Danny Jordan faces final baseball season

Danny Jordan was playing Tee ball at age 4 in Spartanburg, S.C., when he told his dad and mom he wouldn’t play anymore because they didn’t keep score or determine a winner. “They didn’t wear uniforms,” Jay Jordan said. “Some of the kids wore jeans and that bothered him.”

And so he moved to coach-pitch, where it mattered.

That is all one needs to know about Danny’s need to compete and why, by the time he arrived at University years later, it would translate into a three-sport career.

“In a nutshell,” said second-year Titans baseball coach Scott Sutherland, “Danny is the best competitor I’ve ever coached.”

He threw for 3,068 yards as a three-year starting quarterback that put him 12th in Greater Spokane League history, and was an all-league defender.

He lettered four years in the family calling, wrestling, twice qualifying for state and placing once.

He’s entering his fourth year of varsity in his favorite sport, baseball, which he plans to continue to play in college somewhere. Danny is a fourth-year starter for the Titans and part of a deep and senior-dominated Titans team that will try to reprise last year’s state top-eight playoff performance. He moves to third base after three years at shortstop and will be part of a deep pitching rotation.

“It was the first sport I ever played,” Jordan said. “I loved watching it on television growing up. I like the fact it’s a team game, but that each individual has to do his part to win.”

Jordan was born in California, lived in Colorado, South Carolina and Illinois before moving, as a fourth-grader, to Spokane Valley, his dad’s hometown.

He joined a newly formed select baseball traveling team where his play foreshadowed the talent in this year’s Greater Spokane League senior class. Seven others on five different GSL teams this spring were his teammates.

“We played in a Seattle league and didn’t lose games very often,” Jordan said.

Jordan will have earned 11 letters in three sports before he graduates.

“(That’s) amazing,” Sutherland said. “Not many male athletes earn 11 letters.”

Jordan first played tackle football in a suburban Chicago league. As U-Hi’s freshman quarterback, his only two losses were to eventual state champions Lake City and Lewis and Clark. He started on varsity two ways much of the next three seasons.

“I wish we could have done better as a team, but I enjoyed every minute of it,” he said. “Winning our last game in Walla Walla was one of my best experiences.”

All his family – from dad, two uncles and cousins – have been successful wrestlers.

“I couldn’t not wrestle,” Jordan said.

But he competed only in-season, and placed seventh at state as a junior.

This year, however, things didn’t pan out at Mat Classic despite a year in which he beat four eventual state champions. He was beaten in February by the eventual champ in the quarterfinals and eliminated by the third-place finisher.

“It kind of hurts thinking I could have been there, we were so even,” Jordan said. “I’d come into the season behind everyone and it’s tough when they have experience over you.”

When the season ended, assistant baseball coach Don Ressa told him that he was finally a one-sport athlete. He was brought up to varsity in baseball to shore up shortstop as a freshman and he doubled and tripled in his first game.

“I’d seen him down there (on the freshman team) fielding ground balls and I knew him well from football and knew what a competitor he was,” Sutherland said. “I went down there and said, ‘Danny, you’re up with us today.’ “

For two years Jordan has been the third-leading hitter for the Titans, last year batting .359. He ranks fourth in both single-season and career runs scored and last year went 6-1 on the hill with a 3.18 ERA. He pitched the team to state and, in relief, into the regional finals.

“Everyone knows my favorite sport is baseball,” Jordan said. “People always talk about what I could have been if I focused on it.”

Now’s the time to do so in his final high school hurrah after a successful three-sport career.

“I wouldn’t have changed anything at all,” Jordan said. “I’ve loved playing sports with every team. I’ve met my best friends.”