Jennie Lynn Finch is an American, former collegiate All-American and medal winning Olympian, retired 2-time pro All-Star, softball pitcher and first baseman. She pitched for the University of Arizona Wildcats, the USA national softball team and the National Prof Fastpitch Chicago Bandits. Finch won the 2001 Women's College World Series and helped lead Team USA to the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Time magazine described her as the most famous softball player in history.

Finch began playing softball when she was five years old and has been pitching since she was eight. At La Mirada High School, Finch lettered four times in softball, and twice each in both, basketball and volleyball. (As a senior, she was the captain of all three sports.) As a sophomore, she was an All-CIF Div. II choice in softball and an All-Suburban League selection.

As well, Finch played softball for The University of Arizona. She was a three-time All-American pitcher and first-baseman and Honda Award winner for the Player of the Year as a member of the Wildcat softball team. Her jersey number -- #27 (the date of her parents' first date) -- was retired by the University of Arizona on May 9, 2003 at Hillenbrand Stadium.

Finch made her Olympic debut in Athens in 2004, finishing with a 2-0 record and a 0.00 ERA. In two starts, she threw eight innings, striking out 13 batters and allowing just one hit and one walk. The right-hander played in her first World Championship in 2002 and helped the U.S. win the gold medal. She posted a 2-0 record and 1.17 ERA while striking out 12 batters in 12 innings. Finch represented the United States at the Olympics for the second time in her career in 2008 in Beijing. But the long road to Beijing ultimately ended up with a heartbreaking loss, first in the Olympics to Japan in the final game, and then with the vote to eliminate softball from future Olympics.

In between and after the 2004 and 2008 Olympics Finch pitched for the Chicago Bandits of the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) softball league, and was named NPF's Co-Pitcher of the Year in 2005.

She married Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Casey Daigle on January 15, 2005 at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. Finch and Daigle welcomed a son in May of 2006. On July 20, 2010, Finch announced her retirement from softball to focus on her family.

In August 2011, she started work as a color analyst for ESPN doing National Pro Fastpitch and college softball games.

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