Marshalltown Community College has announced that Russ Jones has accepted the job as the new Tiger Head Softball Coach.
Jones will bring a lot of experience to MCC. He coached for seven years at DMACC as the assistant baseball coach and head men's basketball coach. He was then named the first-ever Iowa Community College (ICCAC) conference commissioner, a position he held for three and a half years.
After serving as ICCAC Conference Commissioner, Jones took a leave from coaching professionally to focus on his family. He did continue coaching club and travel softball for his daughters for 20 years. When his middle daughter graduated from college this past May, he decided it was time to get back into coaching as a profession. "I have always loved coaching and missed it," he explains. "I missed coaching when my daughter first went to college even though I continued helping with club teams in Des Moines. When I left DMACC, my wife always said when I was ready to get back into coaching she would support me. MCC has given me that opportunity to return."
Jones' has already started working for the upcoming season. The MCC softball roster has 14 student-athletes committed for this coming season, with several signing and more verbally committing each day. Jones' goal is to have 16 on the roster by the time school starts.
When asked what drew him to the MCC coaching position, he said, "I love a challenge. MCC softball has struggled for the past several years. Through my experience coaching club, I know the talent in Iowa and the surrounding states. I have also made a lot of great connections."
Assistant Coach Ashley Frantz will be returning to the MCC softball coaching staff. Coach Jones is also in the process of hiring hitting coach Kirk Steinfeldt. "Kirk is one of the most knowledgeable hitting coaches in the Midwest," commented Jones. Steinfeldt and Jones combined have coached over 50 girls that went on to play DI or DII softball.
With the 2019 Fall season starting in August, Coach Jones is thinking about what this year will bring. "I'm excited about the girls coming back and those coming in. I like where we are heading. I've talked to the returners and they are looking forward to coming back.
"My immediate goal for this year is improving on last year. I've given myself three years to compete with bigger schools like Indian Hills, DMACC and Kirkwood. If we aren't competing with them, I'm not doing my job."
Jones and his wife of 29 years, Becky, live in Huxley. They have three grown children: Russell (25), Mikayla (23, who played at DII University of Minnesota Crookston), and Lauren (21).
