Where It Started
Janelle grew up in a family built around sports and the beach. The middle child of three girls, she played soccer, softball, and volleyball, and danced — a well-rounded athletic upbringing that shaped how she thinks about competition and coaching today. Both of her sisters went on to play Division I softball: her older sister Devon won a national championship at UCLA, and her younger sister Lauren played alongside Janelle at the University of Oregon for two seasons.
Playing Career
Janelle played at West Ranch High School, where she was picked up as a freshman by Tony Rico’s Firecrackers — one of the top travel ball programs in the country, based in Huntington Beach. She spent her high school years traveling multiple days a week to train, compete in tournaments, all while finding beaches to stop at along the way! That early foundation carried her through a standout career at the University of Oregon, where she played catcher, hit homers, won championships, and studied her passion, psychology. University of Oregon • Catcher • Psychology Degree • 4x PAC-12 Champion • 2x Women’s College World Series • 3x Scholar Athlete • Holds Oregon’s all-time Home Run and RBI records International & Professional • Team USA, 2015 • World Cup Gold Medalist • Pan American Games Silver Medalist • National Pro Fastpitch, 2016
Coaching
Even as a player, Janelle was drawn to the interpersonal side of the game. She started giving lessons in high school, training with girls both much older and much younger than her — an experience that pushed her to be a student and a teacher of the game at the same time. It’s part of what led her to study psychology in college; she thought she might end up as a counselor or therapist. For more than a decade, Janelle has run Lindvall Softball, serving the softball community through private lessons, classes, league events, and as a steady, trusted resource for players and families. This year marks a new chapter: Janelle is offering formal mindset training for the first time, through her new program, Riptide.
