Jennie Finch

Jennie Finch

Jennie Finch was born on September 3, 1980, in La Mirada, California. Her parents, Doug and Bev Finch, have two other children. From her father’s devotion to helping her practice, her older brothers’ love for baseball, and her mother being a die hard dodgers fan, she somehow found her love for the sport. She was signed up for t-ball soon after her 5th birthday. She had great hand eye coordination, was bigger and faster than most of her teammates, and had a remarkably strong throw. Her father constructed a batting cage in the backyard so that she could throw to him. He transformed an old trampoline into a pitch back for her so she could throw when he wasn't around. He became her own personal coach. Jennie started pitching at age eight and by the time Jennie was nine, she was playing for a 10u travel all star team. She spent every weekend on a different field in southern California. She thrived in competitive environments. At age 12, she led the California Cruisers to the 12u American Softball Association national title in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Every summer, the sport took her to a new part of the country for a national tournament. In 1995, Jennie's ASA team captured the 14u crown. Jennie was an excellent student, although softball consumed most of her life. At La Mirada high school, she made the varsity softball team as a freshman, got the first of her four letters, and helped her team to the League Title. As a sophomore, Jennie began receiving an impressive list on honors, including All-Suburban League, All-CIF Division II, and All-Area. The following year, she was selected league MVP. Senior year she was named female athlete of the year. Jennie was a great hitter, but no one could touch her as a pitcher. In her four years of high school, she went 50-12, with six perfect games, 13 no-hitters, and a 0.15 ERA. In 445 innings, she dropped 784 hitter