Inside Pitch: Jessie Warren Shares “The Undeniable Truth of Being a Professional Softball Player… A Day in the Life of Me!”

Extra Inning Softball correspondent Jessie Warren was an All-American third baseman for the National Championship-winning Florida State Seminoles (2018) before she began her pro career with the USSSA Pride and later in the Athletes Unlimited.

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As a child, my dream was to become a Major League Baseball (MLB) player who could make millions. I grew up playing baseball and later in life switched over to softball as I started to realize my opportunity was limited in the sport of baseball.

My one-time “MLB” dream soon became my “NPF” dream or, as we would now know it as ‘WPF’ (with “NPF” standing for National Professional Fastpitch and WPF standing for Women’s Professional Fastpitch).

Little did I know the truths about becoming a professional softball player after college which are not all bad as the game itself is amazing… but I did have some reality checks I had to face.

Currently, I play for the USSSA Pride in Viera, Florida, and—while I love what I do—what absolutely sucks is the fact that as a female professional athlete I must maintain three or four other jobs in the off season to make do to provide for myself.

However, the sacrifices I make in my life to play the sport I love is ALL worth it!

Along with my time and energies playing and training with the Pride, I also do the following:

• I give lessons at Backyard Training Center in Clearwater, Florida
• I have a side business where I customize Air Force 1s
• I attend All-American Games (AAG) for USSSA to evaluate athletes who are trying out for the summer AAG games in Viera, Florida
• I coach a travel ball team in North Carolina, the 14U Carolina Cardinals Nationals – SARS
• I am a correspondent for Extra Innings Softball (which you’re part of now by reading this!)

I try to maintain a routine during the off-season but it’s so hard when you have so many things going on. For my teammates, I know a lot of them coach in college so it’s a solid routine but, for myself, it takes a lot of discipline to stick to it and I won’t lie—most days are hard.

Why exactly?

Well, you go from having a routine for four years that is set for you (college ball) to having to figure it out by yourself… and you have to hold yourself accountable!

I guess being a college athlete has helped but it is still difficult when I’m the type of player who likes to see my teammates working out beside me to motivate myself to keep going.

Also, my schedule changes depending on when it is in the year; it’s different from the Fall and then into Spring.

In the Fall, I try to give myself some rest from softball—not much time, but a few weeks to allow my body to recover from the daily practices and games. We play approximately 40-to-45 games in a month-month span, so it is very demanding and if there isn’t a game every day, there is most likely practice.

Here an inside peak of what my days consist of in the off-season which takes place from mid-August to the end of May (this is a typical day for me in the Fall, for example):

Off-Season Schedule

• • 9:00 am – wake up
  • 9:30 am – dog walk (I have three doggies)
  • 9:45 am – breakfast (something light because of my next activity)
  • 10:00-11:45 am – workout
  • 12:15 am – dog walk
  • 12:30-1:30 pm – lunch/relax
  • 1:30-2:30 pm – AF1 customization
  • 2:30 pm – dog walk
  • 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm – backyard training center lessons
  • 7:30 pm – dog walk
  • 7:45 pm – dinner
  • 8:00 pm – wind down

Fall is usually not as busy as the Spring schedule, because in the Spring a lot is going on, softball season starts and that’s when I start traveling for my other jobs every weekend Friday through Sunday.

Here is a look into my spring schedule (note: the weekday is the same as the above… below are my weekend days which vary a bit):

Weekend Schedule (Travel Ball)

FRIDAY:

• • All Day – travel

SATURDAY:

• • 7:30 am – wake up
  • 7:45 am – grab breakfast
  • 8:30 am – arrive at practice location
  • 9:00 am-12:30 pm – practice
  • 12:30-1:30 pm – lunch
  • 1:30-5:00 pm – practice
  • 6:00 pm – dinner
  • 7:30 pm – wind down

SUNDAY:

• • 7:30 am – wake up
  • 7:45 am – grab breakfast
  • 8:30 am – arrive at practice location
  • 9:00 am-2:00 pm – practice
  • 3:00 pm – travel home
  • 9:30 pm – wind down

Weekend Schedule (All-American Games Tryouts):

FRIDAY:

• • 6:00 am – travel
  • 11:00 am – land (depending on where I’m traveling to)
  • 4:00-9:00 pm – All-American Games tryouts
  • 10:00 pm – wind down

SATURDAY

• • All Day – travel

It can be a struggle to stay above water financially in my circumstances, but I am doing GREAT! I am changing the way I want my life and future family to live by the hard work I am putting in and how I’m managing my life.

I know for a fact my Mom did everything in her power when I was younger to give my brother and me the best opportunity she could.

However, I know the way I lived growing up is not the way I want my children to live growing up: I want to provide them with the best opportunities as my Mom did for me, but in better circumstances.

— Jessie Warren, Extra Inning Softball Correspondent