Louisiana-Monroe shortstop Jayden Mount started her career in earnest as a freshman in 2017, finishing in the top ten in the conference in on-base percentage, and eleventh in batting average with a .355 mark. She finished that season with a .355/7/31 slash line, including her batting average, as well as home runs and RBIs.
The Longview, Texas native followed up that performance with a sophomore season in 2018 that saw her earn a nomination to the all-conference and all-region teams, with second-team honors from both. She finished the season as the conference’s leader in on-base percentage with a .561 mark, a number that finished ninth nationwide in Division I. She hit .379 on the year, and finished in the top ten in the Sun Belt Conference in slugging percentage.
As she prepares for her junior year, under a new head coach and now as one of the team’s reliable veterans, Mount recently sat down with us to chat about her career, how she prepares for a game, balancing academics with playing Division I softball, and more.
Justin’s World of Softball: How did you get started playing softball?
Jayden Mount: My parents signed me up for t-ball when I was 3 years old and pretty much told me I had to go. I started to love the game. When I was 7 years old, my mom asked me if I wanted to do competitive cheer or travel softball, well, my obvious answer was softball.
JWOS: You had a number of relatives that graduated from ULM; how much did that play into your decision to become a Warhawk? What ultimately led you to choose Monroe as your collegiate “home”?
Mount: Having my family graduate from ULM really impacted my decision because I knew I would have a great support system at my games. I chose ULM as my home for the next chapter of my life because of how impactful everyone was when I visited. The campus is beautiful, and I felt as though I was at home.
JWOS: You played several sports while in high school, including basketball; track; and volleyball. Do you feel that playing a variety of other sports helped develop you also as a softball player?
Mount: No doubt about it. I was a setter in volleyball, which improved my hand-eye coordination. I was the point guard in basketball, which helped me to lead an offense and be very vocal on the court. I ran the 100-meter dash in track, which taught me to compete and gain speed. Playing different sports helped me tremendously because I had a different coach in each sport and a different set of teammates for each sport.
JWOS: What was the transition like from high school and club ball into college? As far as your preparation process, how did things change for you in making that big step in levels of play?
Mount: In high school, I got to play with my friends that I’ve grown up with; in travel ball, I got to play with a group of girls that wanted to get recruited, and now I get to play with a group of girls that wants to win a conference championship, a Regional championship, a Super Regional championship, and a National Championship. The biggest change from high school to college for me was lifting weights and conditioning. I was always playing a sport, so I was never in the off season to lift and condition.
JWOS: Walk me through your pre-game preparation process. What do you do to get ready to go do battle on the diamond?
Mount: For home games, I always go get two kolaches and a red Gatorade for my breakfast. I listen to three songs before I head into the locker room; those are – Hall of Fame by The Script, Thunder by Imagine Dragons, and Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons. My dad always sends me quotes before my game and I read those and remember I wouldn’t be here without my parents. I head into the locker room and sit in my locker and visualize how I am going to play. I put on eye black in the shape of a cross to remind me who I am playing for. We go hit and I do the same drills every time to have a routine. I always get pregame butterflies before we do starting line ups and that lets me know how much I love the game. Then I just go out there and play because I love it.
JWOS: To what do you attribute your ability to be so consistent in your approach, especially offensively? What do you do to avoid a “slump”?
Mount: I do not use slump in my vocabulary because each at bat is very different and there are different situations. I go in and hit everyday with my coaches because they are gracious enough to pitch to me whenever it is convenient for me. I always want to be a better hitter, and I feel as though you can always get better. I love the quote by Babe Ruth “Every strike brings me closer to my next homerun.”
JWOS: Favorite moment of your career thus-far?
Mount: My favorite memory was my freshman year at the NISC Softball Championship. We were playing Lamar and I was 0 for 3 in that game. It was the bottom of the 7th and Megan Shaw was on third and I was up to bat. I fouled 2 balls back to the backstop, so I was down in the count 1-2. The pitcher gave me an outside pitch and I hit a line drive into right field to walk it off and win the game. I almost forgot to run because I was so excited. We had to win that game to play the “if game.”
JWOS: What are your goals, both personally and for your team, in 2019?
Mount: My goal for myself this year is to continue to better myself each year because I want to be better than I was yesterday. I want to be First Team All-Sunbelt and First Team All-Region. Our goal is to make history at ULM and to continue to make the program bigger and better. Our goals are to win a conference championship and make a Regional, a Super Regional, and of course, win a National Championship.
JWOS: How do you find and maintain the balance between a Division I academic career and the demands of being a Division I athlete?
Mount: Our team GPA was a 3.6 this past fall and that is the best GPA we have had since I have been here. Our university has so many resources for us to succeed. Athletes have study hall and we get the privilege to do a certain amount each week. As a freshman coming in, time management was my biggest issue because there are so many things that go into being a college athlete, but everyone at ULM is so kind and always wants to help. My professors are so gracious because they understand I will miss a lot of class due to games in the spring. Always go to class and introduce yourself to them because it will really help out in the long run.
