Jennie Finch - The Femme Fatale

SOFTBALL - PITCHER - TEAM USA - OLYMPIAN

ARCHETYPE: THE FEMME FATALE

Day 104/135

Athletic Accomplishments

Jennie Finch is one of the best softball players of all time.

At age 5, she started playing softball, and by 8 years old, she had staked her claim in the circle, finding her home as a right handed pitcher.

In college, Finch played for the University of Arizona, where she had an absolutely astounding career, and will go down as one of the best softball players in college history. A three-time All-American and All Pac-12 selection, Finch led the Wildcats to four consecutive appearances in the Women’s College World Series, winning the title as a junior in 2001.

In 2001 and 2002, she was also named Pitcher of the Year and won the Honda Sports Award for Softball Player of the Year.

At the end of her college career, Finch held Arizona records in multiple categories, including career leader in strikeouts, shutouts, and innings pitched. But she wasn’t just good in the circle; Finch had a bat on her too, ranking top-10 all-time in Arizona’s record books for home runs, RBIs and walks. So, it’s really no surprise that Finch was picked the No. 5 Best NCAA Pitcher All-Time.

As a pro, Finch played for the Chicago Bandits in the National Pro Fastpitch league, where she is the career leader in WHIP. She also played for Team USA in both the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, winning a gold and silver medal respectively.

For her career of dominance on the diamond, Finch is in the National Softball Hall of Fame.

Character Archetype: The Femme Fatale

As a softball player, Jennie Finch’s credentials are undeniable. A two-time Olympic medalist, an NCAA champion, a Softball Hall of Famer. As a pitcher, her career numbers still rate in the record books, and if you think that would make her any less dominant as a hitter, well, you’d be flat out wrong. In college, Finch led her team in home runs and slugging percentage.

And Finch did all that ass kicking while wearing makeup, pink, and hairbows. Because for Finch, being an athlete didn’t mean she couldn’t be traditionally feminine. Those two things weren’t mutually exclusive. As long as she kept excelling and winning, there was simply no reason that she couldn’t just be herself. That simple act was a game-changer for women athletes who do AND don’t want to glam up their game faces.

Today, Finch is fighting to get softball reinstated into the Olympics. For a generation of girls and women, removing their sport from the Summer Games is an enormous step backwards. But Finch is used to leading the way and pushing toward progress. Someone better tell the IOC they only get 3 strikes.