On Her Best Behavior : Jordan Swaps Sneer for Smile to Win Acceptance----and Batting Records

Freshmen athletes usually try to ease the transition from high school to college sports by trying to fit in with their new coach and teammates.

When Barbara Jordan came to Cal State Northridge three years ago, however, it wasn’t acceptance she was after. She only wanted to prove to her teammates that she could play softball.

“She was real obnoxious and loud,” CSUN pitcher Kathy Slaten recalled about Jordan. “It was hard for her at the beginning because she was rowdy.”

Said senior catcher Jamie Gray: “She was a bit cocky. She liked to test people by seeing how far she could push them. One day I just told her I wasn’t going to take any of her crap.”

CSUN Coach Gary Torgeson knew he had in Jordan a player with as much nervous energy as ability.

“She’s the type of player every coach wants to have on his team--if he doesn’t kick her off first,” Torgeson said. “She’s one of those gifted people who just needed some polish. Sometimes you can over-coach that type of player and take the steam out of their sails.”

Jordan quieted the criticism after she became an all-conference selection as a freshman. Then she silenced herself and became friendlier to her teammates. Now, she is considered one of the best players in CSUN history.

The 5-6 junior from Granada Hills bats leadoff for the Lady Matadors. Torgeson gives her free rein at the plate and on the basepaths. An All-American center fielder, Jordan is expected to play a pivotal role for CSUN as the three-time defending NCAA Division II champions play host to the Western Regional this weekend. At 1:30 p.m. today, CSUN plays the loser of this morning’s 11:30 game between Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Davis.

“She’s the spark,” Torgeson said. “She’s ignited our team so many times because she’s a momentum creator. She knows she has to create the fire.”

Three years ago, what Jordan was burning up most was Torgeson and her teammates.

Jordan, 20, said she suffered that first year because of an attitude she developed playing for the California Raiders, a team of 16- to 18-year-olds that won the American Softball Assn. national championship in 1982 and ’83.

“On the Raiders you could pretty much say whatever you wanted as long as you backed it up and won,” Jordan said. “I’d yell at umpires, throw my helmet and all of that.”

Jordan remembers trying to prove her ability and the reaction her behavior drew from Torgeson.

“As a freshman I definitely wasn’t his favorite player,” she said. “He told me I was a snot-nosed kid. I thought I could say whatever I wanted, and he told me I couldn’t.”

Last season, Jordan shed the histrionics and began to let her performance do the talking. She was named player of the year in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn.

She also won over her teammates.

“She’s changed from an individual into a team player,” Gray said. “I’ve watched her step to the plate, stare down a pitcher and get the pitch she wanted. I’ve learned from her.”

Said Slaten: “Last summer, I got a chance to go pitch semipro softball in Connecticut. Some of the best softball players in the country were there. Barbara is better than any outfielder I’ve seen.”

Jordan’s trademark is an aggressive, all-out style of play. She said she developed her softball skills by growing up on a block where all of her neighbors were boys.

“We used to play baseball in the street,” Jordan said. “I had to play hard. I didn’t want to be the last one picked just because I was a girl.”

Jordan’s appearance belies her reputation as a hard-nosed player. Off the field, the scowl she wears on the basepaths is replaced by a smile. She jokes constantly with teammates and steals as many laughs as she does bases.

“On the field, I may come off as being tough,” Jordan said. “But that’s because I don’t want other people to walk all over me. That’s just my way of saying, ‘We don’t need that.’

“I care a lot about what people think, but I can’t worry about it. I care most about what my teammates and people who know me think.”

Kecia Gorman is an all-conference catcher from San Luis Obispo who has been involved with Jordan in several home plate collisions this season.

“Some people look at Barbara and say she’s a dirty ballplayer,” said Gorman, who played at Thousand Oaks High. “I don’t think so. When she’s coming down the line, she’s going all out. She’ll do everything in her power to be safe. If that means going at someone, she does it.”

Jordan has 27 steals this season and set school records for runs (44) and total bases (73). She batted .388 in the regular season and is a good bet to break the school record of .323.

“Last year, I didn’t even think about what I was doing on the field,” Jordan said. “I just went out and played hard. This year, I was worried at the beginning of the season. I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m supposed to play like an All-American.’ ”

Most people connected with softball think she has.

“We know that when she gets on base, we’re going to score,” said CSUN left fielder Beth Onestinghel. “It’s almost natural.”

Said CSUN shortstop Lori Shelly: “Some players are real cocky, but they have no right to be because their ability doesn’t back up their attitude. Barbara’s does.”

Perhaps the highest compliments come from opposing coaches who must devise ways to control Jordan.

“She knows the game well and takes advantage of every mistake,” said San Luis Obispo Coach Becky Heidesch. “I wish I had a few more like her on my team.”