Jessica Mendoza’s softball accomplishments are almost too vast to comprehend: After an incredible career at Stanford where she was a four-time First-Team All-American Outfielder and led the Cardinal to their first ever Women’s College World Series Appearance (she still holds 5 Stanford school records, including batting average & career home runs), Jessica became a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team. From 2001-10, she won both a Gold (Athens, 2004) and Silver (Beijing, 2008) Medal, in addition to being a three-time World Champion (2002, 2006, 2010) and World Cup Champion (2006, 2007, 2010). In 2006, she was named the USA Softball Athlete of the Year and was also recognized in 2008 with the prestigious honor of being named Women’s Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year. As her playing career started to wind down, Jessica started to think of her next challenge and that led her to ESPN. She started in 2007 as the Lead Softball Analyst and has since parlayed that role into working the College World Series, becoming a Sideline Reporter for both College Football and MLB game broadcasts. She’s now expanded her role to include regular appearances on Baseball Tonight as a Studio Analyst, becoming the first woman to have that distinction. She is also an online contributor for espnW.com and serves on the advisory board for the website. Jessica’s plaudits did not stop with her softball career, she became the President of the Women’s Sports Foundation in 2009 and in 2012 she was inducted into the Stanford University Hall of Fame. She currently lives with her husband and two lovely boys in Southern California.
