Jessie Warren Named Athlete Development Specialist at Extra Inning Softball

BY Roger McAfee

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Chief Executive Officer Bonnie Holland has announced the appointment of Jessie Warren as the Athlete Development Specialist for Extra Inning Softball.

“Jessie’s addition to our team as the Athlete Development Specialist is a game-changer not only for Extra Inning Softball, but for the entire softball community,” said Holland. “In addition to her experience as a collegiate and professional player, Jessie’s expertise and dedication will continue to impact aspiring athletes nationwide. Her talents in program development will foster a culture of growth, excellence, and camaraderie within the softball community. Jessie’s presence will undoubtedly leave a lasting and positive mark on the future of softball.”

Warren had a distinguished career at Florida State University, which included leading the Seminoles to the national championship in 2018. Following her graduation from Florida State, Warren has spent the last four years playing professionally in Athletes Unlimited.

In her role as the Athlete Development Specialist for Extra Inning Softball, Warren will assist athletes by offering professional guidance and support and will develop programs that provide an avenue whereby mentorship is available. Ultimately, the program will assist athletes in developing their skill set, provide training sessions, establish a platform for the softball community to participate in workshops and Zoom calls and help players as they transition into collegiate play.

“I’m currently working on a program which is going to take a few weeks, maybe even a couple of months, to get together to put out there for the kids and see if we can’t get some athletes developed into potential Division I players,” said Warren. “That’s what makes me so excited about this position is I just love seeing that light bulb moment in kids when they just get it, when they didn’t get it before. So, if anything that I put out there to them would help them, that’s what I’m striving for. And I’m just excited to see the program out there after it gets completed and see how it works.”

As a player, Warren ranks as one of the top players in the history of Florida State. She was named the Most Outstanding Player at the 2018 Women’s College World Series in helping lead the Seminoles to the national title and earned All-American honors on three occasions.

She was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018 and was selected as the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 and the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2015. One of the top defensive players in the country, Warren earned the Rawlings Gold Glove award in 2019.

Her brilliance has continued to shine on the professional stage as she was selected as the Athletes Unlimited Defensive Player of the Year last season.

Under the guidance of head coach Lonni Alameda at Florida State, Warren developed a skill set that she will bring to her position at Extra Inning Softball.

“She’s shaped me into being a better person, a better coach for the kids that I coach, a better daughter, a better sister. And she is somebody that I will always look up to. And she’ll always be my second mom. And I can sit here and talk so much about her, but long story short, she’s just really driven me to want to help people because of the way she’s helped me. And I want to see myself do what she’s done for me for other kids. Obviously, not at the same level as she does it, but I just want to be an impact to the developmental part of children and youth and high school kids going into their college years.

“And possibly, hopefully, help make the transition a little bit easier when it comes from high school to college, whether that be time management in the classroom, on the field, in their development in the weight room, nutritionally, whatever that is and whatever that looks like. I don’t know yet, but I just want to have some type of impact on these kids as they get older.”

And within her position at Extra Inning Softball, Warren hopes to give back to the game that has given her so much.

“For me, when I was 12, softball created a space of safety. It was a place of comfort. It was a place for fun. Everyone has their different why’s of why they play the game. One thing I like to do is challenge age groups or different athletes at different ages to understand their why. Obviously when they’re young, they play because it’s fun, but as they get older, the why changes.

“Personally, my why changed year by year. So, I think softball can provide just so much to athletes in different ways. And I play for a handful of all those reasons. I want to impact this game and leave it better than the way I found it when I was an 8-year-old and now playing until I’m 28. And continuing to play, and hopefully playing for as long as my body allows me, but just wanting to grow this game as much as possible for the younger generation and hopefully they want to do the same.”