Game-changers share interests for Charlotte softball 

CHARLOTTE ATHLETICS

Taylor Jones, a sophomore pitcher at Charlotte, leads the 49ers in innings pitched.

Taylor Jones and Jaylah Jarrell are leaving their impact on a sport where Black athletes aren’t highly visible. 

The sophomores are the only African Americans on the Charlotte 49ers softball roster, and they are making an impression with a program looking to build its resumé in the American Conference. 

“It is amazing to have both Taylor and Jaylah on our team,” Charlotte (13-11) coach Courtney Breault said. “I think that they are great people on and off the field, but just to see them come out and really compete, they both have a great presence about them.”

Jarrell is first among 49ers in batting average (.450) and second in total RBIs (17). Jarrell’s batting average is up from her freshman season where she hit .329 in 85 at-bats to earn American co-freshman of the year. 

“Jaylah, she’s a great personality,” Breault said. “She's fun. She keeps everybody light and laughing, and you need that on the team. And ever since, she kind of solidified herself in the lineup last year, and this year, she's just a game changer for us. She has the ability to make the most amazing plays. She's clutch, and just somebody that's infectious to be around.”

Jones, a right-handed pitcher, leads Charlotte in innings pitched with 50. She has a 5-6 record but leads the 49ers in starts with 12 as of March 7. Jones spent her first season at Queens, where she made 29 appearances in the circle.

“Taylor is a little bit more stoic,” Breault said, “but she has a real presence that the girls can get behind and she wants the ball, she wants the moment. And it's been great to see her go and do the most and do the best with her opportunities. Obviously, we’ve seen her have some huge wins and huge moments too. [She has] thrown complete games, I think, against Michigan State and Virginia Tech and threw really well against Clemson. She has the ability to be one of the best pitchers in the American and to shut down any team. It doesn’t matter who they are. It’s awesome to see.”

According to statistics from opendorse, a collegiate athlete marketing and monetization platform, NCAA softball is predominantly white with Black players historically representing 4-6%.  Jarrell said she has personally never felt treated differently but wants girls that look like her to chase their softball dreams if they want to play. 

“It feels really good to have people look up to me,” Jarrell said, “and for me, that is something I take seriously. I do want people to be able to look up to me and chase their dreams because they see what I am able to do.”

CHARLOTTE ATHLETICS

Jaylah Jarrell leads the 49ers in batting average and runs batted in.

Jarrell attributes her growth from her freshman year to a lot of practice, but also a check in mindset. 

“I have to tell myself every now and then ‘it’s OK, I know I am going to make errors, it happens,’” she said. “But it isn’t about making the mistakes, but how you come back from an error. I had a rough first couple of weeks and it was really hard for me. So, I had to regroup and find my way back to where I was and when I did, things clicked again.”

Jones has had success from the start with her new team, which means a lot to her. 

“As an African American pitcher, there’s not many of us out there,” she said. “So, for me I just want to show young kids like me that it is possible if you put in the work. I feel like it is two times harder just to get seen, but it is possible to compete at this level being an African American.”

Jones said the transition to Charlotte has been smooth.

“One thing about Charlotte was the access they had to different things,” she said. “They also have a lot of community support and also just a more winning team helped a lot. The team chemistry, it is something they are very big on here and our team is very close-knit. I was really looking for that.”

The 49ers got off to a hot start with wins against No. 14 Virginia Tech, No. 23 Clemson and Michigan State. While Charlotte has cooled since, Breault is confident they will get it turned around, with Jarrell and Jones leading the way. 

“I think both of them lead by example,” Breault said. “I think what they’ve done is they’ve put their head down, and they’ve worked really hard and they want to keep getting better and better, and they don’t get the highs or the lows. They just stay really steady and keep continuing to be themselves and play with no fear, so that’s what we want. We know that they’re going to be big parts of what we do going forward, and we’re just excited to continue that ride.”

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