STANFORD, Calif. - Jessica Mendoza will be inducted into the 2023 Pac-12 Hall of Honor, the conference's most prestigious recognition of on-field and off-field contributors to Pac-12 athletics, as announced on Thursday.
Mendoza is part of the Pac-12's first all-female class inducted into the Hall of Honor in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX, which the conference continues to celebrate since the milestone anniversary in June 2022.
Formal induction will take place on Friday, March 3, during a private ceremony, as part of the Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas, prior to that day's semifinal matchups. The class will also be celebrated during a special halftime recognition of the day's first semifinal matchup.
One of the most decorated players in the history of the sport, Mendoza left her mark as one of the all-time greats, both at Stanford University and USA Softball.
A four-time first-team NFCA All-American (1999-2002), Mendoza led Stanford to its first Women's College World Series appearance in 2001, while also booking a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
Named Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year in 1999, Mendoza was then named Pac-10 Player of the Year during her sophomore season in 2000. A four-time first-team all-conference selection, Mendoza was recognized as an NFCA Scholar-Athlete in 2002 as a senior.
Mendoza left The Farm as Stanford's all-time leader in five career categories, including batting average (.416), hits (327), home runs (50), runs scored (230) and slugging percentage (.719), while ranking second in stolen bases (86) and third in RBI (188) and doubles (70). Mendoza also owns three of the top five single-season records for runs scored. In 2002, Mendoza graduated with a master's degree in social sciences and education.
Mendoza, who was inducted into the Stanford Hall of Fame in 2012 and the National Softball Hall of Fame in 2019, also enjoyed a stellar international career. Named the 2006 USA Softball Female Athlete of the Year, Mendoza is a two-time Olympic medalist, winning gold in 2004 in Athens and silver in 2008 in Beijing.
A trailblazer in her own right, Mendoza became the first female broadcaster in the booth for ESPN's College World Series coverage in June of 2015 and two months later, became the first female commentator for a Major League Baseball game in the history of ESPN. Mendoza was also hired as the first female analyst for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Back in September, Mendoza served as emcee for the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony, which also inducted an all-female class.
The 2023 class is the 21st all-time to be assembled since the Hall's creation in 2002, and fifth since it expanded to include Pac-12 alumni from all sponsored sport programs to align with the conference's historic, broad-based athletic excellence. The Hall of Honor illustrates the rich history of the Conference of Champions, as the Pac-12 leads all conferences with 546 national titles across 29 sports, over 200 more than the nearest league.