Jennie Finch Empowerment Award goes to pitcher Kristin White

Kristin White became the most recent recipient of the 2023 Jennie Finch Empowerment Award, presented by Arm & Hammer, after competing for the DC Elite Nike RBI team at the Nike Softball RBI World Series in Vero Beach, Fla.

White was cheered on by her teammates and other RBI participants after Jennie Finch called her name as the winner of the prestigious honor.

“I was like, ‘Oh, my God.’ I’m still in shock right now. I just couldn’t believe it,” White said. “I mean I was already motivated but this shows me that hard work does pay off.”

The JFEA award, which is awarded at four of MLB's signature girls youth events each year, comes with a $10,000 scholarship check from Arm & Hammer and a special trip to Game 4 of the 2023 MLB World Series. This award is given to female athletes who exemplify characteristics of six qualities: humility, commitment, motivation, leadership, dedication and integrity.

On the mound, White helped lead her DC Elite team to many firsts this summer. DC Elite became the first softball team to ever qualify to the RBI World Series from the District of Columbia after defeating Harrisburg RBI in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

White talked about the trust that she has when she is pitching with her teammates behind her.

“Now it is almost as simple as walking to me. I know everyone on the field. We just click so well that I can tell when someone is down, and I know how to hype them up,” she said. “It’s just amazing to play with such an amazing team.”

Not only did White help her team make it to Vero Beach, but she also led it to its first trip to the championship game. She was 4-1 with a 1.08 ERA in 45 1/3 innings in the Nike RBI World Series.

Bria Sewell, one of Kristin’s teammates on DC’s RBI team, talked about the positive impact that Kristin makes on their team.

“Kristin is a person that never gives up,” Sewell said. “She always works hard during practice and games, and she always inspires me to never give up. I know that when she is out there pitching that I have her back and like when she is working hard, I’m working hard.”

Off the field, White helps her community by volunteering. DC Elite has a close growing relationship with its hometown MLB team, as it works with the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy doing community service. It works with younger kids for two hours before it practices.

“For me, it’s just knowing that I’m helping someone else. It is so much more rewarding than any trophy and any award. That really is an award in and of itself.”

Harry Thomas Jr., the DC Elite Nike RBI coach, shared how much he enjoys coaching Kristin and how she always takes the extra step to help those in her community.

“Kristin is a dream come true. She’s the kind of player that when a moment comes, she’s like a fireman. She runs into the fire, not away from it, and that’s all you want as a coach,” he said.

“One thing I ask people to do is community service. It’s another thing when they beat you to community service, and that’s Kristin. She beats us to the park, she works with the kids and then she has a three-hour practice after two hours of community service. I think she just loves helping other people so community service is just part of her life.”

Clark White, Kristin’s dad, expressed appreciation toward the opportunity that the DC RBI program has provided for his daughter.

“The RBI program affords her the opportunity to go and work with younger kids for two hours before every practice, and she is just really, really excited about it before every single practice,” he said. “She just has a knack for people coming behind her because she is just a selfless young lady.”

White summed up her motivation for playing a sport that includes so much failure.

“Just learning," she said. "I’ve put so much hard work into it, and failure is just part of learning and having a positive mindset really.”

“More power to you,” the Jennie Finch Empowerment Award motto, is very apparent in Kristin’s life. She is now a part of an esteemed group of young softball athletes who are working to make a lasting impact, not only on the softball field, but in their communities, too.