Moon Township, Pa. – Jordan Gurganus was in mid-bite of a cheeseburger last spring when she was summoned from the Robert Morris dugout. It was her turn to hit.
The talented junior catcher quickly handed the sandwich to a teammate, "so I could go up to bat," she said. "I hadn't finished yet."
Gurganus then went out and did what comes naturally: She feasted on an opposing pitcher.
On this occasion, she hit her first and only career home run. It was a three-run shot that tied the game and led to an eventual victory against Mount St. Mary's.
Moments after rounding the bases, Gurganus made a bee-line back to the dugout.
"Finished eating my cheeseburger," said Gurganus, a self-described snack junkie. "I'm a lot different than most athletes."
Maybe just a little ...
This Chesapeake, Va., native is a Coke-swilling, chip-eating hitting sensation who's as conventional as a Seth McFarlane flick.
Ask her about her eye popping batting average -- a Northeast Conference-best .395 through 34 games -- and all you get is crickets.
Ask about her 2015 batting title, in which her .384 mark bested the NEC's second-place finisher by more than 30 points, and the Colonials' leadoff hitter is unmoved.
"I'm not a fanatic about hitting," said Gurganus, the first RMU player to claim the NEC batting championship since 2000. "I don't talk about statistics and batting average and things like that. I can't tell you the all-time record at Robert Morris for those things. I don't know the history. After a game, I'm not looking at my stats, I'm looking to see why I made an error, or how I can change something so that I can get better. I don't pay attention to the numbers."
Similar to her personality, Gurganus' hitting style is unique. She is a running-slap hitter.
This means she bats left-handed and races toward a pitch as it approaches home plate. She then decides, instantly, whether to bunt, slap the ball through an opening in the infield or launch it over a drawn-in outfield.
A former track star, Gurganus' speed often enables her to reach base safely when hitting the ball to the infield. She also has just enough power, despite being only 5'8", 130 pounds.
Gurganus is one of only two Colonials players,
Kristen Pray is the other, to employ this hitting style. The former has it down, er, bat, per coach Craig Coleman.
"You have to be an exceptional athlete to master it like she has," said Coleman, whose team struggled in non-conference games due to a challenging schedule, but is 2-0 in the NEC. "She's facing pitchers who aren't just throwing fast, but they're throwing risers, balls that cut, curve and break. She can't count on timing things out. She has to contend with all of those variables. So, for her to do what she's done at her level of proficiency, it's amazing."
Coleman paused, before adding, "She has exceptional vision. And the better the pitching, the better she gets."
A two-time All-NEC selection, Gurganus has 17 multi-hit games this season and had hit safely in 15 of 19 from Feb. 26-March 23. Her 47 hits, which include 44 singles and three triples, top the NEC.
Her 157 career hits are nine shy of landing her on the Colonials' top-10 list. The all-time mark is 219.
"Wouldn't know about the record," Gurganus said, laughing. "Haven't looked."
Because she is prone to going on lengthy streaks, it is possible Gurganus could make a run at the Robert Morris single-season hitting mark of .418. The record is held by Colonials assistant
Keri Meyer, who set the standard in 2005.
Not surprisingly, the subject has never come up.
"We've haven't talked about it," Meyer said. "She focuses on trying to get better, on working hard at the game. It would be awesome if she could break the record, and I can see her surpassing it, but it's never been spoken about."
Gurganus credits former youth travel coach Ken Grimes for transforming her into an elite, left-handed slap-hitter at the age of 12. It was career altering.
"I think back to those times and wonder what would have happened if I wouldn't have made the switch," said Gurganus, whose father, Steve, was a legendary home-run hitter on the Virginia softball circuit. "What kind of a player would I be today? If you think about it, I mainly got a scholarship for my speed and my offense. But what if I never went to slap-hitting? Who knows where I'd be? Would I be playing at Robert Morris University?"
Now that she is, Gurganus looks to continue to showcase her appetite for hitting ... and for that snack bin in the dugout.
"Can't live without them," she said.
Gurganus says Coke, potato chips and the occasional cheeseburger are must-haves at games and practices. Her postgame ritual consists of boxing up her leftovers and delivering them to the first homeless person she encounters.
An early education major with a 3.0 grade-point average, Gurganus said it is a way of giving back.
"I've had a great experience here, playing with great teammates and for great coaches," Gurganus said. "I'm really appreciative of everything."
