I met some of my best friends through the Highland program and I’m really thankful for the relationships I was able to build throughout my two years there.”

Jordin Dickey

Consistency has been former Rochelle softball standout Jordin Dickey’s calling card over her last two seasons with the Highland Community College softball team. After a stellar freshman season where she earned NJCAA Second-Team All-Region and Arrowhead All-Conference honors, Dickey enjoyed a successful sophomore season with the Cougars this spring.

Dickey recorded a .390 batting average with 30 hits, seven doubles and one home run as well as 17 runs and 14 RBIs during her sophomore campaign at Highland. The former Lady Hub student-athlete added a .440 on-base percentage and a .571 slugging percentage for the Cougars, who finished with an 11-23 overall record under new head coach Casey Coon.

“I thought I was pretty consistent throughout the year,” Dickey said. “It was a tougher season since our coach didn’t come back from last year and we weren’t able to recruit a lot of new girls. We only had nine girls for most of the season, but I was able to play some different positions during the year. We had a lot of games canceled due to the weather, which was tough.”

Dickey primarily started at third base for the Cougars, helping her team turn four double plays during the 2024 season. It was the second season at third base for Dickey, who split time at first and third base during her freshman season last spring. Dickey concluded her two-year JUCO career with 84 hits, 64 RBIs, 59 runs, 22 doubles, nine triples, seven homers and seven steals.

“I hadn’t played third base before I got to college,” Dickey said. “I feel like I improved a lot at that position… I met some of my best friends through the Highland program and I’m really thankful for the relationships I was able to build throughout my two years there. We had a lot more activities during the year. We had an Easter egg hunt in the spring and we all dressed up for Halloween. There were a lot of little things we did together that were really nice.”

Dickey recorded six multi-hit games during her sophomore season. Her notable highlights included finishing 4-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs during a 15-13 loss against Illinois Valley on April 23. Dickey also went 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs in a 12-7 victory against Kishwaukee College on April 29. The Rochelle Township High School alum appeared in 70 games and helped the Highland softball team win 40 games over the last two seasons.

“I really enjoyed the friendships I made playing softball,” Dickey said. “There’s so much that I loved about playing softball. It’s been a huge part of my life for so many years and it’ll be weird to not be at the fields every weekend. My family was always there to support me through it all.”

Dickey, who recently earned her associate’s degree from Highland, is currently working as a volunteer firefighter with the Flagg-Center Fire Station. Dickey will be continuing her academics at Illinois State University, where she hopes to earn a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business.