Jessica Mendoza facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jessica Mendoza

Mendoza at the 2024 MLB Little League Classic
Personal information
Full name	Jessica Ofelia Mendoza
Born	(1980-11-11) November 11, 1980 (age 44) Camarillo, California, U.S.
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Spouse(s)	Adam Burks ​ (m. 2006)​
Sport
Country	USA
Sport	Softball
Position	Outfielder
College team	Stanford University
Medal record Women's softball Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens Team competition Silver 2008 Beijing Team competition Pan American Games Gold 2003 Santo Domingo Team competition Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro Team competition

Jessica Ofelia Mendoza (born November 11, 1980) is an American sportscaster and former softball star. She is known for her amazing skills as an outfielder in softball. Jessica was a four-time First Team All-American player in college. She also won two Olympic medals for the United States.

Mendoza played for Stanford from 1999 to 2002. She was also part of the United States women's national softball team from 2004 to 2010. She earned a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Later, she won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

After her playing career, Jessica became a sports analyst for ESPN. She covers Major League Baseball and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fans and experts even named her one of the greatest college softball outfielders ever!

Early Life and High School Sports

Jessica Mendoza grew up in Camarillo, California. She went to Adolfo Camarillo High School. In 1998, the Los Angeles Times newspaper named her their Player of the Year. During her junior and senior years, she was also named Camarillo High School's Female Athlete of the Year. Jessica was a talented athlete in more than just softball. She was also a key player on her high school basketball team. She was named the team's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in both her junior and senior years.

Playing Career Highlights

Jessica Mendoza had an incredible career playing softball. She excelled in college, for the national team, and professionally.

College Softball at Stanford

Mendoza attended Stanford University and played college softball for the Stanford Cardinal. She started her college career strong in 1999. She was named a First Team All-American and an All-Pac-10 Conference player. She also earned the title of Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year. Jessica broke Stanford's records for season batting average and runs batted in (RBIs).

In March 1999, she had a career-high four hits in one game against Illinois State. That same month, she was named National Fastpitch Coaches Association Player of the Week. She hit an amazing .631 with 11 RBIs and 4 home runs that week.

As a sophomore, Mendoza continued to shine. She was again named First Team All-American and All-Pac-10. She also became the Pac-10 Player of the Year. She broke her own batting average record with a .474 average, which led the entire NCAA. She set new Stanford records for hits, home runs, doubles, slugging percentage, and stolen bases.

From February to March 2000, Mendoza had a school-record 19-game hitting streak. She hit .561 during this time.

In her junior year, Mendoza earned her third All-American and All-Pac-10 awards. She continued to rank among the top players in many categories.

Mendoza helped lead Stanford to its first-ever Women's College World Series in 2001. She was named to the All-Tournament Team for her strong play.

For her final season, Mendoza received her fourth straight First Team All-American honor. This made her one of only five players ever to achieve this feat. She tied her own home run record that year. In May, she drove in a career-best six RBIs in a game against San Jose State.

Jessica Mendoza holds many career records at Stanford. These include records for batting average, hits, home runs, and slugging. She also ranks high in doubles, triples, RBIs, and walks. She graduated from Stanford with a master's degree in social sciences and education.

Playing for Team USA

Mendoza playing in 2008

In 2004, Mendoza was a starting outfielder for Team USA. They competed at the Athens Olympic Games. Before the Olympics, she hit .380 with 42 RBIs and 10 home runs on the "Aiming For Athens" tour. Team USA won the gold medal on August 23, 2004.

In 2008, Mendoza was again an outfielder for Team USA. She led the team in many categories on the "Bound 4 Beijing" Tour. At the Beijing Olympic Games, she drove in 4 RBIs against Chinese Taipei. Her team won the silver medal after losing to Japan in the final game.

Mendoza joined the US team right after college. She won gold medals at the Pan American Games in 2003 and 2007. She also earned silver medals at the World Cup and Japan Cup. In 2006, Jessica was named the USA Softball "Female Athlete of the Year." She won the gold medal at the World Cup again in 2007. She also won the ISF Women's World Championship. In 2008, she was named to the Canada Cup All-Star Team.

Professional Softball Career

Mendoza joined the National Pro Fastpitch league in 2005. She played for the Arizona Heat. In her first year, she hit an impressive .491. After taking time off for maternity leave and playing for Team USA, Mendoza signed with the USSSA Pride.

With the Pride, Mendoza helped her team reach the Cowles Cup championship twice. They won the title in 2010. She continued to be a strong hitter in the league. Mendoza later decided not to play for Team USA in 2011 to focus on her professional career.

Broadcasting Career

After her playing days, Jessica Mendoza became a successful sports broadcaster.

Working at ESPN

Mendoza works for ESPN as a color analyst. She was a commentator on Sunday Night Baseball telecasts. She also analyzes games for the Women's College World Series. She has even worked as a sideline reporter for ESPN College Football coverage.

In June 2014, Mendoza started working on ESPN's Baseball Tonight show. A year later, in June 2015, she made history. She became the first female broadcaster in the booth for ESPN's College World Series coverage. On August 24, Mendoza became the first female commentator for a Major League Baseball game on ESPN. Six days later, she filled in for a suspended commentator on Sunday Night Baseball. In that game, Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta threw a no-hitter. On October 6, Mendoza became the first female commentator in MLB postseason TV history.

In January 2016, ESPN announced that Mendoza would join the Sunday Night Baseball team full-time. She continued to break barriers in sports broadcasting.

In March 2019, the New York Mets announced that Mendoza would join their club. She became a senior advisor to the general manager. This led to some concerns about a conflict of interest. The Los Angeles Dodgers even blocked her from their clubhouse as a media member.

In January 2020, Mendoza caused some discussion when she commented on the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal. She later clarified her comments. Amid these concerns, she resigned from her Mets role. However, she signed a new contract with ESPN to remain a baseball analyst.

In October 2020, Mendoza became the first female World Series analyst on any national broadcast platform. She worked on ESPN's radio platform. In 2021, she was part of the broadcast team for NBC during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Joining the Los Angeles Dodgers Broadcast Team

In March 2022, it was announced that Mendoza would join the Spectrum SportsNet LA network. She now provides commentary for Los Angeles Dodgers games. She joined a group of new additions to the network.

Personal Life

Jessica Mendoza is the daughter of Karen and Gil Mendoza. She has one brother and two sisters. Her father played football for Fresno State University. Jessica is married to Adam Burks. They have two sons together. She is a second-generation Mexican-American.

Mendoza is a trustee and past president of the Women's Sports Foundation. She is also an athletic ambassador for Team Darfur. She serves as a board member of the National Education Association.

Links

• NCAA Division I softball career .400 batting average list
• NCAA Division I softball career 50 home runs list