Women In Baseball

JESSICA MENDOZA wants to be a role model, but she also wants to be one of the best baseball analysts in the business.

- Carroll Rogers Walton

Jessica Mendoza, 36, is the first woman to serve as a regular analyst on a national baseball broadcast, on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. The native of Camarillo, Calif., was a four time All-American outfielder for Stanford’s softball team and a two-time Olympian, winning the gold medal in 2004. She broke ground in the Sunday Night Baseball booth in August 2015 before taking a regular seat there in 2016. Mendoza discussed her path to the booth and her role as a pioneer for women in baseball with CARROLL ROGERS WALTON. 

Q Did you have any dreams of broadcasting early on?

A I grew up with Vin Scully; that was the voice of our home, with the Dodgers. But my brain never went to TV. It was definitely sports-focused. I wanted to play . . . I remember telling everyone, “I’m going to be Brett Butler; I’m going to be this leadoff, quick contact guy, in pro baseball.” Finally someone like a teacher said, “Oh no, men play Major League Baseball, not women.” And I was crushed because that’s really what my dream was. I literally could picture myself in the batter’s box in Dodger Stadium someday.

Q How did broadcasting eventually enter the picture?