The 2021 Griffon Softball season was the 20th as head coach for Jen Bagley Trotter at Missouri Western. Trotter has amassed 676 career wins at MWSU, which is the most in the history of the MIAA.
The four-time MIAA Coach of The Year has led Missouri Western to two MIAA Regular Season Championships, two MIAA Tournament Championships, 11 NCAA Regional Appearances and 13, 30-win seasons. Her teams have also featured countless academic honors and in 2016, Trotter was named "Woman in the Workplace" by the St. Joseph YWCA for her work with the organization's YWCA Choices program that mentors young women in the community.
CHANGING EXPECTATIONS
Trotter took over the Missouri Western Softball program in 2002 and has built it into a consistent MIAA and National Championship contender. Prior to Trotter’s arrival, Missouri Western had just two, 30-win seasons despite winning the NAIA National Championship in 1982. The program had not won more than 14 MIAA games in a season and had never appeared in an NCAA Regional. Since then, Trotter has led the Griffons to the regional in all but six of her first 15 seasons. Missouri Western has never won less than 18 games under Trotter and has experienced just two losing seasons (2002 & 03) under Trotter’s tenure as head coach. The ten winningest seasons in Griffon Softball history have all come under Trotter’s watch.
INDIVIDUAL SUCCESS
In addition to winning tradition and championships, Trotter has ushered in an impressive run of outstanding individual accomplishments. The most decorated hitters and pitchers in Griffon Softball history have played during Trotter’s tenure. 111 Griffons have earned All-MIAA status under Trotter with five All-Americans. Trotter’s players hold nearly every career record at Missouri Western and three (Amy Beverly, Lindsey Predovich and Kara Unger) are in the Missouri Western Athletics Hall of Fame.
BEFORE MISSOURI WESTERN
Trotter came to MWSU from Humboldt State University where she helped coach a Lumberjack team to a 54-14-1 overall record in 2001 and a third place finish in the NCAA Division II championship tournament. Trotter was the pitching coach on that Humboldt State team that was inducted into the Humboldt State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017. Previously she was the pitching coach and 1st base coach at Minnesota State - Moorhead (formerly Moorhead State University) from 1996-2000.
The Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota native earned a bachelor’s degree in legal studies from Minnesota-Moorhead in 1996 and was a 3-time all-conference pitcher for the Dragons from 1993-96. Trotter is still the career strikeout leader at MSM, totaling 590 for her career. She was inducted into the Dragon Athletics Hall of Fame in the fall of 2008.
She lives in St. Joseph with her husband Regi, and children Quentin, Camille and Zoe.
MIAA COACH OF THE YEAR - 2016, 2011 (Co-Coach of the Year), 2009, 2004
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIPS - 2016 regular season, 2016 tournament, 2014 tournament, 2011 regular season (co-champions)
MIAA FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR - Lindsey Predovich (2004), Allison Jones (2008), Jackie Bishop (2011)
MIAA PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Sydni Hawkins (2021)
MIAA PITCHER OF THE YEAR - Jackie Bishop (2012)
MIAA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Shelby Uhl (2018)
CENTRAL REGION PITCHER OF THE YEAR - Jackie Bishop (2012)
NCAA REGIONAL APPEARANCES - 2019, 2017
, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2006, 2005
ALL-AMERICANS – 5
ALL-REGION – 32
ALL-MIAA – 111
Career Record
2002 - 22-28, 8-10 MIAA -MIAA Tournament Participant
2003 - 18-32, 7-11 MIAA -MIAA Tournament Participant
2004 - 31-19, 10-8 MIAA -MIAA Tournament Participant
2005 - 48-20, 11-7 MIAA - NCAA Central Regional Participant & MIAA Tournament Participant
2006 - 40-20, 13-3 MIAA - NCAA Central Regional Participant & MIAA Tournament Participant
2007 - 34-26, 10-8 MIAA - NCAA Central Regional Participant & MIAA Tournament Participant
2008 - 27-28, 8-10 MIAA -,MIAA Tournament Participant
2009 - 47-12, 16-4 MIAA- NCAA South Central Regional Participant & MIAA Tournament Participant
2010 - 28-28, 10-10 MIAA - MIAA Tournament Participant
2011 - 40-15, 18-4 MIAA - NCAA South Central Regional Participant, MIAA Regular Season Co-Champions & MIAA Tournament Participant
2012 - 42-13, 18-2 MIAA - NCAA South Central Regional Participant & MIAA Tournament Participant
2013 - 38-16, 20-8 MIAA - MIAA Tournament Participant
2014 - 39-18, 17-9 MIAA - MIAA Tournament Champions & NCAA Regional Participant
2015 - 36-21, 17-9 MIAA - MIAA Tournament Participant & NCAA Central Regional Participant
2016 - 45-13, 23-3 - MIAA Regular Season & Tournament Champions; NCAA Central Regional Participant
2017 - 38-20, 16-10 MIAA - MIAA Tournament Participant & NCAA Central Regional Participant
2018 - 25-29, 15-11 MIAA - MIAA Tournament Participant
2019 - 38-18, 21-5 MIAA - MIAA Tournament Participant and NCAA Central Regional Participant
2020 - 13-9, 2-0 MIAA - Season canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
2021 - 27-19, 16-10 MIAA - MIAA Tournament Participant
Overall Record - 676-404 (.626)
MIAA Record: 276-152 (.645)
