Local flavor: West Fargo’s Greenlund eager to join Jimmies

With the relative newness of fastpitch softball in the state, local players are yet to make much of a dent in the Jimmie softball program.

That looks like it’s about to change.

When JC coach Kevin Gall landed West Fargo’s Sydney Greenlund last month, she instantly became the most high-profile local recruit to sign with the Jimmies.

Greenlund, who was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in helping the Packers to their 15th straight state title, is well aware of her trailblazing status.

“It’s a cool opportunity to start something big and hopefully more in-state players will come into the program,” Greenlund said Monday from a beach in California. “I’m really excited about joining the team.”

Greenlund is in California with several of her West Fargo teammates, playing against top-notch competition. It’s a trip the West Fargo program takes every other year.

It’s a good tune-up for the type of competition she’ll see when she arrives on campus next month. She said it took little time for her to decide Jamestown College was her destination of choice.

“It’s close enough to home, but far enough away for a new beginning,” she said. “I really liked the attitude of the team and the whole atmosphere. When I visited there I liked it from the start.”

Adding local kids is great, but they have to be able to play and Greenlund’s credentials speak for themselves.

“It’s a lot easier to drive 90 minutes to see players like Sydney play than it is to drive 10 hours to western Montana to watch players like Sydney play,” Gall said. “We like to see the talent pool rising. It’s a good deal.”

Greenlund hit a robust .465 this past spring with three home runs, 41 RBIs and 49 runs scored with a slugging percentage of .711. Her experience playing against quality competition in California may be the biggest benefit.

“California is the hot bed of fastpitch softball in the world, I would say, so to have the experience should be very beneficial,” Gall said. “You don’t want them freaking out when it’s a big game against a really good team.”

Despite Greenlund’s impressive credentials, she’s not guaranteed anything. The Jimmies are coming off a 28-23 season and return a talent-laden team for the 2013 campaign.

“We want to have as many quality players as possible and Sydney is definitely a quality player and then it’s our job as coaches to find a way to make it all work,” Gall said.

Greenlund, who has played primarily as a catcher and third baseman, is looking forward to taking the next step.

“It’s exciting and I’m looking forward to being a part of the team,” she said. “I think the future is looking pretty bright and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

Sun sports editor Dave Selvig can be reached at (701) 952-8460 or by e-mail at dselvig@jamestownsun.com

Tags: sports, jimmies, softball