30 greatest female athletes of all time

29. Jennie Finch
Softball

Jennie Finch was one of the most famous female athletes of the early 2000s. She grew on the scene, pitching her way into the national conversation while at the University of Arizona. She threw a no-hitter in the NCAA Tournament in her freshman year. In her sophomore year, she started to set records. She had one of the most impressive runs in college sports. No, seriously. We’d put this up against most college sports records.

Starting in her sophomore year, she won 21 straight games before finally losing a game. She also led her team in home runs and slugging percentage that season. She finished the season on an eight-game winning streak that continued into her junior year. She went undefeated, including a shutout victory in the NCAA Championship Game. Including the eight games from her sophomore year, she had won 40 straight games. 

Finch was just as dominant on the national stage. The 2004 Olympics was her coming out party for those who didn’t know who she was. Finch won two games and gave up just one hit in her performances en route to a gold medal victory. She also pitched in 2008, playing a much bigger role on the team and playing incredibly well, but Team USA lost to Japan in the gold medal game, and they were forced to take home silver. 

Finch did a great job getting new eyes on softball. She was an advocate for the sport, and she’s a big reason it’s returning to the Olympics. Softball is expected to be at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. She also brought eyes in every avenue, including media interviews and magazine covers, and even pitched against Major League Baseball stars like Albert Pujols, Mike Piazza and Brian Giles.