Jennie Finch, a member of the U.S. women’s national softball team that won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, is a two-time Olympic medalist, having also won the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Finch and Monica Abbott combined for a no-hitter in the opening game of the 2008 Olympic Games; during that game the team scored a record-setting 11 runs. Finch, a pitcher, is also a two-time Pan American Games gold medalist (2003 and 2007), a two-time World Cup gold medalist (2006 and 2007), a NCAA champion (2001) and a two-time Honda Award winner.
Finch led her team in appearances this past summer, with eight appearances and six starts, for a 5-0 record and 0.23 ERA. She threw 49 strikeouts in a team-high 31.0 innings pitched, allowing only nine hits. As a gold medalist at the Pan American Games in 2007, Finch made one appearance, a combined no-hitter, at the Pan American Championships, where she pitched 11 out of 12 strikeouts in 4.0 innings. As a World Cup champion in 2007, she posted a 1-0 record, pitching 11.0 innings with a total of 18 strikeouts, allowing only four hits and one walk. As a gold medalist at the International Softball Federation (ISF) World Championships, Finch made two appearances, with one start and one win. As a World Cup champion in 2006, she pitched three innings of relief, recording six strikeouts. In her first appearance after giving birth to her son, Ace, against the Houston Thunder in an exhibition game, Finch recorded 12 strikeouts in 5.2 innings.
In 2005, Finch was a silver medalist at the Japan Cup and a silver medalist at the World Cup. In 2004, she was a gold medalist at the Olympic Games. She was also a gold medalist at the Pan American Games (2003), ISF World Championships (2002) and Pan Am Qualifier (2001), where she posted a 2-0 record and 0.00 ERA. At the University of Arizona (2000-2003), Finch was the co-winner of the Ruby Award, bestowed upon the most outstanding female senior student-athlete (2002). That year, she also set an NCAA record with 60 consecutive wins (2002), became a three-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association First-team All-American and became a three-time First-Team All-Pac-10 and All-Pacific Region. She was a top-three finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year (2002) and the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year (2001 and 2002). Finch led Arizona to the NCAA Women’s College World Series title (2001) and finished the season 32-0, setting an NCAA record for wins in a season (2001). Finch is a member of the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) Chicago Bandits (2005, 2006 and 2007), was named NPF Co-Pitcher of the Year (2005), and was winner of the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation Amateur Choice Award (2004).
Finch is widely regarded as the face of women’s softball. For her contributions to the game, her jersey No. 27 was retired by the University of Arizona in 2003. Finch appeared on season one of Spike TV’s "Pros vs. Joes," becoming the first woman to appear on the show. Finch also appeared on the NBC series "The Celebrity Apprentice." She is a contributor to ESPN the Magazine as a baseball analyst. She is married to professional baseball player Casey Daigle and has a 2-year-old son, Ace. (9/08)
For more information on Jennie, check out her Web site at: www.jenniefinch.net.