When Jessica Mendoza was still in elementary school, her father sometimes pulled up to the family's house in Camarillo, Calif., to find that his little girl had donned boxing gloves and was pounding all the boys in the neighborhood. Whoa, thought Gil Mendoza. We've got to harness that energy.
So Gil, who coaches football at a junior college in Southern California and was a college athlete himself, got Jessica into every sport he could find. His initiative -- and her talent and commitment -- has proved a boon for Stanford's softball team. As a freshman last season, Jessica Mendoza was named a first-team All-American, the only Stanford player ever to win that honor. The center fielder also broke Cardinal single-season records for home runs (9), batting average (.415), hits (81), runs (38) and RBIs (57). She also tied the Stanford record for doubles (13).
Mendoza arrived at Stanford just as the Cardinal was building a viable softball program. The sport started on the Farm in 1980 as a club team, was elevated to varsity status in 1994 and finally became a fully funded program, offering 12 scholarships, two years ago. Under coach John Rittman, the team broke into the national rankings during the 1998 season and spent all of 1999 in the top 25, peaking at No. 7. This year, the team started the season ranked No. 21.
Landing a star like Mendoza has a snowball effect, Rittman says. The fact that she chose Stanford boosts the team's chances for success, which makes it easier to recruit more talented players. Seven freshmen joined this season.
One thing that could hold the team back is injuries. Mendoza is a particular worry. The lean 5-foot-9-inch sophomore confesses to a risk-taking streak that has her trying everything from skateboarding to skydiving. In the past, Mendoza has missed play with a sprained ankle and a shoulder injury. When she returned to Stanford last summer, the first question her coaches asked: "Are you healthy?"
For now, though, a perfectly sound Mendoza and her teammates have their eyes firmly on the College World Series at the end of May. "Jessica, when she sets her mind to do something, she's going to do it," Rittman says. Just ask those bruised boys back in Camarillo.
