ESPN analyst Jessica Mendoza interviews Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez during 2012 spring training.
Jessica Mendoza made history last October when she became the first female analyst to call a MLB postseason game. The former softball player was the first woman in the booth for ESPN MLB coverage on Aug. 24 and later was added to the Sunday Night Baseball crew for the rest of the regular season. She's now been made a permanent part of next season's ESPN Sunday Night Baseball booth. But long before she started her analyst career, Mendoza was a star on the diamond for Stanford softball and Team USA.
Here are five things to know about Mendoza:
1. Mendoza holds multiple career records at Stanford.
It's not just her knowledge of the game that impresses, it's her caliber of play too. Mendoza holds the Stanford records for career batting average (.416), hits (327), home runs (50), runs scored (230) and slugging percentage (.719). Mendoza also became the first Stanford player to be named Pac-10 Player of the Year during her sophomore season in 2000 after she went on a school-record 20 game hitting streak.
2. She has won two Olympic medals and three World Cup championships with Team USA.
The outfielder played for Team USA from 2004-2010 and was part of a dominate run for the national team. Team USA captured the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and the silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Mendoza also won three World Cup of Softball championships while with Team USA including back-to-back in 2006 and 2007.
3. The outfielder was a four-time All-American at Stanford.
In each of her four years playing softball at Stanford, Mendoza earned NFCA All-America first team honors. She became the first Stanford player to be recognized on the first team. During her junior season, Mendoza helped lead the Cardinal to its first Women's College World Series.
4. Mendoza earned her Master's Degree at Stanford.
Mendoza received her a bachelor's degree in American studies in 2002 and stayed at Stanford for another year to work on a master's degree in social sciences and education from Stanford.
5. She has quick reflexes when it comes to catching goldfish too.
During a rain delay in the 2014 Women's College World Series, Mendoza joined the Tennessee locker room in a goldfish catching competition. And given her competitive nature, Mendoza won.
