Drum ready to help Ohio squad at national event

Jaina Drum is coming to the end of her competitive softball career, as the Tippecanoe senior looks to put together a memorable final year with the Red Devils. While she will take the field in March for the start of her last season in red and white, she also will be suiting up in less than a month for another squad.

Drum, who plays for TNT in the club season alongside Tipp teammate Jocelyn Shelton and Grace Brooks, has been selected to participate in the USSSA All State Tournament in Florida at the end of December. Drum was selected to head to Florida for this event along with Bethel’s Chloe Kerns and Lexi Amburgy from CJ locally on the 18U Ohio team. While Amburgy cannot attend, Drum and Kerns will be making the trip to the Sunshine State over Christmas break. Many states will be represented with teams at this event.

“I am grateful for having this opportunity with softball being a part of my life for over 12 years now,” Drum said. “I feel I am finally being recognized in an athletic environment more than what I am usually seen as, as an artistic individual who excels in the classroom and in the arts.”

“A lot of people don’t know me from playing my sports. I am a two-sport athlete, and I am very excited to represent Ohio and play in this tournament.”

Drum, who is leaning toward not playing softball in college, plans to major in art and business and hopes to stay fit by playing in a more relaxed environment of college club sports. She is still undecided on her college, but has narrowed things down.

“A lot of schools I am looking at are Division One and I don’t think I would be great in a D1 environment,” she admitted. “There are both family and emotional reasons why I want to go to those schools (Miami of Ohio, Central Florida, and Wright State), but I don’t think I would succeed as a D1 softball player. Hopefully, I will be partaking in club soccer and softball.”

Drum hopes that her career will lead her to animation, storyboarding, and a minor in business.

While most players who attend events like the Florida event are there to be seen by college coaches, Drum has a different perspective.

“I am hoping to continue to succeed and prepare for the upcoming softball season (at Tipp). But I am also hoping to just make friends and have a good time as this may be my last year of big softball,” she said. “I should just enjoy it.”

Tipp is coming off of a 22-7 season last season and finished behind Greenville in the MVL race. Drum looked back at that season with some good memories, but hopes for another great season as a senior.

“We lost seven seniors last year and are down catchers with only one that we know for sure,” she said. “We also have three pitchers, which is good because we always need pitchers.”

“We are going to be a very young team, I think these girls are driven and love the sport and put in so much effort and time, especially in the winter open gyms.”