Erath’s Jesse Jordan signs with Loyola University

Erath’s Jesse Jordan decided to officially continue his baseball career with Loyola University after signing a letter of intent in front of family and friends.
After a solid senior season, Jordan said his signing was a testament to hard work and something he has thought about since he was young.
“It was a dream come true,” he said. “I definitely felt like my hard work was paying off. It was a great feeling to know I have a place to play at the next level and baseball doesn’t have to end after high school.”
Jordan said he chose Loyola over a handful of other schools, including LSU-A and UT-Tyler, but he said after meeting with head coach Doug Faust and his staff, he felt Loyola was the place he needed to be.
There were other factors that were considered in his decision as well.
“I love the city of New Orleans,” he said. “The facilities were great and it’s a great place to improve. I thought the weight program was great. It just seemed like a great fit for four years to improve on baseball and academics as well.”
For Jordan’s four years of high school baseball, he was coached by his father David Jordan.
For some fathers who coach their sons, it might have been tough to separate the difference in relationships, but coach Jordan said it was far from difficult.
“It was real easy with Jesse, because I told him before I started coaching him at the high school level that this is no longer just for participation,” David Jordan said. “You are going to compete for a position and your friends will also be competing for a position because there are no guarantees. I never had to question his effort or his coachability. Jesse was a quality player and he earned the right to be on the field, but you never want to leave that question with the other people and he didn’t leave any doubt in anyone’s mind.
“As his dad, I could not have been prouder. He was someone who earned every bit of what he got. He worked relentlessly on his swing and his defense. There was never a day that Jesse was not the last one at practice. He was always in the cage; he was always hitting ground balls. He made all the sacrifices and it paid off for him.”
Jesse Jordan said playing for his dad gave him around the clock teaching of baseball and it made him a better player.
“I don’t think there were any bad things about it,” Jesse Jordan said. “He stayed on me a lot. I even was coached at home sometimes just sitting on the couch together. I don’t think it was a bad thing; it helped. I was always learning about the game. I never really got a break from it, so it helped me to become a better player.”
Jesse Jordan admitted it was rough ending the year with a loss to Evangel in the second round of the Class 3A playoffs because every team has the goal of winning the state championship. Also, if Erath had advanced to the quarterfinals, it would have been the first time in school history that the team would have reached the quarterfinals.
However, the shortstop said he believes his old team will be able to deliver next season.
“It was tough that it was over and a lot of our goals were not met,” Jesse Jordan said. “I know the guys under me are going to get there. I wish them the best of luck and I think they will get it done.”