Jordan Matthews (No. 99) is hitting .329 with 28 RBI as a freshman.
Freshman Matthews Providing Preview of Things to come
Wednesday, March 28, 2018 | Softball, Chris Harry
Jordan Matthews, on the comeback from a serious knee injury, has provided some rookie pop in the UF lineup.
And even more unfortunate.
A softball prodigy at a traditional non-softball high school, Matthews led Anaheim (Calif.) El Dorado to a rare postseason berth in the spring of 2017 and, of course, came up big in the state playoffs when she mashed a drive off the wall. The play ended with a stand-up double, but also with complications. As she came to a stop at second base, Matthews heard a pop in her right knee. Worse, she felt it.
"I knew it was bad," she said.
Right there, it all ended. A four-time, first-team All-Century League selection with a .504 career average was helped off the field. In tears.
But right there, it also all began. Her University of Florida experience, that is.
Matthews enrolled at UF early, underwent reconstructive surgery from the team physician, then immersed herself in rehab with the Gators' training staff. She couldn't practice at all during the fall season, and didn't take the field with the team until January, yet there Matthews was, coming off the bench, when UF opened the 2018 regular season Feb. 9 against Illinois State.
She had her first collegiate hit that night … a three-run homer.
"When we signed her — way before the knee injury — I told our coaches I saw Jordan Matthews starting for this team and batting fourth as a freshman," Florida coach Tim Walton said Tuesday night after his rookie designated player went 1-for-2, with three RBI as the No. 6 Gators completed a three-game home sweep of eighth-ranked Texas A&M with a 7-3 win at Pressly Stadium. "I've been excited for players before, and this kid is worth being excited about. We're not even seeing her full potential right now because she can't get through her full [swing] pivot because of her knee. But we'll see it eventually."
Matthews, operating at about 80 percent, has done her part previewing the coming attractions. The 5-foot-10 utility player currently ranks third on the team and behind only stalwarts Amanda Lorenz and Nicole DeWitt in batting average (.329), total bases (38), slugging percentage (.521) and homers (3). She's second in RBI (28).
"I'm having so much fun," she said.
The fun continues Wednesday when the Gators (27-3) step out of of Southeastern Conference play for a home double-header against Florida International (15-18), the start of a run of seven non-league games before resuming SEC play April 7 with a big series at Alabama.
In the Monday night win over A&M, Matthews drew a bases-loaded walk in the first inning, then came up again with the bases jammed in the fourth and lashed an opposite-field rocket to left-center for a two-run single to give the Gators a 6-1 lead. No moment is too big for her.
Matthews arrived on campus with all the tools. She just couldn't put them to use right away, but now she's playing catch-up and her teammates can't help but be in awe.
"We didn't get much time with her at all in the fall, so to see her working and getting better and just starting to understand her strengths and weaknesses, it's amazing what she's been able to accomplish in such a short time," Lorenz said. "She's not full speed yet, not even close to full speed yet, which makes us even more excited, because she's going to get even better."
Matthews is another in a long line of California superstars lured across the country by pied-piper recruiting bandit Walton. The distance has made her homesick at times, but her fellow west coast sisters (and the rest of the Gators) make for a built-in support system.
"I miss my family, but my teammates are my family here," she said.
In Matthews, Walton saw a tall and elite athlete that not demonstrated a flair on the field, but also passion. Think Yasiel Puig in a pony tail. That's how Walton described her.
"She plays like her pants are on fire," he said.
The 2017 Florida team beaten by Oklahoma in the NCAA Women's College World Series championship series lost one senior position player from the starting lineup. Outfielder Justine McLean was a career .324 slapper and speedster who from her No. 8 or 9 spot could turn the lineup over, get on base and score runs. Excellent defensive player, too. Sophomore Alex Voss isn't the offensive threat McLean was, but she has speed and a good glove in center field.
The arrival of Matthews, though, had Walton and his staff rethink some things about the UF defense and lineup. Matthews was a shortstop throughout her club and prep career, but now she's playing the outfield for the first time (and she's good at it, of course) and DP to get her bat in the lineup. With 24 games to go in the regular season, Matthews already has 12 more RBI than McLean had during the entire '17 season.
With more to come. More of everything.
It's going to be a treat to watch Matthews continue to blossom as she gets healthier and more in tune with the college game.
"Every freshman has a little bit of a high and a low, and every freshman has a bit of an uncontrollable heartbeat," he said. "The big thing you look for is the consistency of the day-in, day-out repetition. I've always played freshman and played the ones that are ready and have proven to me they are consistent and reliable."
He smiled.
"Jordan Matthews has done that."
She's the latest in the long, impressive Gators line. And she's not even whole yet.
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballFlorida Baseball | Vanderbilt | SEC Tournament Second Round Highlights 5-20-26
Thursday, May 21
NCAA: Kendall Grover and Cassidy McLellan Press Conference 5-21-26
Thursday, May 21
NCAA: Coach Walton Press Conference 5-21-26
Thursday, May 21
Florida Postgame Press Conference | May 20, 2026 | SEC Tournament | Second Round vs. Vanderbilt
Thursday, May 21
