American · Fresno, USA · Born 30 November 1980American softball player and broadcaster who won Olympic gold in 2004 and became the first woman to broadcast Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN.
Jessica Mendoza was born in Camarillo, California in 1980. A former Olympic softball outfielder, she won gold at Athens 2004 and silver at Beijing 2008 with the USA national team, and won four World Softball Championship gold medals. In 2015 she became the first woman to serve as an analyst on Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN — the most-watched regular-season sports broadcast in the United States. She became a full-time ESPN baseball analyst in 2016 and joined the New York Mets front office as a special advisor the same year. She won the ESPNW Impact25 Award and has been consistently ranked among the most influential women in American sports media.
Olympic softball success and becoming first woman analyst on Sunday Night Baseball
How They Played
Powerful switch-hitting outfielder with exceptional batting average and defensive skills
Lasting Impact
Pioneered women's representation in baseball broadcasting while excelling as elite softball player
Career Honours
- Olympic Gold 2004
- Olympic Silver 2008
- First woman to broadcast Sunday Night Baseball (ESPN)
- ESPNW Impact25 Award
- NCAA All-American (2001, 2002)
- PAC-10 Player of the Year (2001)
- Honda Sports Award for Softball (2002)
- USA Softball Player of the Year (2006)
- World Cup of Softball Gold Medal (2005, 2006, 2007)
| Team | Period | Games |
|---|---|---|
| USA Softball | 2001–2010 | — |
| Stanford Cardinal | 1999–2002 | — |
| Arizona Heat | 2005–2005 | — |
| USSSA Pride | 2010–2012 | — |
American Athletes