Jailyn Ford: Built to Last
By Madison Ostrowski
On a hot day in mid-July, while most are clinging to air conditioning, Jailyn Ford is already at the field. At 31 years old, Ford is there three hours before first pitch, not conserving energy for her own performance on the mound. Instead, she’s out there hitting ground balls to her teammates and setting up the batting cage. She’s fully invested in making everyone around her better.
Ford puts the old “princess pitcher” stereotype to rest. The idea that pitchers relax in the dugout, waiting for their outing, couldn’t be further from who she is. She’s catching for her coach during pregame warmups, squatting in the bullpen midgame to catch a fellow pitcher, and taking notes on the other team’s batters. She’s not just a veteran, she’s the heartbeat of the team. The kind of teammate every roster needs, and few truly get.
Growing up with three brothers, Ford developed a competitive spirit before she could even tie her cleats. She was constantly trying to keep up with her brothers, and softball quickly became the area where she had the upper hand. What started as an outlet for her to compete turned into something deeper. It became a space to find her people and build friendships that would last.
They say the people make the place. For Ford, that’s what softball became. As a shy and introverted young girl, the sport allowed her to connect with others. She met people who shared her work ethic and drive. From Australia to Japan to every corner of the United States, she has formed friendships that keep her going year after year. It helped her come out of her shell and into her own.
As those connections deepened, so did her commitment to the game. So, she kept playing well past the age when most others step away. While many softball careers end after high school or college, Ford’s was just getting started.
She pitched four dominant seasons at James Madison University, finishing with a 1.51 ERA, 82 wins, and 815 strikeouts. Then came nine more seasons of professional ball, playing for Honda Reverta in Japan while also playing for the Akron Racers, USSSA Pride, and now the New York Rise.
In a sport with limited opportunities beyond college, Ford knows how rare her path is, and she doesn’t take it for granted.
“I think I have recently come to the realization that it’s a really cool thing to be in my thirties and still be playing,” Ford said. “I never thought I would’ve made it this far. I’m proud to continue to prove myself and prove that I can play at a high level, and can for several years. I can because of my work ethic and competitiveness.”
That said, longevity at the highest level takes way more than passion alone. The wear and tear of year-round play adds up. As Ford has matured, she prioritizes rest, recovery, nutrition, and listening to what her body needs. She sleeps ten hours a night, stays hydrated, gets her protein in, and trains in a way that keeps her strong and healthy.
“I’ve adapted by not even working out less, but by working out differently based on how my body feels,” Ford said. “A big part for me is working out and being strong with my body. Then I take my recovery really seriously.”
Mentally, her love for the game and competitive drive remains her foundation. But the fact that softball is her job adds another level of focus. It’s not just about loving the sport. It’s about showing up every day with discipline, professionalism, and purpose to keep performing at her best. That mindset helps her stay locked in.
“For right now, this is my job and I want to be the best I can be,” Ford said. “I’m gonna put everything I can into that until I can’t anymore. Until I’m either not loving it or not competitive. I think that’s kind of just how our family was bred and how I was raised growing up. It’s like ‘this is what you’re good at, so this is what you’re going to do. You’re going to put all your energy and all your effort into that.’ Besides, it’s a pretty cool job. I can’t complain.”
Still, what stands out most about Ford isn’t her stats or stamina, it’s her gratitude. She talks about softball in terms of “getting to” rather than “having to”, and it shows. After a big strikeout, Ford will point at her catcher, then her coach, who is calling pitches. She acknowledges that she’s not doing it alone.
“I want people to remember me for being a good teammate, being helpful, being consistent, being kind,” Ford said. “All of those things kind of last longer than on-field recognition. How you treat others goes a lot further than everything else.”
Ford’s words aren’t just intentions, they’re how she lives. Her teammates feel it through her quiet gestures and the way she shows up for others. Kayla Wedl, a fellow pro who’s played alongside Ford for the Rise and Pride, experienced that care firsthand.
After suffering the first injury of her career in 2024, Wedl said Ford checked in regularly throughout the season and even into the offseason. She consistently went out of her way to offer support and make sure she was okay during a time of uncertainty.
“She is selfless and a one-of-a-kind teammate,” Wedl said. “She’s the first person that comes to mind when I think about who a true teammate and leader is. I’ve been honored to be her teammate for 4 of my 5 pro years.”
While she grew up with those principles, her experiences across different teams helped her build on that strong foundation. Coming from a mid-major program in Virginia, she was taught that the little things matter. She learned to never take opportunities for granted and to treat everyone around her, with or without a jersey on, with respect.
“We were tarping our own field and doing a lot of the maintenance,” Ford said. “We had people who also helped, but a lot of that was still on us, like making sure the dugouts were clean. We always appreciated the little parts of the game that don’t necessarily have a reflection on on-field performance, but just make you a better person and a better teammate.”
Her sense of responsibility and respect grew even more when she moved nearly 7,000 miles from James Madison to play in Japan. In Japanese culture, respect is embedded in every part of the game. Being surrounded by teammates who were raised with that level of care and discipline pushed Ford to adopt many of their habits. She brought those values back with her to every team she’s played on in the States.
“They are always making sure that all the little things are taken care of,” Ford said. “Like making sure we’re respecting our gloves and our cleats. Everything’s a God to them there, so everything is treated very well. A lot of that is kind of how we were taught at JMU, so I feel like it just makes sense to me. That’s how it should be.”
The game itself is different, too. In Japan, it’s more strategic and focused on the small game, like bunting and slapping. Ford learned to shift her mindset as a pitcher, putting more emphasis on location and less on speed or spin.
Apart from softball, adjusting to the culture was difficult. As one of only two Americans on the team, and with a translator being her only other source of English, it was difficult to make sense of the world around her. But her Japanese teammates welcomed her with open arms, inspiring Ford to immerse herself fully in the experience.
“I just really wanted to embrace the culture,” Ford said. “I wanted to dive in and see what the whole softball world was like and what my teammates were like. I tried to learn the language and tried to speak to them so that I could feel like I got the most out of the experience.”
These days, she actually prefers Japanese food to most American dishes. Her language skills have grown too. She’s picked up enough Japanese to speak at about a middle school level and understands more than she speaks. Luckily, many of her teammates know some basic English, so they’re able to meet her halfway.
Although chasing her dreams far from home comes with challenges beyond cultural barriers. As someone who’s deeply family-centered, being overseas is never easy. Her family in Hot Springs, Virginia, understands that her time in the game is limited, but that doesn’t make the distance feel any less real.
“I value family,” Ford said. “I want to be there for all the birthdays, the newborns, and all my nieces and nephews. Even like funerals, it just makes it really tough when something happens and you can’t be there. It kind of feels like you’re disconnected in that sense.”
Even with the sacrifices that came with being far from home, playing in Japan shaped her in countless ways. But of all the experiences in her career, nothing meant more than wearing USA across her chest.
In the summer of 2022, everything came together. Ford delivered a standout performance at tryouts and secured a spot on Team USA. She was given the chance to represent her country on the world stage. A dream for so many softball players, Ford made a reality. Making the national team roster is one of the hardest accomplishments in the sport, reserved for the most elite players in the country.
In 2022, she proved she belonged on that stage. At the World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, Ford helped lead Team USA to a gold medal. She pitched three innings in relief, striking out five and recording a save with a 1-0 record.
Later that summer, at the Canada Cup, she led the team in relief appearances, notching two saves, a 1.40 ERA, and 13 strikeouts over 10 innings. Competing in those games was a moment she never thought she’d reach, but one she’ll never forget.
“It was something about stepping out there for the gold medal match and playing Japan,” Ford said. “Close game, wearing USA across my chest. It was just a very full-circle moment that I never thought I would achieve, but I was happy to be one of the top players in the nation at the time and get that opportunity.”
While wearing red, white, and blue was a career highlight, some of her most meaningful memories come from moments that weren’t about medals. They were about growth, pride, and the people who stood beside her.
Ford’s most memorable college game came during her senior year at JMU in Game 3 of the Super Regional against LSU. They lost, but playing at home in front of thousands of fans was a surreal experience. When she was a freshman, they weren’t expected to make regionals. Three years later, they were a top-10 team hosting supers. Despite the outcome, it was a proud moment that showed just how far the program had come.
A few years later, a similar feeling returned during her pro career with the USSSA Pride. In 2021, while JMU was making its historic run in the World Series, Ford was playing in Oklahoma City as well. Former teammates and alumni packed the stands to support both teams. Even though they lost to Team USA, it didn’t matter. The energy, the support, and the chance to share that moment with her people made it unforgettable.
After everything she’s accomplished in her career, it would be easy for the game to start feeling routine. Playing a sport every day for that many years can begin to feel like any other job, and the spark that lit the fire may fade. But for Ford, holding onto the joy is everything.
She leans into moments that remind her of why she fell in love with softball in the first place. When she joined the New York Rise, that feeling came rushing back. Surrounded by great people and a brand-new energy, she felt like a kid again, playing for the fun of it.
“We were just meeting each other for the first time when we were in Chattanooga,” Ford said. “Everyone was just cheering and going crazy and learning about each other. We were laughing and having a great time. It felt like when you’re out there having fun with your friends and can let loose and enjoy the game. It was like that throughout the whole summer. You’re around really good people, like how could you not have fun and feel like a little kid?”
More than just fun, there was a sense of pride that came with being part of something new. In the Rise’s inaugural season in the summer of 2024, Ford and her teammates became the first professional softball players to take the field in New York.
It was more than just a team, it was a symbol of progress. They were laying the groundwork for something bigger. It meant offering visibility, opportunity, and inspiration to young girls across the Northeast who could finally see themselves in the professional game.
“I hope to never forget the first year of Rise for sure,” Ford said. “Just the feeling of a brand new organization. A brand new team. Starting something from scratch, and this is the first step. It’s history and something that could be around for years to come, and we were a part of it.”
Whether she’s in the circle on Long Island or thousands of miles away in Japan, Jailyn Ford competes with a heart on fire. To her, softball is more than a sport. It’s where she’s grown, connected, and left a legacy far beyond her statistics. And the best part? She’s not done yet.
