and experience more of softball. While it's the same game, it's a little bit different and new. I get to experience some new styles and mentalities, so it's really cool to be able to see that and I think that, whenever I go back to the coaching side, I'll have this experience to lean on.
Â
How did JMU prepare you to specifically go overseas and play in a different country?
JMU does a great job of getting you just enough outside of your comfort zone in ways that help you grow. It lets you see things outside the Harrisonburg bubble or even the American bubble - especially in my gen ed classes, I was able to get a look at the things that I'd never experienced and that helped me a lot, I think. Also, the sense of hard work that the softball program instilled in us - whether it was raking the field or sweeping dugouts or that sort of thing - we do a lot of the same things over here, so those little things outside of softball helped sort of make that mentality a really normal thing.
Â
Since you've turned professional, how would you say you've grown, on and off the field?
I think that, as a player, I've really developed my game further. Not as much the big mechanical things, but the little things: being able to change speeds or locate my fastball better. In college, I was definitely what you would call "effectively wild" - and I'm still that, for sure - but I really feel like I've developed a lot more of the accuracy and the command that I didn't have as much in college. As a person, it's helped me become a lot more understanding and accepting of people and their difference - when you play all over, whether it's here in America or in Japan or Australia, you realize that everyone is different, but we're also all the same. None of that would have been possible if I hadn't come to play at JMU - being accepting and loving of all your teammates in college showed me how to embrace everybody's differences after moving to the professional ranks and essentially getting an entirely new team every few months.
Â
You grew up right down the road in Virginia and played at JMU - what does it mean to you to represent James Madison University in the professional ranks?
I take so much pride in being able to do that. We're a mid-major program that maybe some people haven't heard of enough and, whenever somebody is able to reach the pros, I really think it helps put JMU on the map. I hope it keeps making people realize that you can do all these things from a place like this - you don't have to go to the SEC or the ACC or some of those more prominent programs to make it professionally. You just have to have the hard work and dedication and be willing to put in the work.
Â
There's a lot of pride in going out and wearing JMU - I actually wear my JMU Softball practice shirt to every practice over here. All the girls always ask me about JMU and we connect and relate over that, so it really incredible.
Â
JMU has a very storied tradition of success in women's sports - what does it mean to represent that side of things and carry the flag for a school that puts a lot of emphasis on it?
I think it's so cool - being able to see not just the softball program, but all the women's sports at JMU succeed the way they do. When I was at JMU, I really wanted to help be a part of that legacy and leave my mark on it as something that can keep being successful in the future. To see that continue growing and succeeding makes me really proud and I hope it keeps carrying on and keeps being that point of pride.
Â
Two last questions: first, what's your favorite JMU memory off the softball field?
Oh, that's really hard - there are so many. Honestly, I always loved all our team retreats that we took in the fall, just doing team-building activities and that sort of thing. My senior year, when went to the lake, we made a lot of stops and had things to do on the way, so when we got to the lake, we just relaxed and did some things with the team to make our group closer. It was just such a cool experience to have that closeness off the field, where you're getting to know everyone in ways that have nothing to do with softball.
Â
The other one I thought of is honestly all the times we got to volunteer in the community. We helped out a lot at a community center downtown and got to play some games and cornhole with a lot of the people there. That was such a cool experience - we got to get away from softball a little bit and interact with people in the community who were really supportive of us, but really enjoyed being with us and having us help them out for a day here and there.
Â
OK, now your favorite memory on the softball field at JMU.
On the field, it obviously has to be the Super Regional at home against LSU. I remember looking around and seeing how many fans were there to support us. I thought back to my freshman year, when there were maybe 50 there. It was just such an incredible feeling to have seen the program change and grow such an incredible amount. All that support from the fans and the community that came out from everywhere was amazing. It sucks to have to lose your last game as a college athlete, but to see 2,000 people at such a special place come out in support of you was such an awesome experience. It honestly gives me goosebumps to think about even now as we talk about it.
Â
Â
After being drafted third overall by the Akron Racers of National Pro Fastpitch in 2016, she has played there and for the USSSA Pride in the United States and is currently playing for Honda Reverta in the Japan Women's Softball League.
Â
She sat down with JMUSports.com to chat about her JMU career, her professional experience and everything that put her in a position to capitalize on her talent.
Â
----
Â
What drew you to JMU in the first place?
I think it was really just the sense of community that I felt when I visited. After I met some of the players and the staff, it just felt like a place I belonged and needed to be. It was also close to home too and it was important that my family was able to come watch.
Â
Obviously, both you and JMU Softball achieved an incredible amount of success across your career. What do you feel like JMU provided that put you in a position to push towards that kind of success?
We had a great coaching staff that held us accountable, but also led us to grow into good teammates and good people. They pushed us to be accountable to ourselves and each other, so every day, we would come in and push each other to be better, whether it was in the weight room or in the classroom or out on the field. The competitiveness that they instilled in us helped us all raise ourselves up in everything we did.
Â
What was the biggest way you saw yourself grow in four years at JMU, both on and off the field?
I feel like I really became a better teammate and leader across my career. I really hadn't had to take that role on in high school or on travel ball, but as the years went on, I think I became the sort of player that our team could look up to or turn to for advice. I was on the field a lot, so I had the experience I needed to take that role. I wanted to be the person our team turned to, both on and off the field, and it kind of became my responsibility to make sure our team was on the right track together.
Â
Obviously, I think I improved as a player too, which was made easier by the fact that I was surrounded by so many great athletes from all over the country. They drove me to want to be better and be more competitive.
Â
What is the most underrated area of support that you and JMU Softball got at JMU that most people wouldn't think of?
That's a really tough question because we're so well supported across so many different areas at JMU. I think the academic side of things is so great at JMU - I know Terrence and everyone in that department put in so much time to keep our athletes on track in the classroom, whether it was study halls or making sure we're finding which classes we need. I think a lot of people only see us on the field and don't always think about the fact that we are student-athletes and working hard to stay on track in the classroom. That would be so much more difficult without their help.
Â
Take us back to the night of the draft a few years ago - what was going through your mind going into that night and what went through your mind when you were selected third overall?
I went through so many emotions that night, but I always hear that I never showed it! I certainly wasn't expecting to go nearly that early, much less third overall, so I was nervous and excited. Honestly, I hadn't put a ton of thought into the possibility of playing after college. I'd always been so focused on the moment I was in, but that night was when it really hit me that I could make a career out of it and do things in the sport after college, so I had a lot to process as I went through all those emotions.
Â
What were your first few days and weeks after joining the professional ranks like in terms of getting used to new things and learning?
I think joining a team where you know a lot of the players and playing alongside people you'd watched on television, it was kind of like a "you made it" moment, for sure. That doesn't mean there weren't struggles - even though I was proud of how far JMU had grown, I was still frustrated with how my college career had ended, so to have to kind of re-calibrate myself to the sort of mentality it took to play alongside these professionals and to do it with an entirely new team was really challenging sometimes.
Â
You've come back to JMU a few times to help out the program and be a volunteer assistant coach here and there - what has that work been like?
The biggest thing I've gotten has probably been getting an entirely new sense how much work goes on behind the scenes to make a team successful. It's so far beyond just knowing what the lineup is or where somebody is playing that day - getting to see first-hand every part of planning practice every day and building those schedules for a whole team has been eye-opening. And all the support is incredible from a different angle too - whether it's academics or communications or strength & conditioning; everybody coming together for that common goal is amazing. There's so much more to being successful than what we saw from the players' side of things.
Â
You've played in the U.S. and you're currently playing over in Japan - what went into the decision to play overseas and pick up those extra games?
After I got drafted by Akron in the NPF (National Pro Fastpitch), I'd gotten an opportunity where this league was also looking for left-handed pitchers, which is kind of a rare things overseas. At first, I didn't give it much of a shot and didn't think much about it, but as things went on, I realized it would be a good opportunity for me. Especially after coaching back at JMU a little bit, I realized that, even though I liked the coaching side of things, I want to play as much as I possibly can. Obviously, your playing career is a whole lot shorter and you can always go back to coaching, but I just really wanted to hop on this chance while I could and I thought it would be a cool opportunity to see more of the world and experience more of softball. While it's the same game, it's a little bit different and new. I get to experience some new styles and mentalities, so it's really cool to be able to see that and I think that, whenever I go back to the coaching side, I'll have this experience to lean on.
Â
How did JMU prepare you to specifically go overseas and play in a different country?
JMU does a great job of getting you just enough outside of your comfort zone in ways that help you grow. It lets you see things outside the Harrisonburg bubble or even the American bubble - especially in my gen ed classes, I was able to get a look at the things that I'd never experienced and that helped me a lot, I think. Also, the sense of hard work that the softball program instilled in us - whether it was raking the field or sweeping dugouts or that sort of thing - we do a lot of the same things over here, so those little things outside of softball helped sort of make that mentality a really normal thing.
Â
Since you've turned professional, how would you say you've grown, on and off the field?
I think that, as a player, I've really developed my game further. Not as much the big mechanical things, but the little things: being able to change speeds or locate my fastball better. In college, I was definitely what you would call "effectively wild" - and I'm still that, for sure - but I really feel like I've developed a lot more of the accuracy and the command that I didn't have as much in college. As a person, it's helped me become a lot more understanding and accepting of people and their difference - when you play all over, whether it's here in America or in Japan or Australia, you realize that everyone is different, but we're also all the same. None of that would have been possible if I hadn't come to play at JMU - being accepting and loving of all your teammates in college showed me how to embrace everybody's differences after moving to the professional ranks and essentially getting an entirely new team every few months.
Â
You grew up right down the road in Virginia and played at JMU - what does it mean to you to represent James Madison University in the professional ranks?
I take so much pride in being able to do that. We're a mid-major program that maybe some people haven't heard of enough and, whenever somebody is able to reach the pros, I really think it helps put JMU on the map. I hope it keeps making people realize that you can do all these things from a place like this - you don't have to go to the SEC or the ACC or some of those more prominent programs to make it professionally. You just have to have the hard work and dedication and be willing to put in the work.
Â
There's a lot of pride in going out and wearing JMU - I actually wear my JMU Softball practice shirt to every practice over here. All the girls always ask me about JMU and we connect and relate over that, so it really incredible.
Â
JMU has a very storied tradition of success in women's sports - what does it mean to represent that side of things and carry the flag for a school that puts a lot of emphasis on it?
I think it's so cool - being able to see not just the softball program, but all the women's sports at JMU succeed the way they do. When I was at JMU, I really wanted to help be a part of that legacy and leave my mark on it as something that can keep being successful in the future. To see that continue growing and succeeding makes me really proud and I hope it keeps carrying on and keeps being that point of pride.
Â
Two last questions: first, what's your favorite JMU memory off the softball field?
Oh, that's really hard - there are so many. Honestly, I always loved all our team retreats that we took in the fall, just doing team-building activities and that sort of thing. My senior year, when went to the lake, we made a lot of stops and had things to do on the way, so when we got to the lake, we just relaxed and did some things with the team to make our group closer. It was just such a cool experience to have that closeness off the field, where you're getting to know everyone in ways that have nothing to do with softball.
Â
The other one I thought of is honestly all the times we got to volunteer in the community. We helped out a lot at a community center downtown and got to play some games and cornhole with a lot of the people there. That was such a cool experience - we got to get away from softball a little bit and interact with people in the community who were really supportive of us, but really enjoyed being with us and having us help them out for a day here and there.
Â
OK, now your favorite memory on the softball field at JMU.
On the field, it obviously has to be the Super Regional at home against LSU. I remember looking around and seeing how many fans were there to support us. I thought back to my freshman year, when there were maybe 50 there. It was just such an incredible feeling to have seen the program change and grow such an incredible amount. All that support from the fans and the community that came out from everywhere was amazing. It sucks to have to lose your last game as a college athlete, but to see 2,000 people at such a special place come out in support of you was such an awesome experience. It honestly gives me goosebumps to think about even now as we talk about it.
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