Jennie Finch
Jennie Finch
Jennie Lynn Finchis an American, former collegiate All-American, right-handed softball pitcher and first baseman originally from La Mirada, California. She pitched for the Arizona Wildcats, the USA national softball team and the Chicago Bandits. Finch won the 2001 Women's College World Series and helped lead Team USA to the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Time magazine described her as the most famous softball player in history. In 2010, Finch...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionSoftball Player
Date of Birth3 September 1980
CityLa Mirada, CA
CountryUnited States of America
Growing up, I watched softball and U.S.A .softball, and that was my goal of being able to represent my country and wear the red, white, and blue out there, and I think it is one of the highest honors to be able to go out there and compete for your country, and it was something so very special, and it was everything I dreamt of and more.
When I'm in the game [softball], it's not so much mechanics. It's more of just trusting my teammates, trusting myself, trusting my preparation that we've put in to get there. When you're in the game, it's go-mode. There's going to be times when you're tweaking things but when you're in that game mode, you just want to think about that one next pitch.
Our sports [softball] is a game of failure already so my dad always says to parents who he is a pitching coach and he's been my pitching coach since I was 11 years old is if they can be the best kid on the team, let them experience that and then obviously the challenge has to come later on but you don't get that opportunity very often and confidence is such a huge part of this game and in life in general.
For softball, we need the Olympics. For young girls dreaming of that Olympic dream, that's where it's at, and that's where it all started in '96 for our sport.
College softball each year reaches new levels of interest.
Although it is disappointing that softball was not reinstated into the Olympics, we are going to continue to keep growing the sport.
When I was growing up, softball had stereotypes along with other female sports. But society is definitely changing since the WNBA and WUSA. Muscles on female athletes are OK now. Young girls can look up to beautiful, athletic, fit women.
Softball has given me so much in life. It's taught me the kind of person I want to be, and given me a sweet sisterhood. It even led me to my husband.
Playing USA Softball has been more to me than I ever imagined possible.
I just feel like it gets harder and harder every year with Ace getting older and time away from my husband and even family events such as birthdays and friends' weddings and things that I've always just missed out on because of softball.
A macho attitude is totally to my advantage. Guys try to hit it 400 feet out of the park, but in softball you have to use a short, quick swing. Big, huge swings equal big, huge strikeouts.
I could have never dreamed what an amazing ride this has been.
I loved being on the field playing and teaching softball. I didn't like the fact that a camp had my name on it and I didn't know the logistics of what was going on. I wanted to make sure I was involved in a camp that did things right.
I've face more than 35 major leaguers, and only two have ever made contact against me.