By now, local San Antonio area softball fans are well aware of the talents of Somerset's Jalyn McGuffin. But, she has more people to impress once she makes the move to Colorado State's program. The long-awaited journey begins once she graduates from high school at the end of the current school year.
"The offer from the CSU coaches came to me when I was 15, in October of my sophomore year," said McGuffin. "I had actually just finished a playoff volleyball game about 30 minutes before I received the call and, when I received my offer, I was overcome with both excitement and glee that I had the opportunity to do something that I had dreamed about since I was a child. I committed the next week."
Northern Colorado may be a significant drive from South Texas, but McGuffin made her decision based on important factors. The first was the college town's community support.
"The thing that excites me the most about being a part of the Colorado State softball program is that not only is the team stacked with unbelievable talent and coached by some of the best coaches, but the entire city of Fort Collins completely wraps itself around the program and fully supports it," she said. "It's an atmosphere like no other at a home game and it's something that I will cherish when I get there."
McGuffin also recognized that college is a great time to experience new things, and her new environment will definitely provide that.
"It was the right choice for me to move to Northern Colorado because I felt it was a necessity to get away from everything I've ever known and experience an entirely new area of the U.S. on my own," she said. "Just exploring nature and learning who I am as I begin my journey through life."
Ram Nation should be excited for the type of athlete that it's getting in McGuffin. That's because she's a player that competes until the last out.
"For people that have never seen me play, I would describe the way I play as just a kid who fell in love with the game and never looked back," she said. "I am always the most vocal one on the field, the one jumping and screaming after a teammate makes a diving catch and the one who plays every play as if it may be my last. In our game, we never know when injuries may end our career, therefore I play every play as if it may be my last because it's what I love to do and it's [what] made me who I am."
Before McGuffin turns her attention to Fort Collins, she has to finish her high school softball career at Somerset. She is motivated to finish it on a strong note after her team just missed the UIL 5A postseason in 2019.
"Last season really put every ounce of work into perspective when we missed playoffs by two games," she said. "That made us realize that not only is every team in our district working just as hard as us, but that we need to put in 110% effort every time we go to practice to ensure that we are working harder than everyone around us. This year, we just need to stay on our grind and battle into a top four spot in order to punch our ticket into the postseason."
To get Somerset to the dance in 2020, McGuffin plans to lead by example. Luckily for Bulldog fans, she has the necessary qualities to get them over the hump.
"As a senior at Somerset, I take the leadership position to heart knowing that this is the last time I will play with my classmates," she said. "I am always the loudest one on the field and I communicate with my teammates when there is a question, as well as teaching certain situations when there is uncertainty. To finish my high school career on a high note, I would like to go into the postseason one more time just to feel the energy that radiates from it."
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