Today we’d like to introduce you to Jerzie Nutile.
Hi Jerzie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
How I Got Here
When people see where I am today, they see the end result. They see the uniform, the accomplishments, the opportunities, and the chance to play the game I love on a bigger stage. What they don’t always see are the thousands of hours, the sacrifices, the people who believed in me, the prayers, the failures, and, of course, the poor wooden fence next door that took an absolute beating along the way.
My softball story didn’t start with fancy facilities, private instructors, or one of the big-name travel organizations. It started in my backyard with my dad.
From the time I was six years old, my dad was my instructor. We had a patch of grass at my parents’ house where I would pitch nearly every day. After years of using it, calling it “grass” became generous. It was basically a collection of dirt, divots, and whatever grass managed to survive my pitching career.
And behind it was our neighbor’s wooden fence.
That fence deserves its own paragraph because it was probably the first real victim of my softball journey. If I threw a bad pitch, everyone in the neighborhood knew it. There would be a loud BANG, and every once in a while, another piece of fence would meet its unfortunate end. I’m not sure our neighbors realized they were involuntary investors in my softball career, but I appreciate their contribution.
For most of my life, it was simply me and my dad, six days out of seven, working.
From six years old to now at 23, that really hasn’t changed.
I didn’t grow up having everything handed to me in softball. I didn’t have the fanciest training or the biggest platform. I was just a small-town kid who loved the game and had a dad willing to spend countless hours helping me chase something that, at the time, probably seemed incredibly far away.
But my dad wasn’t the only one sacrificing.
My entire family was behind me. My mom and my brother were at every game they possibly could be. My brother especially sacrificed things he loved doing because so many weekends revolved around my softball schedule. There were long drives, long tournament days, early mornings, late nights, hot summer weekends, and probably way too many meals eaten in a car.
They showed up anyway.
As I got older, other people began believing in the dream too.
My high school coach, Coach Don Ellenberger, always had faith that I could accomplish something special in this sport. He saw something in me and continued to encourage me to believe there was more ahead.
Then there was Coach Terry Colebrook with the Lakeshore Lightning. Between Coach Don and Coach Terry, a dream started becoming real in my mind — a dream that I’ve decided is worth chasing no matter how difficult the road becomes:
Playing softball in an Olympic Game.
It was a huge dream for a kid who wasn’t coming from the biggest travel organization, wasn’t being trained by nationally known instructors, and wasn’t necessarily taking the traditional route to get there.
Then I went to UMBC.
Going to a mid-major program as a small-town kid made getting noticed on a national level was difficult. There are thousands of incredible softball players in this country, and when you’re trying to prove yourself on such a massive platform, sometimes it feels like you’re standing in a crowd screaming, “Hey! I’m over here!”
But UMBC became one of the most important chapters of my journey.
The people and staff there — Coach Chris Kuhlmeyer, Bobby Baxter, Carla Shep, Sam Frey, and Matt Lubaszewski — had an impact on me that went far beyond softball.
There were moments when I lost my spark. There were moments when the sport I had loved since I was six didn’t feel the same anymore. But these people helped me find it again. They helped me rediscover why I loved playing softball in the first place. And when that spark came back, my performance followed.
I started becoming a better player because I started becoming me again.
Through all of it, though, there was one constant bigger than softball:
God.
My relationship with Christ became a huge part of my journey. There were times when I didn’t understand why certain things were happening. There were moments when doors didn’t open, when I wasn’t being seen, when I questioned whether all the work was actually going to lead somewhere.
But I kept trusting.
I kept praying.
And I kept working.
Even during some of my lowest moments, I worked every single day hoping that eventually I would get one opportunity — one chance to be seen on a bigger stage.
There were plenty of reasons I could have convinced myself it wasn’t going to happen.
Small-town kid.
Mid-major school.
No fancy travel-ball résumé.
No private instructor.
Just a beat-up patch of backyard grass, a neighbor’s fence that probably needed a restraining order against me, a dad who refused to stop working with me, a family that kept showing up, coaches who believed in me, and faith that God had a purpose for all of it.
And somehow, that was enough.
Actually, it was more than enough.
Because when I look at where I am today, I don’t see a journey that I completed by myself.
I see my dad standing in the backyard with me.
I see my mom and brother sitting in the stands.
I see Coach Don and Coach Terry believing in a dream before I knew how far I could take it.
I see Coach Kuhlmeyer, Bobby, Carla, Sam, and Matt helping me rediscover the player and person I wanted to be.
I see every early morning, every late night, every bad game, every great game, every doubt, every prayer, every rep — and probably several pieces of our neighbor’s fence.
Most importantly, I see God’s hand through all of it.
I don’t know exactly where this journey will ultimately take me, but I know where I’m trying to go. That six-year-old girl throwing pitches in the backyard had a dream, and the 23-year-old version of her is still chasing it.
My goal is still to play in an Olympic Game.
And if I’ve learned anything through this journey, it’s that where you start doesn’t determine where you can finish.
You don’t need the biggest name behind you. You don’t need the fanciest facility. You don’t need everyone to believe in you.
You need people who love you, coaches who challenge you, faith when the road doesn’t make sense, and the perseverance to keep showing up when nobody is watching.
For me, that’s how I got here:
Family. Christ. Coaches. Sacrifice. Perseverance.
And a whole lot of pitches thrown in the backyard.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The journey definitely wasn’t without its struggles and sacrifices. Growing up, softball meant missing out on things that felt huge at the time — homecomings, proms, weekends with friends, and other experiences — because there was usually a tournament somewhere that I had committed to playing in. When I got to college, those sacrifices became different. My freshman year didn’t turn out anything like I expected it to. I struggled both mentally and physically, and there were points when I genuinely questioned whether I wanted to continue my softball career at all. Even after deciding to keep going, I constantly felt like the underdog. Throughout much of my college career, I was still trying to figure out exactly what kind of player I wanted to become. I battled with whether I should focus solely on pitching or continue putting in the extra work required to play multiple positions. Ultimately, I decided I didn’t want to choose. I wanted to become a true utility player, so I committed myself to learning and working at essentially every position on the field. That meant more reps, more work, and a willingness to constantly be uncomfortable, but it became a huge part of the player I am today. At the same time, I had to learn one of the hardest lessons in sports: not everyone is going to believe in you. There were people who doubted me, people who didn’t support me, and plenty of outside noise telling me what I could or couldn’t accomplish. Eventually, I realized I had two choices — listen to the noise or keep chasing the dream. I chose the dream. Every sacrifice, every moment I questioned myself, every time we walked onto the field as the underdog, and every person who doubted me became another reason to keep working.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Today, I’m proud to call myself a professional softball player, coach, and mentor to the next generation of athletes. My work goes far beyond what I accomplish on the field — I’ve made it a priority to use the game that has given me so much as a way to give back. I specialize as a true utility player, having dedicated myself to learning multiple positions rather than allowing myself to be defined by just one. That versatility, along with my work ethic and willingness to keep learning, has become a major part of who I am as an athlete. Off the field, I work with younger softball players through lessons, clinics, and coaching, with the goal of helping them become better athletes while also reminding them why they fell in love with the game in the first place. One of the things I’m most proud of is being able to show young players that there isn’t one specific path to success. I didn’t grow up playing for the biggest travel organizations, working with expensive private instructors, or attending a Power Five school. I came from a small town, trained with my dad in our backyard, attended a mid-major university, and continued working until an opportunity came. What sets me apart is that I haven’t forgotten where I came from. My faith in Christ, my family, my coaches, and the obstacles I’ve had to overcome have shaped the way I play, coach, and carry myself. I want my career to represent more than statistics or accomplishments — I want it to show young athletes that hard work, perseverance, faith, and believing in your purpose can take you places you once only dreamed about.
What’s next?
My plans for the future are simple: keep working, keep growing, and keep trusting God’s plan for me. I want to continue putting in the work every single day with the ultimate goal of one day stepping onto an Olympic stage and competing alongside some of the greatest athletes in the world. But as much as I want to accomplish more in my own career, I also want to continue giving back to the softball community and helping the next generation of young athletes chase their own dreams. Most importantly, I want to use every opportunity and platform I’m given to glorify God, spread His name, and show others what He can do in your life when you put your faith in Him. No matter how far softball takes me, I want my journey to always represent something bigger than myself.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jerzienutile?igsh=MXN1aTFjN25nc3diZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: Https://www.facebook.com/jerzienutile
- Youtube: Https://www.YouTube.com/jerzienutile
