Jennie Lynn Finch (born September 3, 1980),who
occasionally uses her husband's surname Daigle, is a
former American softball player who pitched for the USA national softball team[3] and
the Chicago Bandits. Jennie
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 retired from softball to focus on her family. In August 2011 she
started work as a color analyst for ESPN doing National
Pro Fastpitch and college softball games.
Early years
Finch was born in La Mirada, California to Doug and Bev Finch.
Finch has two older brothers. She began playing softball at age five and
pitching at age eight.Her
father was her first pitching coach. Growing up,
Finch was a bat girl for the University of California, Los Angeles.At La Mirada High School, Finch lettered four times
in softball and twice each in basketball and volleyball. As a
senior, she was the captain of all three sports.As a
sophomore, she was an All-California Interscholastic Federation Division II
choice in softball and
All-Suburban League selection.
College
Finch played softball for the University of Arizona (from 1999-2002) where
she was a three-time All-American pitcher and first baseman, and two-time winner
of Honda Sports Award.
In 2002, Finch set a new National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
record by winning her 51st consecutive game. She
ended up with 60 consecutive wins
breaking the previous record of 50 that was set by Florida
State's Rebecca Aase in 1993.
Finch's streak spanned nearly two seasons and included three straight wins in
the 2001 Women's College World Series, where she won Most
Outstanding Player honors.A
near-capacity crowd filled Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium and chants of
"Jennie" echoed throughout the crowd in the 6–0 victory over Cal State Northridge.Finch
said, "It's significant and it's nice. But it doesn't even come close to the
team goal of winning a national championship."
Finch recorded 24 wins in her freshman season; 29 in her sophomore season; 32
in her junior year, (with no losses, setting an NCAA record);and
34 in her senior season for a career total of 119 wins, 12th-most at the
time. In
that stretch, Finch struck out a total of 1,028 batters.
Her jersey number 27 (the date of her parents' first date)[ was
retired by the University of Arizona in a pre-game ceremony at Hillenbrand
Stadium on May 9, 2003.
2004 Olympics
Finch had a 2–0 win–loss record in the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, striking
out 13 batters in eight innings while giving up only one hit, one walk and no runs. Her
pitching helped lead the American team to the gold medal.
2008 Olympics
The U.S.A. team started its bid for a fourth straight gold medal at the 2008
Olympic games in Beijing with Finch pitching four no-hit innings in an 11–0
victory over Venezuela. Finch
then pitched 5 shutout innings in a 7–0 victory over Chinese Taipei and
two more shut out innings in a 9-0 victory over China.
However, the U.S. lost 3–1 to Japan in the final game and came home with a
silver medal.After
the loss, Finch said, "I feel like we let USA softball down. Many women have
worn this uniform, and accepted nothing but gold."Along
with baseball, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided in 2005 to drop
softball from the Olympics, making 2008 possibly the last time the sport is
played in the Olympics. A
crusader for softball's reinstatement for the 2016 Olympics, Finch said "It
deserves to be an Olympic sport."After
the final game, Finch said "Over 140 countries play this game....you don't have
to be six-four. You don't have to be 200 pounds. We have all different shapes
and sizes. The sport tests so many athletic abilities, from hand-eye
coordination, to speed, to agility, to quickness. We're finally at the pinnacle,
we've finally been established. Please don't take this away."
National Pro
Fastpitch
Finch pitched for the Chicago Bandits of the National
Pro Fastpitch (NPF) softball league. She was named NPF's
Co-Pitcher of the Year in 2005, sharing the award with teammate Lauren Bay.She
pitched a perfect game for the Bandits in 2009 against the Philadelphia Force and
another perfect game on July 9, 2010 against the Akron Racers.The
Chicago Bandits played their home games in Elgin, Illinois, where Finch has many
fond memories.
Media
Finch signing autographs
In 2002, ESPN called Finch the "runaway winner" of the
Best Dressed competition at the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly
Awards.
In 2003, Finch received the most votes in an ESPN online poll as the most attractive female
athlete.
In 2004, People magazine named Finch one of its "50
Most Beautiful People", the only female athlete in the list.[25] "This
is truly amazing to be recognized by People magazine for this honor,"
Finch said. "It
is really special to be included among some of the most famous and beautiful
people in the world. I still have a hard time believing that I was selected as
part of this group."
Finch has modeled swimwear for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition in
2005. Finch
was offered lucrative contracts to disrobe for Playboy and Maxim magazine, but turned them down.
This Week in Baseball signed Finch as a
co-host. ] In a
segment called the Jennie Challenge, Finch pitches to Major
League Baseball players and often strikes them out.In
softball, the mound is closer to home plate than baseball and Finch's pitches
are the equivalent of a 98 mph pitch "Some
big-timers refuse to face her," Cal Ripken, Jr. says. "Many feel it could be
embarrassing." In an
interview with ESPN, Finch explained, "I was throwing them mostly rise balls and
change-ups. They've never seen a pitch like that, you know? With the closer
distance from the mound, I think it really surprises them how fast the pitch
gets there. And especially with the rise – when they're used to that
over-the-top release point – there is nothing else like it. The ball movement
throws them off."
In the 2004 Pepsi All-Star Softball Game, Finch struck out Albert Pujols, Mike Piazza and Brian Giles.[29] "I
never touched a pitch," said Giles. "Her
fastball was the fastest thing I've ever seen, from that distance. It rises and
cuts at the same time."
In 2006, Finch appeared in Season One of Pros
vs Joes on Spike TV, a show in which sports stars compete
with ordinary people.She
was the first woman to appear on the show.
Finch appeared on an episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County.
In 2008, Finch was featured as a contestant on The Celebrity Apprentice where she selected
International Breast Cancer Research Foundation
as her charity. She
was fired by Donald Trump in the fourth week of the
season.
In 2008, Finch also served as the Grand Marshal of the nationally televised
McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade in downtown
Chicago.
Finch pitched for the National League in the 2010 Legends and
Celebrities Softball Game, at Angel Stadium and
the 2011 game at Chase Field.[38]
In 2011, Finch co-authored Throw Like a Girl: How to Dream Big and Believe
in Yourself, with Ann Killion. The book is a collection of life lessons
Jennie learned growing up playing sports.On
November 6, 2011, just four and a half months after giving birth to son Diesel,
Finch finished the New York Marathon with a time of 4:05:26, raising $30,000 for
the New York Road Runners Youth Program.
Personal life
Finch married then-Major League Baseball pitcher Casey
Daigle on January 15, 2005.
Daigle proposed to Finch on the softball field at the University of Arizona, her
alma mater.
According to Finch, "He blindfolded me and took me to the mound and said, 'You
have been the queen of the diamond for four years. Now I want you to be the
queen of my heart.'" They
have two sons; Ace Shane, born on May 4, 2006 and
Diesel Dean, born on June 19, 2011.Finch
welcomed her daughter Paisley Faye on January 12, 2013. Finch
is an avid fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Retirement
On July 20, 2010, Finch announced her retirement from softball to focus on
her family. "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,"
Finch said in an interview with the Associated Press.Said
Finch, "This whole career has been way more than I ever even imagined or
dreamed. The opportunities that I'd be able to enjoy and appreciate and be a
part of, it's been incredible."In her
final start with the US National Team, Finch struck out 12 and only allowed
three singles including two infield ones.She
continued playing with the Chicago Bandits until the National Pro Fastpitch
season ended in August.
Legacy
Finch was the most dominant and recognizable softball pitcher of her era.
Combined with her pitching skills, Finch's beauty and charm landed her a place
in the mainstream to
become a pop culture icon. "She
set the standard for softball in a new era of being able to be feminine and play
this sport," U.S. outfielder Jessica Mendoza said. "Not
that you have to be feminine to play this sport, but I see hundreds of thousands
of little girls now with glitter headbands, hot pink bats, makeup....when I was
growing up, it wasn't like that."
According to Mike Candrea, her coach at Arizona and through
two Olympics, "Jennie has transformed this sport, touched millions of young kids
in many different ways - whether it's fashion, whether it's the way she plays
the game - but through it all she's been very humble."A Chicago Tribune editorial commented, "She leaves
with a spotless personal reputation, an intent to keep promoting softball, and
the knowledge that she has inspired other girls and women who play for the love
of the game.