Photo via Isaiah Vazquez/MLB Photos.
Alongside Major League Baseball’s All-Star Week earlier this month, Philadelphia also played host to the Jennie Finch Classic, where the Compton Youth Academy softball team captured the championship with a 12-0 victory over the Houston Academy.
The annual U17 round-robin tournament is held during MLB All-Star Week, bringing together nine MLB Youth Academy teams from across the country for four days of competition. After falling short in the championship game in each of the previous three years, the Compton Youth Academy finally broke through this summer, completing an undefeated run to capture its second Jennie Finch Classic title.
“It was like a long time coming,” said Compton coaches Missy Poti. “This group just really bought into what me and the other coaches were saying and I feel like this group just meshed a lot and committed to each other. They had confidence in each other and it was just as if it was meant to be. I’m just really grateful for the opportunity and the experience to be there. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Among the players on the championship roster was recent Wilson graduate Kalin Badgley, who spent the last five years dedicating her athletic career to baseball through the MLB Youth Academy while becoming the first girl to play varsity baseball at Wilson. Earlier this year, Badgley signed with Monterey Peninsula College to play softball, marking her transition back to the sport.
Since then, her training at the Compton Youth Academy has shifted toward softball, and she has spent the past year building chemistry with many of the teammates she ultimately traveled to Philadelphia with. The Jennie Finch Classic marked her first competitive return to softball, making the championship run an especially memorable way to begin the next chapter of her career.
“It’s hard to describe it without just saying that it’s just amazing,” Badgley said of winning. “Coming out after five years of not playing softball and being on a team of girls that just wanted to compete and win—it was special. From day one we all wanted to leave everything on the field, and that’s exactly what we did. We balled out, that’s the best way to put it.”
As part of the trip to Philadelphia, the Compton Youth Academy softball team also had the opportunity to experience MLB All-Star Week. Players received a full set of Nike gear and attended the MLB All-Star Game, the HBCU Swingman Classic, the All-Star Futures Game and MLBx. They even had the chance to stand in the outfield and catch home runs during the Homerun Derby.
“It was pretty sick. You’re standing out there on the field and it’s a packed stadium cheering. Whenever Bryce Harper came out the fans were insane, and it was pretty crazy hearing how loud that place gets,” Badgley said. “No one ever gets to experience being out on the field like that with a packed stadium, so that was just such a highlight that I got to soak in. It was such a unique experience.”
The week of events for the MLB Youth Academy showcased the growing opportunities available in softball beyond the collegiate level. Players from the Athletes Unlimited Softball League were also on hand throughout the week, sharing their experiences and discussing the continued growth of professional softball across the country.
The Jennie Finch Classic is named for and sponsored by Olympic gold medalist and USA Softball legend Jennie Finch, who was also in attendance to support the event. Finch created the tournament to help propel young athletes to the next level by bringing together elite competition from across the country.
“As the Classic goes on, the talent just continues to get better,” Finch told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “But it’s so much more than that. It’s the intangibles. It’s great seeing Major League Baseball providing an opportunity for softball and having this role in investing in these young softball players, and giving them a place to train, play and strive for their goals.”
