"As the parent of a player who has been involved in softball for many years, I can honestly say that my daughter’s experience with this team was unlike any we have encountered before. Unfortunately, much of the season was overshadowed by ongoing drama, much of which appeared to originate within the coaching staff. The level of immaturity and lack of professionalism displayed by the coaching staff was deeply disappointing. In our experience, Coach Thompson seemed to prioritize winning above all else, often at the expense of the players’ health, overall well-being and development. Accountability was also a recurring concern, as responsibility for issues was frequently shifted elsewhere rather than addressed directly. Overall, we felt the coaching lacked the maturity, stability, leadership, honesty, and knowledge necessary to effectively guide and support young athletes at this level. I would also like to mention how disappointing Senior Night was for the girls and their families. Regardless of the weather, the dinner portion of the evening was always expected to take place, yet the event appeared poorly planned and unprepared. Basic items such as tablecloths, plates, utensils, and sufficient beverages were either missing or extremely limited. There was no main meal provided, and most if not all of the food served — macaroni salad, rolls, a vegetable and dip tray, a cheese tray and several desserts — had been brought by parents. The parents were to bring a side or dessert to go with the meal, which was NEVER provided. No explanation was ever given; only a brief “thanks for coming.” The few plates available ran out almost immediately, the single gallon of water was gone before most people had even eaten, and because no silverware was provided, dips and macaroni salad simply sat untouched. Many families either chose not to eat or improvised by using napkins, paper towels from the restroom, or container lids as plates. Had the coaches communicated any needs beforehand, I am confident the parents would have gladly helped provide what was necessary. Most importantly, it was heartbreaking to watch the seniors receive such a disorganized and underwhelming send-off after the time, effort, and dedication they had given to the program. "

"Did not enjoy playing this year she does not care about the players except a few doesn’t even give you a chance also everything during recruitment was a lie She talks about players behind their back. "

"Coach Steff knows softball, but is the most unprofessional coach I’ve ever played for. She talks negatively about the players behind their backs, with other players and Coach Nicole, who does the same.She is immature and is not capable of coaching at this level.She is extremely negative to the players. Instead of trying to give encouragement, she points out every mistake and never gives praise for a job well done. She seems to thrive on tearing the players down. She also lacks integrity. "

"Coach Nicole has zero communication skills, she takes no responsibility for anything, she will turn every single thing around on everyone but her. She has basic knowledge about softball and unless you are one of her favorites you can forget getting any help or guidance. She throws tantrums like a child, cusses constantly, talks about all the players behind our backs to the other players. Don’t tell her anything personal, because she will immediately tell other players. She is the queen of the silent treatment, if we did anything wrong, strike out, make an error, throw a bad pitch, you would get the silent treatment for days! She ruined softball for all of us. Just look at the turn over on the team. Half the team had countdowns on our phones counting down the days until we were done! She also came to us crying about this site, because she found out about it on March 29th, so all the good ones on that date you can bet are from her family, they aren’t real! "

"In a time when women’s athletics is being elevated by leaders like Caitlin Clark, Ilona Maher, and A’ja Wilson, athletes who embody confidence, strength, and mutual support, this program feels out of step. Under Coach Berg, the culture appears to fall short of uplifting female athletes. Instead of building unity and celebrating each other’s success, the environment seems to foster division, where players are set against one another rather than strengthened as a team. There also seems to be a clear lack of open, constructive communication. When athletes don’t feel comfortable speaking honestly or supporting one another without concern for repercussions, it limits both trust and performance. Strong coaching should elevate and instill confidence, connection, and a shared purpose. That standard does not appear to be met in this program. "

"Jessica Berg’s performance as a coach raises serious concerns. From a competitive standpoint, the team’s staggering losses highlight a lack of preparation, in-game adjustment, and strategic adaptability. At this level of play, outcomes like these point to deeper systemic issues. More concerning, however, is the environment surrounding the team. Based on firsthand observation, there appears to be a significant lack of psychological safety. Players do not feel empowered to speak up, advocate for themselves, or communicate openly without fear of negative consequences. That kind of culture directly limits growth, performance, and long-term success. There also appears to be a pattern of dismissing or minimizing athlete health and recovery needs. When players feel pressured to participate despite injuries or without proper medical clearance, it not only impacts performance, it risks their well-being. A strong program should prioritize athlete safety, trust the expertise of medical professionals, and foster collaboration across the care team. Leadership in collegiate athletics extends beyond wins and losses. It includes creating an environment where athletes feel supported, respected, and psychologically safe. Without that foundation, even the most talented teams will struggle to succeed. It is disappointing that this culture has been allowed to persist, as it ultimately impacts the development, health, and experience of the athletes involved."

"Jessica Berg is unfit and not worthy of having the title Coach in front of her name. Her lacrosse and coaching knowledge is so limited that her team lost 0-22 against Maryville this season. Statistically, a DII goalie achieving a shutout is a rarity, occurring in less than 1% of games. During that game she made zero adjustments to her play calling and defensive strategy. It is baffling that with all of her access to film, stats, box scores, and scouting reports that she entered into that game so ill-equipped. To make matters worse, instead of focusing on her players after their devastating loss, she cried. A grown woman, whose full-time job is to coach, guide, prepare, and teach her athletes how to act in victory, and defeat, wept from embarrassment. There is a litany of examples of her lack of coaching competency, but the most egregious incompetency is the psychological damage and trauma that are a direct result of her “coaching.” I have witnessed first hand her toxicity. She refuses to accommodate and prioritize her athletes’ health. As a result, the team is plagued with injuries, multiple of them requiring surgical repair. Instead of listening to the players, athletic trainers, physicians, and strength and conditioning coaches’ requests to rest and recover, she chastises, belittles, and demeans her players through her snide, backhanded remarks, or punitive consequences for not being able to participate. She ignores protocols and forces her athletes to participate in activities they’re not medically cleared to do. She has cultivated a culture of fear. Fear of being punished for getting injured. Fear of being accosted by her passive-aggressive behavior. Fear of being ostracized for not engaging in religious practices she mandates before games. Fear of being gaslighted. It is an absolute disgrace that MWSU administrators have allowed hundreds of talented women to be subjected to her malfeasance. "

"No charisma. Extremely reactive to the point of it being a personal problem or medical condition. Can’t keep a staff due to being difficult to work with. Does not respect personal information shared in private one on one meetings with players. Shouts obscenities at players on the field during games for mistakes. Attempts to embarrass umpires. Very unprofessional coach. Difficult to understand how he is employed in 2026. He was not retained by Western Missouri when a new AD arrived in 2024 I witnessed all of these behaviors and researched his background. Respect yourself and go somewhere else. "

"She's a competitor and wants to win, she's very clear in that. But she could care less about you if you're not producing for her. She has an "open door policy" which is so far from the truth. Creates an environment filled with drama, gossiping, and favorites. "

"Worst decision I have made as a parent with supporting my daughter in her lacrosse career. Berg is an awful human being and worse coach. She has taken my daughter and ruined her confidence as a person and has ruined the sport of Lacrosse. I hope players and parents see this and can make wise choices when deciding to attend college as a lacrosse athlete. Pick a better school and please for the sake of your daughter mental health a better coach. I say this and my daughter was a starter on the team so not bitter bench player parent but mad that Berg has put my daughter in a depression state of mind. Not ok and shame on you Jessica Berg. "

"She is quite literally one of the worst coaches. She has zero empathy and has admitted that she struggles with the ability to empathize with anyone going through anything. We watched as she made life hell for our assistant coaches multiple times. We even tried to report her to our AD. And all that came out of it was a small suspension. She’s pushed people to injury multiple times. And truly believe she does no wrong and it’s hurting the program. Away trips on spring break is always Colorado to see her family and her sister comes and joins the bus and she will leave everyone to eat and spend time with them instead of us. She tends to flip every negative situation onto the players when anyone tries to speak up. 1/100 recommend. You’d be better off anywhere else"

"This woman is not mature enough to be coaching young women. She has unprofessional relationships with certain players. She gossips about players with other players and her assistant coach. I don’t know much about her actual softball knowledge but the team wasn’t very successful and neither was her player retention. This experience was from Missouri Western."

"I committed to this school because I wanted to be a part of an amazing opportunity and start a program from scratch. The school itself has awesome facilities and every start-up has its own issues. I truly believe that Coach Berg thinks she is doing the right thing but she's not. Coach Berg does not have the knowledge to coach at the collegiate level. She has no lacrosse IQ and had multiple division 1 transfers benched during her first year as a coach. She plays players who don't even know how to catch or throw a ball (but can run) along with players who sit out the whole year but only play during the games..? She doesn't even have plays for her offense and runs defensive drills where her players crash from low to high. She has a hard time with criticism, multiple players have tried asking her to explain her knowledge and she gets irritated and ignores them. It's really unfortunate because she has so many talented players (thanks to coach Benz) that won't have the year that they had like last year because every school in the GLVC knows how to play defense on them. This is where coach Berg should be coaching them but unfortunately, like last season, doesn't know how to do so. In order to be a good coach and gain respect, you have to be the bad guy sometimes. Coach Berg acts more like a friend and none of the girls have respect for her. Coach Berg would pull players into her office and talk shit about other players. At the Division 2 level, your coach should know the basics about the game/drills and be coaching you. Missouri Western was a different school two years ago, the whole athletic department is falling apart as well as the academics but that's a whole different story. Good luck to all of the girls this season I hope you all do amazing things, but without a good coach it will be a struggle."

"This coach is limited in knowledge, doesn’t listen to her players and is unwilling to take criticism of any sort. She also tries harder to be a friend and cool coach than any sort of responsible adult in a position of power. She is only in her current position because the head coach before her was let go, she doesn’t have the experience or knowledge to really lead a team. She doesn’t know the game well enough to use her roster nor does she respect or trust her players to do their jobs. She has benched skilled players due to past injuries, started a player that shows up to practice drunk, and continues to allow a racist player on her team. She continually talks trash about her players to other players, and makes fun of one specific athletes odor rather than having a conversation with her. The school will do nothing about any of this. So I urge anyone thinking of playing lacrosse for Berg to not do so. It was the worst decision of my life and I am glad to be away from her."