Jessica Mendoza - Stanford Cardinal

Stanford Cardinal

Mendoza began her career as a 1999 First Team All-American and All-Pac-10 honoree. Included with her recognition, she was named conference "Newcomer of The Year." She broke the Cardinal records for season batting average and RBI totals while ranking top-10 for her hits.

On March 6 in defeating the Illinois State Redbirds, Mendoza hit a single game career high 4 hits off pitchers Corey Harris, Tammy Millian and Jamie Bagnall. Later that month, for the week of March 8, she was named National Fastpitch Coaches Association "Player of The Week" after hitting .631 (12/19) with 11 RBIs, 4 home runs, a triple and two doubles for a slugging percentage of 1.473%.

The sophomore's season saw her again earn First Team citations for the NCAA Division I and the Pac-10. She added conference "Player of The Year" to her collection and broke her own record for batting average with a then school and career best .474 statistic, which also led the NCAA. She also claimed new records for hits, home runs, doubles, slugging and stolen bases, which all still rank top-10 for a season at Stanford.

February 19 through March 22, 2000, Mendoza went on a school record 20 consecutive game hit streak. She batted .561 (32/57) to accompany 15 RBIs, 4 home runs, doubles and base on balls, striking out just once with a slugging of .842%.

Mendoza continued her success for the Cardinal with her third All-American and All-Pac-10 citations. She posted top-10 season records in virtually every category, still currently ranking second in home runs and stolen bases.

For the March 14 week, she earned NFCA "Player of The Week" recognition for her performance of .461 (12/26) with 4 RBIs, three home runs, a double, three walks and a .846% slugging.

Mendoza helped lead Stanford to their first ever Women's College World Series appearance. The Cardinal were ousted on May 27 by the Arizona Wildcats despite wins over California Golden Bears and LSU Tigers. The outfielder, however, was named to the All-Tournament Team for hitting .250 with an RBI and a double to her credit. It was her only appearance at the series.

For a final season, Mendoza earned First Team citations for both conference and the NCAA. With her fourth straight honor from the NCAA, Mendoza joined elite company as only the fifth player to accomplish the feat then. That year she also tied her home run record and ranked top-10 in almost every other category.

The week of March 4, she was named NFCA's "Player of The Week" for a third time. She had hit .647 (11/17) with a home run, 5 doubles and 1.117% slugging. Later that season on May 8 with a 10-2 victory over the San Jose State Spartans, Mendoza drove in a career best 6 RBIs, 4 coming off her 50th career home run swing with Carol Forbes pitching.

In her four years Mendoza currently holds the career records in average, hits, home runs, slugging, runs and stolen bases. Her career doubles (ranked 5th in the NCAA all-time), triples, RBIs and walks are still top-10 records. She was named the Stanford Athlete of the Year three times. She was also named Pac-10 Player of the Week three times, a top 25 finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, and the Speedline Invitational Tournament MVP. Mendoza graduated from Stanford with a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences and Education.