Striving to Be the Best: Clarion Three-Sport Star Wants to Succeed in Everything She Does

CLARION, Pa. (EYT/D9) — By the end of the school year, Jordan Best is covered in bruises and contusions.

Every muscle is sore. Every part of her body aches.

It’s the price she pays for being a three-sport star at Clarion Area. It’s the price she pays for playing demanding positions in each of those seasons.

“But I love it,” she said.

No position in softball is more taxing than catcher and Best has been crouching behind the plate and taking foul balls off her body since the fourth grade.

She became a catcher by default — her team didn’t have one and Best ended up grabbing a mitt and mask.

“I was an outfielder,” Best said. “And then I made the all-star team and we didn’t have a catcher, so they threw me in. I was pretty terrified. I caught my first game and I’ve loved it ever since.”

Best enjoys being in the middle of it all the most.

She also enjoys the enormous responsibility given to her behind the plate for Clarion. Best called all the pitches for the Bobcats last spring. Very few high school catchers are given that kind of freedom.

Best showed she could handle it.

“She’s a smart kid,” said Clarion softball coach Dan Shofestall. “We gave her the responsibility of calling the game back there and she did a good job with it.”

There’s little Best struggles with on the softball field. Behind the plate, she’s one of the best defensive catchers in the state, possessing a strong arm and the knowledge the position demands. In the batter’s box, few are as feared as Best.

Last spring she batted .432 with eight home runs and 35 RBI in the shortened season. She also had nine doubles and stole nine bases.

“She works hard. She wanted to get better,” Shofestall said. “She still has another year ahead and I think she can get better in all parts of her game, mainly because she always works on it. She can hit for power, but you know, she can also lay down a bunt whenever we need it, take a walk. She runs the bases well, aggressively.”

Best also plays volleyball and basketball at a high level. Softball, though, has always been her first love.

It’s the sport she will play in college.

Best officially signed with Gannon University last week, culminating a frenzied process that stressed Best out more than any screaming fastball or jackrabbit baserunner could.

Gannon was always her No. 1 choice since the day she took her first visit.

Signing that letter of intent made it finally seem real.

“It’s something I’ve been dreaming about for so many years,” Best said. “I’ve seen other players do their signings and I was dreaming of the day I could have mine. It was just like it’s finally here. And a lot of the stress was relieved. A big weight off my shoulders.”

That weight was the stressful recruiting process made even more complicated because of COVID-19.

Best lost a key year when the pandemic canceled the spring sports season in 2020 and also put a big crimp in her travel and camp seasons during that summer.

“Everything started late, so I spent this summer going to camps and finding my options,” Best said. “It was a scramble.”

But Gannon quickly became her clear favorite. Luckily for Best, Gannon was just as keen on her.

“Gannon was definitely the right option,” Best said.

Best verbally committed before volleyball season and then went out this fall as a libero — another demanding position, physically and mentally — and helped Clarion to a second-consecutive undefeated season and PIAA Class A title.

Best, as well as teammates Korrin Burns, Payton Simko, Noel Anthony and Aryana Girvan, were named to the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association Class A all-state team last week.

Pretty good week for Best.

“It’s pretty special to end my career knowing I got all-state,” Best said. “I did it last year, so I really wanted to be able to do it again.”

Best was even more proud of the fact that five players from Clarion made the team — an almost unheard of number from one school.

“It says a lot about our team,” Best said. “It shows how much work that we all put into it and how much commitment we have. It shows our drive.”

Best has always been driven.

It’s also been important for her to play all three sports throughout her high school career. In an age of specialization, Best made it a point to stay a well-rounded athlete.

That means slugging it out on the basketball court this winter. Best is already off to a good start — she scored 20 points in a win over Moniteau Saturday.

“She wants to be good at everything she does,” Shofestall said. “She wants to compete, whether it’s volleyball, basketball or softball. She’s there to play her best and be the best. Gannon is getting a good player. A good student. It’s a great fit for her and for Gannon.”