Jessica Millsap Steps Down, Cherishes Memories After 11 Irreplaceable Years

LA JOLLA, Calif. – “Right now I am being called in a different direction to help others,” said Jessica Millsap, who served as the UC San Diego softball associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for the last seven of her 11 years apart of the program. 

“I am trying to go where I am needed most, give back, and learn as much as I can in the process.”

A native of San Diego, Calif., Millsap started working at UC San Diego in 2009, beginning her tenure as an assistant coach and later earning a promotion in 2013. 

From 2010 to 2018, she juggled the respected duties of pitching coaching, worked a handful of years instructing the outfield and greatly contributed to selecting the future of Triton softball. She was also one of the diligent caretakers of Triton Softball Field.   

Above all, her recruiting philosophy will continue to thrive at UC San Diego for years and years to come. Millsap always aimed to “engage, educate, encourage, excite, elevate, and empower” women, with the end goal of evolving her athletes as players but also as people.

“Softball was always just the vessel,” Millsap said. “Empowerment gives players a voice and an opportunity to actually have ownership of their game. If we don’t teach our players how to own their game, how are we going to teach them how to own their life?” 

Head Coach Patti Gerckens, who will enter her 29th year at the helm in 2021, touched on the stability Millsap provided for UC San Diego softball over the last decade.

“Coach Millsap’s sense of caring for every scholar-athlete and prospective scholar-athlete was tremendous,” said Gerckens. 

“She was someone I could rely on at all times. Her ability to see a recruit’s talent from a young age when other coaches couldn’t, really set her apart from the rest. She engaged with recruits and made them want to come to UC San Diego because the players felt as if they were coming to a program that was family-oriented and she continued to build upon it once they got here.”

At UC San Diego Millsap compiled an overall record of 404-236 and a record of 254-155 once becoming the associate head coach. In 2011, she was part of the Tritons' National Championship run, playing a critical role on the coaching staff that was named National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) National Coaching Staff of the Year. The following season she helped guide the Tritons back to the finals where they finished as 2012 National Runners-up. 

She was part of three West Region Titles, two California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament Championships, and two CCAA regular season banners with the blue and gold. Millsap achieved a total of four NFCA coaching accolades as multiple staffs over the years were named West Region Coaching Staff of the Year (2011, 2012, 2019).

Although, it was never solely about the winning. There was a much deeper meaning behind coaching at UC San Diego for Millsap, as well as all coaches involved in the system. 

“When I look back on it, winning was great – the championships, the awards, the accolades, the fact that Coach [Gerckens] and I never had a losing season – but those were just the cherries on top,” Millsap said. “We always wanted to have a winning culture, but the winning comes by laying the foundation, investing in yourself and your team, and by being open and transparent to your teammates and coaches.”

Gerckens leaned on Millsap for an abundance of things, work related or other, but most importantly as her lifelong friend. Their close bond is something Gerckens will especially miss. 

“Coach Millsap made me a better coach and also a better person,” Gerckens mentioned. “We were able to bounce ideas, disciplines and strategies off one another. She challenged me. I’ve been a coach for a while and complacency happens, but she prevented that as best as possible.”

The two shared many unforgettable memories allowing their relationship to grow immensely over time. 

“Her energy was incredible. She is a funny person and very intelligent. We had many great discussions about all different things, not just softball but about life. We weren’t afraid to share anything with each other. I believe she would have run through a wall for me, and I would have done the same.”

Aside from the tangible achievements, Millsap will be remembered for her loyal and fun style of coaching. 

The annual UC San Diego Olympic Games, study hall groups, kick ball, prepackaged goodie bags for away trips, pez candies for the outfielders, get out of jail free passes, the golden Easter egg hunt, and Halloween costume practices were some of Coach Millsap’s all-time favorites. 

There is deep thought and reason put into every single practice at UC San Diego, but also a dedication to providing athletes the freedom to simply enjoy the game of softball. 

“I can’t thank [Coach Millsap] enough for making UC San Diego softball better,” Gerckens expressed. “I am going to miss her tremendously, but I have no doubt she is going to change things in whatever avenue she sets her mind to.”

Without a doubt, Millsap has left a lasting legacy on the UC San Diego softball organization. 

“Every woman we bring in is so talented and has this propensity for love, inclusion, openness, for deep mental and intellectual thought, emotional advancement, evolution of self, and they each have the ability to spread seeds in every single person they meet,” Millsap said. 

“Every single player at UC San Diego is a representation of my life and my time spent. I take ownership in that. I have learned just as much from [my players], as they all have hopefully learned from me."

As of now, with regards to current events, Millsap has been reading, watching the world, listening and asking questions. Moving forward, she hopes to travel more and return to school. Whether its studying dispute resolution, law enforcement, or law school, Millsap intends on inserting herself where we as a country need help and to spread inclusion and love all over. 

“I have invested my life, everything I possibly could have [into the program], and I don’t regret it. UC San Diego softball is and always will be another family to me. I will love and invest in my players forever. Every single one of them, whether they finished playing softball or not. Wherever they go, whatever they do, it is so much more than softball. It always was and it always will be.

“UC San Diego softball will always be us.”

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From the Players

Robyn Wampler ’21 – Left-Handed Pitcher 
“I have always been so grateful for how much Coach Millsap truly cares for each of us as players, but more importantly as people. She always went above and beyond to show her love, which we all really appreciated. She also made it clear how much she believed in us and our abilities. I will remember this genuine belief going forward in my softball career and life."

Ashley Chestnut ’17 – First Base
“Over the years, Coach Millsap has played an integral role in helping me become the woman I am today. In between the lines she continuously challenged me to become a better athlete. She pushed me to learn something new every day. This was always combined with her great sense of humor, which allowed us to connect on a more personal level, as well as help our relationship grow. I will never forget how much care and pride she took in our field, in which that love carried over to so many other aspects of the game. I want to thank her for the hours upon hours that she spent recruiting, coaching, and being someone to lean on in times of need.”

Hannah Duarte ’16—Right-Handed Pitcher 
“I want to thank Coach Millsap for always supporting me. Regardless of my performance outcomes, I never felt like she stopped believing in me and she continued to give me chances until the end of my career. She impacted my life, and still does, in so many ways. Whether it be softball related or not, we always had productive conversations and I always left feeling more knowledgeable. She will always be a special person and I am so blessed to have gotten to know her during my four years at UC San Diego.”

Jennifer “Manny” Manuel ’14 – Right-Handed Pitcher 
“We always had the best relationship and I thought she was truly hilarious and made being a part of the team such a special experience. She was able to focus and be serious when it was softball time, and have fun and connect during the moments in between. She played an important role in making UC San Diego feel like a family. She pushed me to grow as a person and had my back anytime I felt like I was at my breaking point. The most important lesson I learned from Coach Millsap was to ‘validate my emotions’. That lesson has changed my life and I continue to push that message every day with my students as a middle school teacher.”

Kirsten Willmon ’14 – Outfielder 
“There is one quote that Coach Millsap loved to use during my time at UC San Diego and I will never forget it - ‘It is better to be fervently wrong, than sheepishly right.’ At the time she used it as a means of getting us to communicate louder during a drill or in the games. However, I have looked at that quote on a much deeper level now. I now know that she means to be true to your convictions, stand by what you believe and speak it loudly into existence. Even if you are wrong, at least you are confident in your words and actions.

During travel trips, I was Coach Millsap's co-pilot from my sophomore through senior years. I love remembering our loud sing-a-longs to the most ridiculous songs that would show up on shuffle on her iPod. It would always help melt away any stress or pre-game anxiety and get me in a really positive mindset before playing. I hope she knows how much that time together meant to me.”

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program begins a new era in 2020 as amember of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I.  The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in DivisionsIII and II and helped guide more than 1,300 scholar-athletes to All-America honors.  A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships.  UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.