Lifelong Bridgeport resident J.R. Frenzel was picking up his daughter Molly recently when the display monitor on his truck showed he had a message from his wife. She had texted him to let him know the softball coach at Bridgeport High School, Chelsea Holcomb, resigned.

 

The text was not too unusual. After all, Frenzel had coached softball and was the president of the Bridgeport Girls Softball Association.

 

Things would soon get unusual when his daughter was picked up. Another text came, this time from his father-in-law with the same message and Frenzel’s daughter wanted to know what her grandfather wanted.

 

From there, his daughter’s response to the message would set the stage for Frenzel’s softball future. He would apply for, and get, the head coaching position for the Tribe.

 

“That’s how it got started for me,” said Frenzel, who added his own sixth-grade, softball-playing daughter insisted he apply despite the fact that her dad would miss many of her games as a result. “She said I had to do it, and here we are.”

 

How Frenzel got where he is at this moment actually began on Oct. 23, 2023. It was at that time that softball coach Chelsea Holcomb’s resignation as coach – as well as the girls basketball coach – went into effect to allow her to take an administration position in Lewis County.

 

Although attention focused on filling the basketball position with the season just weeks away, the Harrison County Board of Education also had to act on a recommendation from the BHS administration on the softball position. That person would be Frenzel.

 

“J.R. is invested heavily in the community and graduated from Bridgeport High School. He’s very enthusiastic about girls’ softball and hit the ground running with offseason workouts,” said BHS Athletic Director and Assistant Principal Tom Sears. “I think with his deep ties to the school and community, his desire to elevate the program to a championship level are extremely strong.”

 

The ties are indeed strong. Along with graduating from BHS in 1998, the lifelong resident grew up on Kelly Drive where he got his love for sports. The West Virginia University graduate’s professional life is also rooted in the area after opening Good Life Financial Advisors of West Virginia just beyond the city limits in June of 2019.

 

“The Kelly Drive guys ingrained sports on me at an early age. Being the little guy on the block, I learned to play hard or get out of the way,” said Frenzel, who continued his sports competition in various sports in high school until a shoulder injury eventually ended things from going beyond that.

 

As for coaching, this is Frenzel’s first dive into the high school sports pool. However, his coaching feet have been wet for a long time.

 

“I thought a good way to give back to the community was to help coach and I began coaching Little League baseball. I really enjoyed it,” he said. “I coach various sports as my kids were coming up through.”

 

One sport he did not get involved with until recently was softball. However, he dove headfirst into the sport in 2020.

 

“My daughter decided she wanted to try and play softball when she was 8 years old, but that was during the COVID year and there was only a 12-year-old team,” said Frenzel.

 

Frenzel did not give up. He sent a message to the local softball board to see if she could get a chance. A brief time later, he not only heard good news, but a friend called to let him know he would be his assistant coach. For good measure, he would also be named the vice president of the Bridgeport Girls Softball.

 

Not long after that, his position would change. He would become the head coach and the president of the association.

 

“We went from 30 girls in the league to most recently having 130 from 8U to 18U and have started a winter training program,” said Frenzel.

 

While Frenzel is no longer able to coach the youth teams or serve as the league president, he has taken lessons learned and is applying them already. As mentioned by Sears, Frenzel is already doing conditioning.

 

“We did start some workouts already and I would have preferred to start earlier, but with such a late hiring there was no way that could happen,” said Frenzel. “On some things, it is a feeling out process or what you can do and what you can’t do, but I do know I am looking forward to coaching.”

 

Frenzel said as a youth coach, the goal was to get them ready for middle school. That preparation would assist in getting the athletes ready for high school. Now, he is preparing them for a few more things.

 

“Now, the goal is to prepare them to have a chance to win championships. The goal also, for those that want it, is to get them ready to play in college by putting the best product we can in front of any college coach or scout,” he said. “That’s important, but winning championships will be our top priority.”

 

Along with getting to know the prep softball landscape and some of the players, Frenzel plans to start a junior varsity program. One does not exist at the moment.

 

“You want to make sure a sophomore or freshman is ready to play when they advance, and you want that freshman or sophomore to be on the team if they have talent instead of cutting them because they’re not ready,” he said. “A jayvee team will provide another stream of players ready to contribute and give more opportunities to the kids. You don’t want to see kids walk away because there is no opportunity.

 

“That, along with developing the student-athletes into good citizens is going to be key,” he continued. “We’re going to stress doing things the right way and not cutting corners. If we’re winning, it will be the right way.”

 

Former assistant Katelyn Stanley will remain on the staff, said Frenzel. He is also hoping to add a volunteer assistant soon.

 

Frenzel and his wife Abbey are parents to son Zane, an eighth-grade student, and daughter Molly, who is in the sixth grade. The season is tentatively set to see the first game played March 18, but that date could be moved up by a few days.