Jennies Softball Camps

Susan Anderson begins her 17th season as head coach at Central Missouri in 2023 with a 470-355 record. Anderson was the fastest UCM softball coach to reach 100 wins, doing so in only three seasons. Anderson is second all-time at UCM in career wins and winning percentage (among coaches with at least 20 games coached).

Anderson collected her 200th win at UCM on April 14, 2013, against Lincoln and surpassed the 300-win total in 2015 with a 15-0 win over Concordia-St. Paul on March 20. In March of 2017, Anderson won career game number 500, encompassing all her head coaching spots over her then 19 seasons.

In 2021 the Jennies had one of their best seasons under Anderson finishing the year with a record of 38-14 overall and 20-6 in MIAA play highlighted by a conference tournament championship and an appearance in the NCAA Regionals. Central Missouri had six members receive All-MIAA honors including Paige Petefish, Ashlyn Cook, and Bailey Fowler being named to the first team. Shortstop Abbey Fischer was named to the second team, plus Sadie Parks and Makenzie McAtee were honorable mentions.  

The Jennies were off to an 11-6 start in 2020 before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were no post-season awards issued at the conference, regional or national level.

In 2019, Coach Anderson picked up career win number 400 in a double header sweep of Northwest Missouri. She led the Jennies to a 34-21 record, their most wins since 2015 and her seventh straight winning season. The Jennies finished third in the MIAA regular season, their third time in five years finishing in top three in the league standings. Eight Jennies were named to the All-MIAA squad and 18 made the Academic Honor Roll. Anderson capped off the year by coaching USAAI’s Team USA that competed in Italy which included Jennies players Alex Leonhart, Aubrey Daniel, and Sarah Brown. 

Anderson has been named MIAA Coach of the Year three times in her career. She has coached 17 first team all-conference members, and 143 MIAA Academic Honor Roll selections. She has also coached one conference MVP, eight All-Regions, four Academic All-Americans, five Academic All-Districts, and two All-Americans. In 2016, Ali Jo Rogers became the first Jennie to be named MIAA Defensive Player of the Year.

In 2018 the Jennies went 30-22 overall and 19-7 in the MIAA to finish second in the league standings. Central Missouri had 10 student-athletes named to the All-Conference team and 15 earned their way onto the MIAA Academic Honor Roll. The 10 All-MIAA players is just the fourth time in team history UCM has had 10 or more honorees.

Not only did Anderson pick up career win number 500 in 2017, but she also had her fifth straight winning season with a 28-27 record. The Jennies earned the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Tournament, finishing with a 17-9 conference record. Four Jens were named to the All-MIAA team with Katie Giacone a First Team selection. Thirteen Jennies were named to the Academic Honor Roll and senior Lauren Mabe was a MIAA Scholar Athlete. Mabe also set the UCM career hits record in 2017, finishing her stellar career with 242.

Following the 2017 season, Anderson had the opportunity to represent her country as a coach for Team USA as a part of USA Athletes International in Aruba. The national team consisted mainly of Division II and MIAA players, including former and current Jennies Alexis Koop, Jakki Prater, Ali Jo Rogers, Katie Shockley and Courtni Smith.

In 2016, Anderson coached the Jennies to their fourth straight winning season and ninth in her 10-year tenure. At 28-27, the Jennies finished sixth in the MIAA and qualified for the MIAA Tournament where they went 1-2. The Jennies had five All-MIAA honorees and 16 Jennies were selected to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.

2015 was not only Anderson’s best of her 17-year career, but one of the best in UCM history. The Jennies won 49 games, tied for the most all-time and reached the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 1994. They ran away with the MIAA regular season title and won the MIAA Tournament for the first time since 1997. The Jennies hosted and won the NCAA Central Regional and swept Augustana in the NCAA Super Regional. Anderson won her third career MIAA Coach of the Year and, along with her staff, was recognized by the NFCA as the Central Region Coaching Staff of the Year. She coached two All-MIAA First Teamers in Lauren Mabe and Katie Shockley and Shockley also went on to receive Academic All-American honors by CoSIDA. Mabe hit .414 for the season, the first .400 hitter for the Jennies since 2010. Shockley had one of the finest seasons for a UCM pitcher, setting a single season record with 27 wins and pitching to a 2.11 ERA with 141 strikeouts.

In 2014, the Jennies finished the season with a 27-23 record going 14-12 in MIAA play, good for a fifth place, regular season finish. The Jennies qualified for the MIAA Postseason Tournament for the seventh time in Anderson’s eight years at the helm. Future UCM Athletics Hall of Famer Jakki Prater had a career year hitting a program best 21 home runs, 137 total bases, and tied the single season record for RBI with 60 which earned her first team All-MIAA and Daktronics All-Central Region second team honors. Anderson also coached senior Alex Groeger who received the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

She led the Jennies to a 29-25 overall record and 12-8 MIAA mark in 2011, finishing in a tie for seventh in the MIAA Postseason Tournament. The Jennies also excelled in the classroom and were first in NCAA Division-II in GPA with a 3.53 team GPA.

In 2010 the Jennies finished 26-27 overall and 10-10 in the MIAA. UCM went into the postseason conference tournament as the No. 4 seed and finished fourth.

In 2009, Anderson led the Jennies to a 36-14 overall record and an 18-2 conference mark, finishing first in the regular season and fourth in the conference tournament. The Jennies qualified for their third straight NCAA-II South Central Region Tournament. Central Missouri was led by pitcher Megan Leonard who compiled an 18-4 record with a 1.06 ERA, striking out 289 batters and 11 shutouts. Leonard also tied the D-II record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched (83 2/3) which earned her MIAA Pitcher of the Year. 

In 2008, Anderson led the Jennies to a 36-22 overall record and 12-6 in the MIAA, good for second place. The Jennies finished second in the MIAA Tournament and qualified for the NCAA-II North Central Region tournament for the second consecutive season.

In her first season, Anderson led the Jennies to a 30-23 record, including a 14-4 conference record and a second-place finish in the MIAA. The team took fifth in the MIAA tournament and advanced to the NCAA-II North Central Region tournament for the first time since 1997.

Prior to coming to UCM, Anderson was at MIAA rival Northwest Missouri for four seasons where she went 124-96. In 2006, she led the Bearcats to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1984. Anderson set a school record for wins in two different seasons including the most for a first-year leader in Northwest Missouri’s softball history with 30 in 2003.

Anderson was the head coach at Dakota State (S.D.) from 2001-02, where she picked up a 36-36 mark. In her second season, she set a school record for the 25-13 record, while taking the team to its first ever NAIA Regional Tournament.

From 1999-2000, Anderson was the head coach at St. Mary’s College (Kan.) where she made a turnaround effort. Her team went 6-21 in her first season to 15-19 the next year.

Anderson was a graduate assistant coach at the University of Central Missouri in 1998, where she also was a student-athlete from 1994-1997. As a player at UCM, Anderson (formerly Punzo) was a two-time All-American and led the Jennies to three MIAA titles (1994, 1995, and 1997). She was also a three-time all-conference performer, earning second-team honors as a sophomore and first-team accolades as both a junior and senior. She also got the job done in the classroom, making the MIAA All-Academic Team all four years and Academic All-American in 1997. She was the first UCM Softball player to receive the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, with Groeger being the second in 2014. In 2009, she was voted into the UCM Athletic Hall of Fame.

Anderson resides in Warrensburg with her two daughters, Teagan and Landy.