Jennie Finch Empowerment Awards' impact goes beyond the field

Since it was launched five years ago, the Jennie Finch Empowerment Award has recognized oft-overlooked girls softball players, giving the next generation the resources to build a bright future in the game and beyond.

A legendary softball pitcher, Finch has long been an inspiration on the field following a storied career that featured a 2001 Women's College World Series title with the University of Arizona, two Olympic medals in '04 and '08 and enshrinement in the National Softball Hall of Fame.

Now, her role as MLB's youth softball ambassador has allowed Finch to take a hands-on approach to growing the game off the field, particularly through her namesake award that she called a "dream" to give out each year.

"The Empowerment Award is such a thrill," Finch said. "These young ladies are exceptional, and just to give them an award, to honor them, to shine a light on them and invest in their future. … I can't wait to see what they do and how they do it at that next level."

Leadership, motivation, commitment, dedication, humility and integrity are the six guiding principles of the award, which is given annually to four young female softball players who are exemplary scholars, humanitarians and athletes. Each winner receives a $10,000 scholarship to go toward their college education courtesy of Arm & Hammer, which has contributed a total of $180,000 to the initiative since its inception in 2019.

Five years of impact have gone a long way. Earlier in the year, Finch held a roundtable with past Empowerment Award winners, who shared how the honor has helped them follow their dreams in softball and beyond.

One key feature of the award is that it puts female athletes at the forefront, a deserving distinction for softball players who are not typically recognized on the same level as their counterparts on the baseball diamond.

“It just always feels really good to know that people are really looking out and really support and want to be able to amplify not just our talent on the field but also the hard work we put behind [the field],” MLB Network personality and Gold Glove Award winner A.J. Andrews said at the roundtable.

Each year, a winner is named at the main MLB Develops softball events: the Breakthrough Series, the Elite Development Invitational, the Jennie Finch Classic during All-Star week and the RBI World Series. The 2023 honorees were Karley Clark from Fairfield, Ohio; Jada Cooper from Houston, Texas; Kristin White from Gambrills, Md.; and Ana Gonzalez from Midlothian, Texas.

All of the winners were honored on the field before Game 2 of the 2023 World Series at Globe Life Field.

"It's just going to help me and my family out a lot," Gonzalez said. "I'm so excited to bring this back to my family because they've poured so much into me, and now I get to give a little back."

While the award can be life-changing for the winners, it can also give them the capabilities to one day pay it forward to others.

"My mom's a single mom of three, so when we moved to Houston, we were struggling a little bit to get on our feet and stuff. Then we found this really, really good program called RaiseUp Families," Cooper said. "They helped us get back on our feet, and I was like, 'I want to help out other people get back on their feet.' It feels really good to give back because I was once in their shoes."

The Empowerment Award also creates a community among talented young softball players built around shared experiences, giving them a network and support system they can carry into their futures.

"The camaraderie is great," Clark said. "It's like a giant family experience. It's like everyone's not similar, but we all have similar interests."

That bond goes beyond the game.

"I love being a part of a sisterhood, especially a sisterhood full of other elite softball players," White said. "I'll always have a community where I can fall back on or push each other … and it's just really nice to know I have that sisterhood."