A Few Accomplishments
• Two-time Pan American Gold Medalist (2003 & 2007)
• Two-time World Cup Champion (2006 & 2007)
• Two-time World Champion (2002 & 2006)
• Olympic Gold Medalist (2004)
• Olympic Silver Medalist (2008)
National Team Experience
2008
• Silver Medalist at 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China
2007
• Hit .417 (25-for-60) during the three event summer with 20 starts
• Tallied 17 RBI with three homeruns, two triples and a team high four doubles, scoring a team-high 23 runs
• Named to the Canada Cup All Star team
Hit .533 (16-for-30) with 10 RBI, three homeruns, a triple, double and a team-tying high 12 runs
2006
• Named as the USA Softball Female Athlete of the Year
• World Cup Champion
Hit 11-for-18 (.611) with a double, three homeruns, and 16 RBI
• Gold Medalist at ISF World Championships
Hit 16-for-32 (.500) with five homeruns, 16 RBI and a slugging percentage of .969
• Member of the PFX Professional Tour
2005
• Gold medalist at Pan Am qualifier
• Silver medalist at World Cup
• Silver medalist at Japan Cup
2004
• Gold medalist at Olympic Games in Athens, Greece
Hit 5-for-20 (.250) with five runs and five RBI
2003
• Gold medalist at Pan American Games
2002
• Gold medalist at ISF World Championships
Hit .313 (10-32) with eight runs and seven RBI
2001
• Gold medalist at U.S. Cup
At Stanford
• Four-time NFCA First-team All American
• Led Stanford to first NCAA Women’s College World Series appearance (2001)
• Four-time All Pac-10 first team
• Four-time All-Pacific Region
• Three-time Stanford Athlete of the Year (1999, 2000 & 2001)
• 2000 Pac-10 Player of the Year
• 1999 Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year
• Graduated in 2002
• Graduated with a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences and Education in 2003
Other
• President of the Womens Sports Foundation (2009)
• Member of PFX Professional Tour
• 2005 Member of the Arizona Heat of the National Pro Fastpitch League (NPF)
• Named to NPF All-Star team
• Board Member, National Education Association Foundation
• Board Member, Women’s Sports Foundation
I am all about family. My parents are Gil and Karen Mendoza. I have a brother and two sisters who mean the world to me. I love it when we all get together after months of not seeing one another and we laugh so hard we cry and our cheeks go numb. That is the best kind of laughter. I love to travel and see the world; different cultures, different languages, different foods, and it always reminds me no matter how different we are as people, we are still very much the same. I love living near the beach, taking a drive when things are crazy and just watching the beauty of the ocean with my toes in the sand. I love taking hikes so deep into nature that I forget we ever had cities. I love watching people smile, when they really mean it and are truly happy, even if it is just for that moment. I love the look in a child’s eyes when you have made a slight difference in their life. I want to make more children smile. Staying inside too much makes me crazy. Drinking caffeine makes me even crazier. I am addicted to my Blackberry and have even had interventions from my friends. I like to watch movies over TV shows or sports. I am a sucker for romantic comedies. I love history. I love learning. There are so many beautiful things to learn about. My favorite foods are my dad’s chorizo goulash, my mom’s tamale’s, and fresh fish. I was mean to my sister when we were little. Hate and wars make me sad but softball and teammates make me happy.
Since 2004
I have played for and conducted clinics with a club team, Terrasvogels, in Haarlem and the Netherlands. I have worked international clinics in Prague, Guatemala, and South Africa. I serve on the athlete advisory council for the Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative. I continue to speak at schools nationwide about the importance of education and served as an assistant coach at UC Santa Barbara (2005-2006). I have helped provide million-dollar grants to “Close the Achievement Gaps” in education for disadvantaged and minority students in Chattanooga, Tenn., Milwaukee, Wis. and Seattle, Wash., while serving on the board of the NEA Foundation. While serving on the board of the Women’s Sports Foundation, I helped kickoff GoGirlGo! programs in Chicago and San Antonio. This helps inner-city girls get active, stay healthy and learn skills such as leadership, confidence, body image and self-esteem. I was a broadcast analyst for ESPN during the 2007 WCWS and was sideline reporter for college volleyball as well. I participated in Nike’s “Athlete” campaign and ads. I have been an Athlete Ambassador for Team Darfur, creating awareness and support for the genocide currently happening in the Sudan region of Africa. I was chosen as one of five Olympians to do the U.S. Army Goodwill Tour of Afghanistan. We visited troops in January throughout Afghanistan. Last but certainly not least, I married Adam Burks on September 30, 2006.
