Year away rekindles Van Horn's passion for softball

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on April 24, 2013 1:47 PM

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A year away from the sport she loves allowed Jenna Van Horn to gain some valuable perspective while renewing her passion for a game that's been a part of her life since she was a child.

That perspective and passion figures to play a prominent role in Van Horn's future as a collegiate softball player. The Charles B. Aycock senior signed a national letter-of-intent to Division III Salem College in Winston-Salem on Tuesday afternoon.

Van Horn also considered Mount Olive College, but it was Salem head coach Scott Long that ultimately sold Van Horn on the Spirits' program. Salem is currently 12-20 with a 9-7 record in Great South Conference play.

"I really liked Coach Long and I like the campus and the program," Van Horn said. "It just felt like the right fit for me and the right place for me to play."

Van Horn spent her junior year away from the Aycock softball program in order to refocus and because as she says, "I just needed a break."

"Taking a year off really opened my eyes," Van Horn said. "It reminded me how much I love the game and it showed me that this sport is what I love to do."

Her time away from the Golden Falcons has paid dividends as Van Horn has returned with a sense of urgency while providing a calming force to a team with four freshman attempting to defend a state championship.

"She has a sense of urgency about everything she does," Aycock head coach Laura Romo said. "She also doesn't get rattled very easily and that sense of maturity rubs off on individuals around her. She has taken on that role of being a leader.

"She isn't going to be flashy, but she is going to be that solid consistent player that coming into tournament time isn't going to get rattled."

A versatile player, Van Horn is capable of playing just about anywhere on the diamond. She is among the Golden Falcons' leaders in fielding percentage and she possesses a reliable bat. Van Horn has tallied four hits in Aycock's last five games and has struck out just three times in 45 at-bats.

"She's going to hit the ball," Golden Falcons' assistant coach Emily Jordan said. "She doesn't strike out a lot and she's going to move base runners. She may not be a slugger, but she's going to do her job."