Jenna Missio '26 Recruiting Profile

Advanced Student!  Natural Athlete!  Genuine Leader!  Outgoing Personality! 

Hello coaches, my name is Jenna Missio and those words describe some of the best parts of me and help make me a valuable team member! I am 16 and a Senior at West Park High School in Roseville, CA. As you get to know me on paper, I’d like to start with two unique facts about me: 1) I skipped 2^nd grade, so yes, I am always a year younger than my peers. However, I am very mature, tall, and intelligent, so you would never know when you see me interact with others.  2) My mom, who has helped coach my softball years since kindergarten, has raised me and when I was 8 years old, we adopted an 8 year old girl from foster care. She had never played a sport in her life, but I introduced her to softball and she was a natural and fell in love with the game like me.  For many years my sister and I were a dynamic starting pitcher/catcher duo.

SOFTBALL: I have always been extremely athletic and have played many different sports, but softball is my passion and that is all I play competitively now. I have been playing since I was 5 and have participated in spring league, fall ball, all-stars, select travel ball teams, and A ball travel teams. I love being described as “very coachable” because that is what has allowed me gain so much experience, knowledge, and skills over the years. I mostly play as a starting pitcher.  When I'm not pitching, my travel coach starts me at center or leftfield, because of my ability to read and catch fly balls with excellent mechanics and throw the ball all the way.home.  Addiitonally, my highschool coach plays me at shortstop when I don't pitch, but I can also play 1st base with skill because I am tall and can stretch out far.  I am happy anywhere on the field because I love the game with all my heart. I have also umpired for the rec league for 12u and 10u games, which has deepened my knowledge of the game and taught me responsibility and leadership skills on a different level.

LEADERSHIP: I am definitely a team player and naturally take on a leadership role; from leading cheers in the dugout to setting up a player-only text string for bonding and communication. Outside of softball, I serve my church community and volunteered to serve in Mexico over spring break.  I’ve participated in student government since middle school and was elected Vice President of my school. Also, in 2019 I was 1 of 2 students in the whole school who was selected by my principal to go to a week-long STEM conference through Envision Pathways. Additionally, I was a WEB (Where Everybody Belongs) leader in 8th grade, which meant that I was a mentor for a group of 6th graders all year and helped them adjust to middle school. I’m definitely a social and outgoing person and build good relationships with my peers and teammates. I always strive for perfection and try my best no matter what I’m doing. (Sometimes I’m too hard on myself, but I am learning to mentally work on that) I have a huge heart, am kind to all, and truly enjoy being helpful to others in need. For example, for many of my birthdays, I asked people for donations to places such as children’s receiving homes, homeless shelters, animal shelters, and foster care homes instead of getting birthday presents for myself.

ACADEMICS: School is an extremely important factor in my life. I have always had above average grades (currently 3.93 GPA) and have taken several advanced classes, even after skipping a grade. Beyond school grades, my state standardized test scores show I am advanced compared to my peers across the state (earning 4s in every category of English and math).  I am a very fast learner and have often taken initiative to ask many of my teachers for more challenging work. This has been a pattern my whole life, because even in preschool, I loved reading to my classmates and doing math workbooks for fun. I always set very high goals for myself.

OVERALL COLLEGIATE GOAL: My goal is to get a softball and/or academic scholarship to a D2, D3, or NAIA college and study business.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this personal statement and view my profile as a potential candidate for your softball team!