A crusader for softball’s fight to return to the Olympics, Finch has made a lasting impression on the game and within the ASA/USA Softball organization. Earning All-American honors numerous times with solid performances in the circle, Finch has grown to become an ambassador of the sport and shares her message of athletics, family and faith throughout the country. From her earliest days playing in the Junior Olympic program to her days playing with Team USA, Finch continues to be the face of softball, inspiring and motivating millions of young softball players across the globe. claimed Silver at the sport's last Olympic Games. At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Finch compiled another 2-0 performance as the U.S. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, Finch was 2-0 from the circle en route to a Gold Medal finish for the U.S. Appearing in two Olympic Games, Finch was a mainstay on the U.S. Jennie Finch (La Mirada, Calif.) – Fastpitch PlayerĪ two-time Olympian and Pan-American Gold Medalist in addition to being a three-time World Champion, Jennie Finch has become a well-known icon throughout the game of softball. For the countless individuals within the ASA/USA Softball organization and the players he has coached, Ken Eriksen has made a lasting impact on the game of softball. In 2011, Eriksen took over the Women’s National Team Program, continuing the legacy established before him and producing a Gold Medal at the 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. Eriksen tacked on another Gold Medal as an assistant coach at the WBSC Championship in Caracas, Venezuela. Olympic Softball Team would put on one of the most dominant performances in Olympic history. A highlight of his Team USA coaching resume includes being an assistant coach in the 2003 Pan Am Games which won Gold and going on to coach at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens where the U.S. Five years later, he joined the Women’s National Team as an assistant coach in 2002 – the same year the team captured a Gold Medal at the WBSC Women’s World Championship. Serving on the ASA/USA Softball Board of Directors, Eriksen contributed to the rewrite of criteria for the selection process to meet USOC mandates as an Elite Athlete Representative. His first Head Coach role came in 1997, when he led the USA Softball Junior Men’s National Team at the WBSC Junior Men’s World Championship in St. After hanging up his cleats he remained in the game as a coach. Eriksen retired shortly after playing for the USA Select Team, which was the first American Athletic Team to compete in communist Cuba in over 30 years. Eriksen racked up additional honors on the international scene, earning a silver medal at the Pan American Games (1991) and was a three-time Olympic Festival participant (1993, 19), where he took home an additional silver medal at the 1995 Olympic Festival. Eriksen was a part of Miller-Toyota and the Tampa Smokers up until 1997 when he won the Men’s Major Fast Pitch National Championship with his fellow teammates. 456 in the ASA Men’s Major Fast Pitch Nationals. Eriksen began playing ASA/USA Softball when he joined the Clearwater Bombers, playing from 1987-1992 while batting. Women’s National Team Head Coach, Ken Eriksen has been alongside and at the forefront of coaching some of the greatest athletes the softball world has ever seen. Recently completing his fifth year as the U.S. Ken Eriksen (Tampa, Fla.) – Meritorious Service Read more about the 2016 ASA/USA Softball Hall of Fame Class: The 2016 class consisted of Ken Eriksen (Tampa, Fla.) - Meritorious Service, Jennie Finch (La Mirada, Calif.) - Fastpitch Player, Harry Haroian (Melvindale, Mich.) - Fastpitch Player, Peter Meredith (Salt Lake City, Utah) - Fastpitch Player, John Nelson (Dalton, Ga.) - Umpire, Tom Penders (Narrangansett, R.I.) - Fastpitch Player, Terry Petersen (Omaha, Neb.) – Sponsor and Mick Renneisen (Bloomington, Ind.) - Meritorious Service. Eight individuals were inducted into the Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball National Softball Hall of Fame at the 36th annual celebration at the Shreveport Convention Center in Shreveport, La.
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