Logan softball, Jordyn Kleman thrives under pressure

Best start for Rangers under coach Matt Marohl

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) — Undefeated in conference and ranked as the number one team in Wisconsin, the Logan Rangers softball team is facing pressure to win and it has one player motivated to continue playing better.

“She’s probably one of the best people I know who’s good in pressure situations,” said Logan senior Abby Leinfelder.

“She’s only a junior but she plays like a super senior so she’s ready for it, she can handle it,” said Logan senior Alex Modjeski.

That’s how teammates of Logan’s Jordan Kleman describe her mentality in the circle.  It’s a spot she’s been in for a long time.

“I was really little, like four or five,” said Logan junior Jordyn Kleman. “We all pitched when we were little and I just grew to love it and worked on it.”

To say she got the hang of it is an understatement and when high school came around, the mound came with a new responsibility: taking leadership.

“I think I kind of just fell into it and had to live up to it, so I set expectations for myself and I try to fulfill them,” says Kleman.

“Even when she’s down, she picks everyone else up and she’s always that leader on the mound and she’s always the one talking.  She just makes the job a lot easier for us,” said Leinfelder.

But learning didn’t end with becoming a leader.  Pitch by pitch, year after year, Jordyn Kleman would continue to perfect her craft.

“I put a lot of work in over the fall and winter to learn more pitches to come into the season with,” said Kleman.

“She gets new pitches and she’s able to throw them all in games so if we’re in a tight 3-2 count, then she can get out of that batter and get a strike,” said Logan senior Kadie Weiss.

Then would come the shutouts, one after another, after another. In 32 starts over the past 2 seasons, 17 of those games have resulted in zeroes for the other team.

“That definitely pushes me throughout the game to keep the zero on the board,” said Kleman, “I try to focus on every game. Don’t let up on anyone and just keep going.”

“She never doubts herself and that’s apparent, and that totally rubs off on everyone else and we don’t doubt her either,” said Modjeski.

So when the game comes down to the wire, there’s no one that wants the ball more than Jordan Kleman.

“I like pressure, that’s one thing that definitely motivates me,” said Kleman.

Logan clinched at least a share of the Mississippi Valley Conference title after winning at Holmen on Thursday.