(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Franco Bagattini, Marco Stoovelaar and Terrasvogels Softball)
 Olympic Gold-winner, former Terrasvogels-player Jessica Mendoza writes history
Nederlands
 THE BRONX, New York City, New York (USA) -
Former All-American softball-player Jessica Mendoza, who won the Gold Medal on the Olympic Games in 2004 (Athens, Greece) and played in the Dutch big league for Terrasvogels, wrote television history on Tuesday-evening (October 6).
On that evening, she was one of the three TV-announcers for ESPN, covering the American League Wild Card Game between the New York Yankees and Houston Astros in Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York.
She was joined in the commentator's booth by Dan Shulman and former Major League-player John Kruk to become the first female analyst to call a nationally televised Major League Baseball postseason-game.
...Jessica Mendoza playing for...
...Terrasvogels during the European...
...Cup Tournament 2005 in Italy...
(© Photo: Franco Bagattini) |
Jessica Mendoza played for the softball-team of Stanford University in 1999-2002, then was an outfielder for Team USA in 2001-2010.
...Jessica Mendoza (arrow) walks by the...
...Dutch coaches after completion of...
...the Netherlands-USA game during the...
...Olympic Games 2008 in Beijing (China)...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
With the National Softball Team of the USA, Jessica Mendoza won the Gold Medal on the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens (Greece), then won the Silver Medal four years later in Beijing (China).
Being one of the best hitters and players all-time, she also won the gold with Team USA on the Pan American Games in 2003 and 2007 and captured the title on the World Championship in 2002, 2006 and 2010.
She was named Female Athlete of the Year by USA Softball in 2006.
Jessica Mendoza played professionally in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) in 2005 for Arizona Heat, hitting .491.
After having played again for Team USA in following years, she returned to the NPF and played for USSSA Pride in 2010-2012.
Also in 2005, Jessica played for Terrasvogels in the Dutch big league.
During the regular season, she played in six games, hitting 7-for-13 (.538) with one triple, scoring three runs and batting in three.
Back then, a player needed to have played at least 10 games for a club in order to be eligible to participate in an European Cup Tournament.
Besides the six games in the big league-team of Terrasvogels, she also appeared in four games for Onze Gezellen, with whom Terrasvogels had a working agreement.
Jessica then played with Terrasvogels in the European Cup in Macerata (Italy).
...Jessica Mendoza with Terrasvogels in the 2005 season...
...Back: Michel Croes (Head Coach), Olga Kleinlooh,...
...Jessica Mendoza, Marije Bakker, Sandra Gouverneur,...
...Judith van Kampen, Linda Hoenderdos, Maaike Zijlstra,...
...Evert vd Werff (Team Manager) and Renée vd Berg (Coach)...
...Front: Marissa Wienholds, Nina van Huissteden,...
...Dana Horeman, Petra van Heijst, Nathalie Gosewehr,...
...Lyanne Horeman and Marieke Jansen...
(© Photo: Terrasvogels Softball) |
Since 2007, Jessica Mendoza works as a color analyst for ESPN during Women's Softball College World Series, amongst other activities.
Before coming to ESPN, she worked for FOX Sports as college softball analyst.
On June 30, 2014, she became an analyst for ESPN's Baseball Tonight.
On June 16 of this year, she became the first female broadcaster during coverage of the Baseball College World Series by ESPN.
On August 24 of this year, Jessica became the first female analyst in history for a Major League baseball-game covered by ESPN on Monday Night Baseball.
Six days later, she was the color commentator for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball and made her debut in this program at the game between the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers.
In that game, Jake Arrieta of the Cubs threw a No-Hitter.
By the way, like Mendoza, Arrieta also participated in the 2008 Olympics.
The charismatic Jessica Mendoza remained part of the broadcast-crew for Sunday Night Baseball for the remainder of the season.
On Tuesday, October 6, Jessica became the first female analyst to call a nationally televised Major League Baseball postseason-game when she was one of the commentators during the American League Wild Card Game, which is the lone postseason-game covered by ESPN.
With that, she made baseball and broadcasting history.
Being a former high level player herself, she knows where she talks about, picks up things quickly and is always well-prepared.
(October 6)
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