KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Former University of Central Missouri Jennies softball head coach
Rhesa Sumrell will be enshrined into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, announced on Thursday, Sept. 25, during a press conference inside the InterContinental Hotel in Kansas City.
Sumrell, a 2012 inductee into the Central Missouri Athletic Hall of Fame and 2014 MIAA Hall of Fame honoree, spent 19 seasons leading the Jens to seven NCAA tournament appearances, including two regional championships in 1989 and 1997, which produced a pair of fourth-place finishes.
Rhesa's 614 wins at Central Missouri are the most in program history. During her tenure, she led the Jens to four MIAA championships (1988, 1994, 1995, and 1997) along with three NCAA Regional Coach of the Year (1991,1994, and 1995) and four MIAA Coach of the Year (1989, 1994, 1997, and 2006) honors.
In addition to coaching the Jennies softball team, Sumrell was an assistant coach on the UCM volleyball team, helping the team capture 12 consecutive MIAA titles. Prior to her time in Warrensburg, Rhesa led Missouri Western to a 1982 NAIA National Title before being inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Missouri Western Hall of Fame in 1990.
Sumrell and the entire 2025 class of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame will be enshrined in a ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 23, inside the InterContinental Hotel at the Country Club Plaza.
