| April 30, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jimerson to resign at season's end When Missouri Southern’s 2005 softball season comes to a close, so will the tenure of its head coach. Third-year head coach Jennifer Jimerson announced today that she will resign at the end of the season as head softball coach at Missouri Southern State University.“Missouri Southern and its softball program are and always will be very near and dear to me,” Jimerson said. “However, I just feel that I’m being called to move in a different direction. I have enjoyed my association with MSSU, but I realize that it’s time to move on and discover something new.” “We know that Missouri Southern softball means a great deal to Jennifer,” said MSSU Athletics Director Sallie Beard. “She is one of the most decorated players to come through our program and will always be a part of Missouri Southern softball. I know this was a difficult decision for her, and we wish her nothing but the best.” Jimerson, averaging nearly 22 wins per season, has guided the Lions to a 65-82 (.442) record in three years as head coach. With the December 2003 departure of then-head coach Ron Faubion, Jimerson took over on an interim basis. The interim tag was lifted after 29 games that season, as she led Southern to a 23-25 record in spite of a depleted roster left in the wake of Faubion’s exit. Last season, Jimerson’s Lions finished 19-27 and missed the MIAA Postseason Tournament for the first time in program history. In 2005, Jimerson has guided the Lions to a 23-30 record but the team has gained a return trip to the conference tournament. Southern started this year by going 16-10, but has since posted a 7-20 ledger. The MIAA Postseason Tournament is scheduled for next week, May 6-7, in Shawnee, Kan. Jimerson’s history with Missouri Southern reaches farther back than just the last three years. An All-America and four-time All-MIAA selection, the Blue Springs, Mo. native was one of the best players to ever don the Green & Gold. She was a four-year starter (1995-98), and won first-team all-conference honors all four years. She still holds Southern’s career records for triples (31), walks (56) and total bases (353), while ranking among MSSU leaders in numerous other categories. She was named MIAA Freshman of the Year in 1995. As a senior in 1998, she earned MIAA Most Valuable Player honors after batting .451 with a school and MIAA record 15 triples. Jimerson also had 12 doubles, four home runs and 36 RBI, and went on to collect third-team All-America honors and third-team CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades. After completing her eligibility, Jimerson received a Fifth-Year Enhancement Scholarship and spent the 1999 season as a student assistant coach at MSSU while completing her bachelor of science degree in physical education. She was named the Outstanding Kinesiology Department Graduate in 1998. In 2000, Jimerson worked as an assistant coach at Ohio University, an NCAA Division I institution in Athens, Ohio. The following year she returned to the Lions as an assistant coach, helping the team to a 52-12 record, the 2001 MIAA championship and an NCAA regional berth. She continued as an assistant in 2002, as Missouri Southern went 34-16. “I’ll continue to follow Missouri Southern softball and I’ll always be a Lion at heart,” Jimerson said. “I’m looking forward to watching a great group of girls play in the future.” Beard said a national search for a replacement would begin very soon. |
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