Jennie Finch
Haley Taormina
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Jennie’s Biography Jennie Finch is one of the most recognized fast-pitch softball players of all time. Jennie was an extremely talented pitcher that would easily rack up 10s of strikeouts each game, throwing at a speed of almost 70 mph (which reaches home plate even faster than a 100mph pitch would in baseball). Before big names like Jennie Finch, collegiate softball was seemingly the last step on the ladder for softball players, but now, it is becoming more accessible and more popular to play softball as a profession after college. Jennie racked up many titles in her career, but most importantly, she became a World Champion in 2010. Jennie Finch is an inspiration to all young women who play softball. Her achievements helped her gain popularity and because of this, she was even able to star on late-night shows with David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel. She now uses her fame and title to draw attention and contribute to charities such as the Wounded Warrior Softball Team, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, etc.
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Her Contributions Jennie Finch deserves a monument because not only is she a great role model for all softball players, she has also aided in ending the stigma that “softball is easier than baseball”. In 2004, Jennie was able to step on the mound and face some of the best hitters in Major League Baseball at the time, those being: Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, Barry Bonds, Sean Casey, Scott Spiezio, and a few others. She was able to strike out all of them except for 2. Sean Casey and Scott Spiezio were able to make contact, while the others would completely whiff. 14 years later, in 2017, Jennie came out of her retirement to face off against Sean Casey again in a segment of “Play Ball” on the MLB Network where Casey is now an analyst for. She got her revenge against him and was able to strike him out. Jennie used her experience striking out the MLB hitters to write a book titled “Throw Like a Girl” to prove to her young fans that being told that you “throw like a girl” is nothing to be ashamed of.
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Jennie before pitching to some really talented and prominent MLB players during this time (in 2009).
Jennie’s book.
Team USA Softball
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World Champion
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Proposed Jennie Monument Many people outside of the softball/ baseball world have never heard of Jennie, so I think that Jennie deserves her own monument because she is a great role model for all young women in sports. She proved that with hard-work you can achieve your dreams. Jennie’s monument would feature her in her pitching motion while she is striding off of the mound, getting ready to release the ball from her hand. I believe that this is a powerful stance for Jennie, because it is how she faces every batter, even when she faced the MLB hitters 11 years ago. I think that having Jennie in this position will best capture her fearless attitude and her power when she is on the pitching mound. This statue will show Jennie “in motion� as she is halfway through her pitching motion.
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How the monument would look:
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On Campus Monument Location If we were to have this monument on the GMU campus, I definitely think that it should be located at the softball field in West Campus. There are many areas of open grassland where the statue could be positioned. The statue should be near the front of the press box at the top of the softball field, where all people attending the games could see the monument honoring Jennie and her achievements through the years.
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Off Campus Monument Location The off campus location that I think this monument should be placed at would be in La Mirada, California, where Jennie was born and where she grew up. Jennie is a very family oriented individual. Based off of Jennie’s character from her official website, it seems as if she would value the statue being placed in her hometown because she is really family oriented and down to earth even after all that she has achieved.