Eureka High Softball Senior Signs with North Alabama

Softball has always been a way of life for Jenny Weiss, according to her mother. Being the youngest of six children, Jenny has been at the ballpark ever since she was 4 months old. All three of her older sisters were heavily involved in the sport.

Sister Kim, 6 years Jenny’s senior, played on select/travel softball teams throughout high school, in addition to playing on the Varsity squad. Sister Bonnie, 12 years older than Jenny, played on select/travel softball teams through middle school and then opted to play volleyball in high school. Sister Jill, 13 years Jenny’s senior, played select/travel team softball, Lafayette High School Varsity softball (including the 1997 State championship team), St. Louis Community College – Meramec softball and Indiana State University softball. Jill is still very involved in the St. Louis softball community as she is the head varsity softball coach at Notre Dame High School and a private hitting, pitching, fielding and conditioning instructor at Hitter’s Choice Cages in Eureka. Jill and Jenny continue to workout together at the cages and on the field to finetune their skills. Although they are the oldest and youngest of the family, Jill and Jenny have grown close through their love for softball.

Jenny followed in her sisters’ footsteps playing select/travel team softball for many years – 7 years with the St. Louis Fever (from age 10-16 years) and 1 year with the St. Louis Lasers (age 17). Prior to her select/travel team days, Jenny got her start through the Ellisville Athletic Association summer leagues (from age 8-10 years). Fond memories of those early days at Ellisville ballpark brought her back full circle, as she helped coach the Ellisville Jaguars, a 10-11 year old girls softball team, during the past two summers. Helping these young girls learn the game of softball and improve their skills proved to be both rewarding and eye-opening for Jenny.

Afterall, softball is not only fun, but it also teaches many of life’s lessons – teamwork, hard work, discipline, responsibility, communication skills, grace in disappointment and humility in success – all of which would come into play during Jenny’s last softball season in high school.

During Jenny’s senior season at , the Wildcats amassed a 23-7 record on their march to the State tournament – a feat not accomplished since the school moved up to the Class 4 ranks. As the starting first baseman and cleanup batter, Jenny was one of the leaders on the team. She had a .350 batting average with 25 RBIs, 22 runs scored, an on base percentage of .456 and a slugging percentage of .613. 

Of her 28 hits, Jenny had 5 doubles, 2 triples and 4 homeruns. She went on to garner All-Conference, All-District and All-Region honors along with being named to the University of Central Missouri’s Tournament All*Star Team.  Jenny was also awarded the Team Leader Award for her leadership on and off the field and her work as one of the team’s Co-Captains. 

All in all it was a good year for Jenny and the Eureka Wildcats. The Missouri State Championship may have eluded them, but all the hard work, discipline and teamwork paid off to get them to that point. 

Now Jenny Weiss has signed a national letter of intent to play softball for the University of North Alabama. She will play first base and outfield for the Lions and continue to wear her favorite school colors of purple and gold. Jenny plans to major in nursing and hopes to incorporate her love for painting and the arts into her studies. With a 3.7 GPA, Jenny’s focus has not only been on softball, but on academics as well. She is an active member of the National Honor Society, made Academic All-State among Missouri High School softball players, is a Renaissance Scholar Athlete, received the Renaissance Gold Standard Award and completed the A+ Program for academics, attendance, citizenship and tutoring/mentoring. 

Last but certainly not least, Jenny has been an active member of Student Council all four years of high school. Like softball, Student Council requires hard work, teamwork, organization and good communication skills to be a success. Such are the skills and experiences that Jenny will take with her as she heads off to Florence, AL, in the fall.

Editor's Note: Thanks to Jenny Weiss' mom, Debra Weiss, for the details of this article.