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Former University of New England softball player Jessica Potter recently served as the catcher for Olympian and former University of Arizona all-American Jennie Finch in a photo shoot for Pro Mounds and On Deck Sports (ondecksports.com), which manufactures and sells artificial turf, netting, and baseball/softball equipment.

Potter, a four-year member of the Nor'easters who was a catcher and played first base, graduated this past May with a degree in sport management and now works in the customer service/sales department for On Deck Sports at their Brockton, Mass. location. 

Potter had this to say about her time with Jennie Finch:

How did this opportunity come about?

"This all came about with my job at On Deck Sports/ ProMounds. ProMounds has a partnership with Jennie Finch where we sell her products and she comes in for a photo shoot every couple of years. I was hired to come in as a softball sales rep, so knowing I had experience in softball, especially being a catcher, they thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me to come in and catch for her while also promoting the softball sale part of the business."

What was it like to meet Jennie Finch?

"It was scary meeting her at first!! Everyone who had met her previously said how sweet and down to earth she was and they told me I had no reason to be nervous, but I was still nervous. When I first saw her I was shocked. I knew how tall she is but I didn't really realize how much she towers over everyone, she's very intimidating, especially when she has her game face on. 

When I first went over and shook her hand I told myself to just be cool and that she is like every other person but when I was standing next to her about to shake her hand, every ounce of cool in my body disappeared. My hand was shaking and I had no idea what to say. I think she caught how nervous I was because she started asking me questions and starting conversation, so that definitely helped me a lot. 

When I first got in my squat to catch I was definitely nervous. I didn't want to miss the pitch or drop it so I was freaking out in my head a little bit. After about five pitches I finally calmed down and just caught. I settled in and instead of being nervous I just took in the fact that I was catching for the best pitcher in the world. I don't think I stopped smiling the entire time!! My catching hand definitely wasn't smiling, but it was worth the pain."

What memories will you carry forward from this experience?

"Getting the chance to meet Jennie Finch was something I will definitely always remember. It's a dream come true, especially being a catcher and getting to see her do what she does best from a catcher's standpoint. 

Growing up and watching her play at Arizona and then seeing her play for the the United States National Team was incredible. She became every softball player's idol, and still remains that even today. 

Two things that I will always remember, besides meeting her of course, are: 

She threw a rise ball to me, and it was the craziest thing I think I've ever seen in my life. It had such incredible movement that I can't even begin to properly describe it. All I could do is just shake my head and laugh. The best part is that she noticed I was laughing and starting laughing with me. Maybe she was laughing at me, but I like to think she was laughing with me!

The other thing I will never forget is when I asked her if we could do a "mound visit" picture where it looks like I'm out there talking to her, giving her expert advice on what pitch to throw. When I asked her if it was alright she was totally cool about it. In one pose she had her game face on and I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty scary. I don't know how batters get in the box and try to hit off of her. Even though it was just a pose, it was still pretty awesome to be face-to-face with her in that 'game-like' setting."


Check out the video of Jessica Potter '14 catching Olympian and softball legend Jennie Finch