Jennie Finch has made quite a name for herself on the softball diamond, as well as off of it. She’s not only a celebrated female athlete that serves as a great role model, but she’s also a dedicated mother, which she stated as her reasoning behind retiring from professional softball.
Finch is set to premiere an as yet unforeseen skill set of hers when she appears on this season of Dancing With The Stars: Athletes, looking to show off that she might just be the most well-rounded woman to ever exist. I mean, an amazing athlete, great mom, beautiful, AND a dancer? Come on Jennie, save some talent for the rest of us.
Finch got her start playing softball at the young age of five and began pitching at eight. She never looked back from there, truly honing her talents in high school, where she lettered all four years in not just softball but volleyball as well.
She went on to attend the University of Arizona, where she, of course, crushed it. She broke a ton of records, including winning 51 (!) consecutive games that she pitched. She currently still holds the school records for strikeouts, shutouts, innings pitched, and is tied for the career no-hitters record.
Following college, Finch went on to join the US National Softball Team, competing in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She was a big contributor to the team, helping lead them to a gold medal victory. She would also participate in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, winning a silver medal.
She played for the Chicago Bandits in the National Pro Fastpitch league, from 2005-2010, but retired following the 2010 season to focus on her family life.
She stayed in the spotlight though, even becoming the first woman to manage a professional baseball team, when she coached the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League.
You can next catch Jennie Finch as she chases the crown on this season of Dancing With The Stars.