Women's Legacy Spotlight: Softball
March 8, 2010
Women's Legacy Spotlight: Softball
By Kevin Wittner
As the University of Arizona prepares for its Women's Sports Legacy Event - which is scheduled to be held during Homecoming Weekend 2010 - there may be no Wildcat more qualified to describe the University's impact on female athletes than Jennie Finch.
"You take a step back, and the first thing that comes to mind is how far women in sports have come and how the University of Arizona truly celebrates its women athletes," Finch said. "You hear stories elsewhere about women playing second fiddle to men and men's spots, but I feel truly grateful to have been a Wildcat. Never once did we feel that we were second fiddle, and that is a huge credit to the administrations at the University and the athletic department."
If anyone is equipped to speak on the opportunities available to female athletes, it is Finch. The UA softball alumna who donned the Cardinal and Navy from 1999-2002 was twice named the Honda Award winner as the nation's top collegiate player in her sport and led the Wildcats to the 2001 NCAA championship; the sixth of the program's eight national titles.
Since then, the La Mirada, Calif., native has leveraged those opportunities into Olympic gold and silver medals and a career as a professional softball player. While Finch's extraordinary success is most assuredly the exception, rather than the rule, the fact that she is making a living as a professional athlete eight years after her final intercollegiate game speaks to just how far female athletes have come.
When asked what she is doing to keep busy now that softball has been eliminated from the Olympic program, Finch first acknowledges that she is a full-time mother to her three-and-a-half year old son, Ace. However, her calendar is chalked full of public appearances, speaking engagements, softball clinics and games so much so that she and her husband Casey Daigle spent only month at their home in Tucson in 2009.
Given this success, Finch remains cognizant of the fulfilled opportunities which got her to where she is today. "The University of Arizona gave me the platform where I could grow and develop as a female athlete and transcend our sport beyond college softball. It gave me the opportunity to represent my country," Finch said. "There's no doubt, the four years at Arizona allowed me to mold the person I am today."
When Brittany Lastrapes was a standout prep athlete in Laguna Hills, Calif., she could have signed on to attend any university in the country. She came to Tucson.
"I chose Arizona because there was a bunch of tradition in the softball program, and the school had a bunch of tradition, which I loved," Lastrapes said. "I loved that athletics was a big part of the whole town."
This week, the All-American outfielder will open her junior season with the second-ranked Wildcats.
While she has become accustomed to the modern amenities that accompany Arizona Softball - an in-stadium video board, sellout crowds of nearly 3,000 fans and nationally televised games - she knows that these perks were not always available.
"Coach (Mike Candrea) always talks about how it used to be for the athletes who came before us," Lastrapes said, "and we're all very fortunate to have all of this available. It's exciting to be able to play on TV and have people recognize you. It's really exciting to show everyone that softball is a good sport, and it's fun to watch. I love being able to do that."
Growing up, Lastrapes had the benefit of developing softball role models, many of whom played under Candrea at Arizona. This past summer, she played alongside many of those heroes - including Finch - as the U.S. National Team captured the gold medal at the 2009 Japan Cup.
"It's completely surreal whenever I'm playing behind Jennie. She's a legend, and I've been watching her since I was 10 years old. It's just crazy being able to play with (the national team)."
With the season about to begin, Lastrapes returns to her UA teammates, as the Wildcats look to get back to the Women's College World Series for the 22nd time in the last 23 years.
"I'm really excited to start the season this year," Lastrapes said. "Now that I have two seasons under my belt, I know what to expect. We have a really good group this year. We get along really well, and we're all really ready to play."
