Where Are They Now: Jayme Mask

Jayme Mask graduated from Grafton High School in 2009 where she played four years of softball for the Indians. While at Grafton, Mask also competed in cheerleading for two years, as well as track and field, where she set and holds the schools’ shot-put and 4x100-meter relay record. During her high school softball career, Mask was a three-time all-conference honoree and ranked in the top 10 for batting average in the SWCL all four years.

After graduation she followed her passion for the game of softball to Boston University where she plays right field for the Terriers. During her freshmen year she batted .343 in ten games before sliding into home plate and tearing her labrum tendon in her shoulder, ending her season. Although the Terriers ended up winning the conference and going to the NCAA Tournament, Mask decided to red-shirt her freshmen year so that she could start fresh this year as a rookie. So far this season, Mask is batting .286 through six games.

Mask came to BU hoping to pursue a career in physiology, but after a life evaluation, she decided that she wanted to change her major to biology. She hopes to one day work in a laboratory or research facility where she can exert her energy figuring out whether diseases or certain cancers are genetic. In her down time she enjoys cross-stitching, knitting and doing anything athletic.

Favorite food (meal): Steak with mashed potatoes and steamed cabbage

Favorite movie: Wedding Crashers

Favorite college or professional athlete: I’d probably have to say Natasha Watley. She’s on the USA National [softball] team. She’s a left slapper and the fastest person I know and that’s who I aspire to be pretty much.

Favorite band or genre of music: Rascal Flatts- Country

What have you been up to since graduating from Grafton High School in 2009?

I’ve been playing softball. I just had surgery last year because I injured my shoulder, so I’ve been recovering and rehabbing this past year and now I’m back to starting in right field. I’ve been working on that a lot and school. I changed majors, I’m now a biology major and that’s been taking up a lot of my time. Basically, softball, school and staying in touch with my family and just doing normal every day college student stuff.

You mentioned you had an injury that kept you out of most of last season…what was the injury and how did you do it?

It was during a game. We were down in Florida for spring break last year and we were playing the University of Alabama Birmingham and I slid head first into home and my shoulder dislocated. I tore my labrum [tendon] in three places and had to have surgery. It was a pretty big year for injuries for us, at one point we only had 11 available players.

How did the softball season go last year?

The softball season last year started off rocky, especially with all the injuries that kept the starters out. We had a lot of people moving around and changing positions that they hadn’t played before. I only played in 10 games and I played four positions; we had to move around that much. Toward the end of the year we just found this confidence and we started playing well. We did really well in Conference. We lost about two or three games and continued to do well into the Conference Tournament, which we won for the second time in a row. Also, we did really well in regionals and went to UMass Amherst to play against the University of Arizona and we held our own, we did really well. Also, we actually beat UMass Amherst for the first time in a long time, which was like a really big moral victory.

What made you choose Boston University and were you looking at any other colleges?

I really wanted to play college softball. Then that summer, I was playing on the Rhode Island Thunder Gold and the head coach Shawn Rychcik came to me and said "Hey, I want you to come visit our school.''

I never really thought about Boston University, it was always UMass Amherst because that’s the biggest one [school] in the Northeast. So I came and visited and I absolutely fell in love with the campus. Just the fact that it’s just a huge city on Commonwealth Ave., but you feel like it’s your own city, it’s yours, and coach Rychcik was a huge reason why I came here as well because I just liked his coaching style and how he held the team together. I was able to hang out with the team and the chemistry was amazing, it was just something that I really wanted to be a part of.

I wasn’t much of a city person just because I’m from Grafton, I’m a small town girl, but I felt very at home in Boston, something I’ve never felt in cities like New York. I just like the environment in Boston, it just felt right and plus I just like going home every now and then to visit my family and they don’t miss any one of my games, which is a good part of it [Boston] too.

Can you talk about your Grafton High School experience and if you have any favorite memories from your days with the Indians?

My entire high school career has always been softball and school, it’s always been that. From my junior year until I graduated, was a big turning point in my life. I just signed my letter of intent to Boston University and my friends were really supportive of that and just the fact that the friends that I had then are still the friends that I have now, played a really big part in my life.

The lessons that I learned growing up in Grafton are such a huge part of who I am today and I really reflect on that a lot, especially when I have bad days and miss home. I just know that Grafton is something that is a part of me and I can always go back if I need to relax and recuperate.

The athletic aspect would probably be playing with the team. I always think of our pitcher, Amanda [Massad]. Softball was just amazing, we always grew up together, I’ve always been her catcher and she’s [Massad] always been my pitcher and just the day that we knew it was our last game was pretty emotional and just being able to share that with her [Massad] was great, something I’ll always remember.

Who would you say is the most influential person in your life?

I will definitely say that my mom is the reason why I am who I am today. There are times I call her at 2:30 a.m. just wanting to talk about my day or if I need help. She’s been through so much that there’s no way I’d be where I am today without her. She’s been to every single one of my games; she’s always there. There was a time where she worked two full-time jobs, she’s just so inspirational, and if I could grow up to be exactly like my mother, I would.