Royal Oak woman thought her baseball playing days were over. Then she got drafted

ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Jordan Eyster first picked up a baseball in third grade, inspired by her dad, and quickly found a home on the field as a first baseman and outfielder.

Today, she’s been drafted as a center fielder by San Francisco -- one of the four inaugural teams in the brand-new Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL).

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She credits her dad as her biggest influence, both for his support and as his role as one of her coaches. “I have a really good support system,” she says, “People have been really welcoming.”

As someone who missed out on being recruited in college, she thought her playing days were over. That changed in August 2025 when over 600 women gathered in Washington, D.C. for a three-day tryout for draft eligibility for the WPBL.

“I was competing against U.S. Olympic players and D1 college softball players -- I had no collegiate playing experience and had been out for years,” Jordan recalled.

For her, the league presents a huge opportunity for women -- a second chance.

“If you believe you have the talent, go for it. If I let my doubts and fears take control of me, I’d never know if I could’ve made this league,” she said.

Jordan’s baseball journey began with a coach-pitch team in the Royal Oak Sandlot League (ROSL), a local recreational league for boys and girls ages 4-18. She played in the league through fifth grade as one of the only girls in the league.

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In middle school, she joined a Royal Oak based travel team coached in part by her dad. Later, she played with the Royal Oak Nationals, which at the time was one of the best travel teams in the area.

She also found her place in an all-girls travel baseball team through Justine Siegal’s ‘Baseball for All’ program called the D.C. Force which she began in seventh grade and played all the way until she was 16 years old, calling it “the coolest experience of my life.”

As a high school freshmen, she focused primarily on playing the outfield and pitching. She switched to softball during this time while still competing with the D.C. Force.

“When boys hit puberty, they do have that biological advantage -- they get faster and stronger and it’s hard to keep up. I switched to softball because at the time I could either be on varsity for softball or the freshmen team for baseball.”

Jordan believes the creation of the WPBL creates an opportunity to keep girls in baseball for longer, because of there being more limited opportunities in the sport for women once they get older.

Now a Sports Management student at Wayne State University, Jordan stays immersed in athletics. She plays club basketball, coaches a 14U softball team, and works for her school’s athletic department.

Her goal is to play professionally and be a part of the WPBL for as long as possible. She hopes to be a head coach someday as well, and work in community outreach to help get kids connected with youth sports programs.

As a devoted Detroit Tigers fan, Jordan grew up idolizing Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez. “When I was younger, I tried to model my game after Victor. I tried to swing like him and everything,” she said.

Today, her favorite Tigers are Gleyber Torres and Jack Flaherty -- Torres for his compact swing and consistency, and Flaherty for his mechanics. “I’ll watch his mechanics and try to take notes for myself,” she said.

Jordan is also working to revive her pitching skills, which date back to eighth grade. She said it’s important and advantageous to have a vast skill set.

Her arsenal includes a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a changeup, and she has more recently started learning to throw a curveball. Her favorite pitch is her changeup. “I like the changeup when it works, when it drops,” she said with a smile.

At the plate, she is more of a contact hitter than a power hitter. Not that she can’t hit for power -- she just doesn’t sell out for power. She even holds the all-time hits record at her school for a single season.

Friends compare her game to that of Parker Meadows -- fast, defensively strong up the middle, a leadoff hitter, and a stolen-base threat.

These days, she’s juggling work, school, basketball, and baseball. She hits twice per week and trains in the gym three times per week to prepare for the season.

The WPBL season will begin in August and run through September, with games most likely being played at a neutral site in Springfield, Illinois.