Jessica Marshall has been a part of the Portage Junior Miss Softball program since she was five-years-old. Playing and loving the sport, she started coaching at 13, and is now working for the program as the director of umpires.
Why does she love this world of softball so much?
“I love playing, and I just like the team aspect and being with the team all the time,” she explained.
It was a passion she found at a young age and was able to grow into. She would come to the field in her uniform, join her teammates and look up to her many coaches with pride and admiration.
Now, she is one of the coaches, teaching girls of all ages to become dedicated and passionate about something.
“More than playing, I enjoy coaching. I like teaching the girls what I have learned through this program.”
Marshall started her softball career in the catcher position. She started coaching girls age 17 and under with her younger sister’s team. Then, she stepped out of comfort zone and started teaching the older girls, which is a huge difference talent-wise.
Now, her favorite part of the program is walking around, having her kids call her, “Coach.” Now, she knows she is making a difference in their life, and they look up to her as a role model.
Marshall has lived in Portage her entire life and lives in a house in the city with her fiancée and three large dogs.
She works at Meijer along with her job for Portage Junior Miss, or PJM, as a manager.
Her flexible work schedule lets her leave by the afternoon so she can arrive on the fields ready for the day’s practice. She, then, may not leave until 11 p.m.
As the umpire director, Marshall is in charge of training all the umpires in the program and making the schedules for each game. She trains them on the right calls to make, teaching them to be equal and consistent.
Because Marshall is trained in all the PJM rules, as well as the National High School Association rules, she is the go-to person for any technical calls and one to explain why a call was made that way.
She has been on the PJM board for a year, and loves being so integrated into the program. Every member puts 100 percent into their position and the program, making sure the girls and the facilities are 100 percent as well.
Marshall will be out there before practice or on an off-day mowing the lawn and fixing up the fields. In the last year, the board members installed LED lights so they can keep playing on their fields longer for less money.
“Softball is m life. It never stops for us and, since being on the board, we go all year,” she said.
The program started in 1972 and coaches a youth league as well as includes an across-town league for those 18 and older. The main league lasts all summer and is a great way to keep girls busy, while enjoying and learning something new.
“It is a great running league for girls. There are great coaches who teach these girls about the sport and a great board of directors who care about the girls.”
When Marshall is home, she may still be thinking about softball coaching, her fiancée would say, but she is also walking her dogs, taking care of family and enjoying the Portage community.
In her free time, she likes to take her three fur kids to different Portage parks like Woodland.
She also likes to stop by the middle schools to watch her younger sister play in volleyball, basketball and softball games. Though her sister may not get as hooked into softball as she did, Marshall still likes to coach her on the other side of sports. Learning how to play for fun, push herself to do her best and to eventually be the one others look up to for guidance, just like Marshall.