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Angie Mentink

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Angie Mentink
Born
Angela Marie Marzetta

(1972-10-18) October 18, 1972 (age 52)
Norfolk, Virginia
EducationUniversity of Washington
OccupationSports journalist
SpouseOrnelo Arlati (divorced)
Jarrett Mentink
Children2

Angela Marie Mentink (née Marzetta; formerly Arlati; born October 18, 1972)[1] is an American sports television personality and former softball and baseball player who is currently an anchor for Root Sports Northwest and co-anchor of the television program Mariners Live. Mentink played college softball at Washington, where she earned All-American honors and went on to play in a women's professional baseball league before becoming a sports broadcaster.

Early life and education

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Born Angela Marie Marzetta in Norfolk, Virginia, Mentink grew up in a United States Navy family and attended multiple high schools, including Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California, and Fort Mill High School in Fort Mill, South Carolina, before graduating from Corona del Sol High School in Tempe, Arizona in 1990.[1][2] Playing at linebacker and wingback, Mentink was the first girl at Taft to letter in football.[2]

Softball career

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An outfielder, Mentink began her college softball career at Central Arizona College, earning first-team NJCAA All-American honors in 1992 and being part of two NJCAA national championship teams under coach Clint Myers.[2][3] In college, she changed to hit left-handed to give her a faster time to first base.[4]

She transferred to the University of Washington's inaugural Washington Huskies softball team.[5] A third-team NFCA All-American honoree in 1994, Mentink became the first player in program history to earn both All-Pac-10 and All-American honors.[6][7][8] She stole 59 bases in 63 attempts and hit .472 her junior year, both still school records as of 2019.[4] Her career batting average of .429 is also a school record.[4] She was the first softball player inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame, in 2001.[4][9]

The US Olympic Softball team named Mentink as an alternate on the 1996 team, but she declined it to play for the Colorado Silver Bullets, the first women's professional baseball team since 1954.[1][2][10][4] In 1995, her first year, she started 40 games for the Silver Bullets, hitting .221, and was paid $20,000 and unlimited Coors Light.[4] In 1996, she hit .241, before retiring from her professional playing career.[4]

In 1997, she served as an assistant softball coach for the University of Washington.[4]

Broadcasting career

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Mentink began her broadcasting career with Pioneer Sports as color commentator for the radio broadcasts of University of Washington Husky Baseball and Softball. She then joined Fox Sports Northwest (now Root Sports Northwest), first as an intern then in 1998 as a reporter covering the Seattle Mariners and Seattle Seahawks.[2] She serves as co-anchor for "Mariners All Access", a pre- and post-game show on Root Sports Northwest.[4] Then known as Angie Arlati, Mentink briefly remotely anchored the Detroit Sports Report for Fox Sports Detroit.[11]

On August 30, 2021, Mentink became the first woman to be a color commentator during a Mariners television broadcast.[12] In 2024, Mentink served as analyst for several Mariners games.[13]

Personal

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In 2017, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.[14][15] After treatment, she is cancer-free as of 2019.[4] She remains an advocate for early detection.[14]

She is married to Seattle Pacific University professor Jarrett Mentink, with whom she has two sons.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Angie Marzetta".
  2. ^ a b c d e "Meet the Talent".
  3. ^ "1992 Louisville Slugger/NSCA NJCAA All-America Teams". NFCA. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Barnstorming, baseball and unlimited beer: Angie Mentink on her time with the Colorado Silver Bullets". The Seattle Times. August 14, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  5. ^ Smith, Craig (January 19, 1993). "Making A Pitch: UW Softball Starting Slow, But Stay Tuned". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  6. ^ "Welp, Shannon Head List of Husky Hall of Fame Inductees". Columns. University of Washington. September 2001. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  7. ^ Wittenmeyer, Gordon (April 15, 1993). "Nothing Trivial In This Pursuit". Seattle Times. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  8. ^ "1994 Louisville Slugger/NSCA Division I All-America Teams". NFCA. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  9. ^ Theil, Art. "Star of Year to honor Schneider, Mentink, O'Brien – Sportspress Northwest". www.sportspressnw.com. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  10. ^ Schoenfield, Dave (August 24, 1995). "Ex-UW Softball Star Learns About Hardball The Hard Way". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  11. ^ Eichorn, George B. (2003), Detroit's Sports Broadcasters: On the Air, Charleston, SC: Arcadia, p. 108, ISBN 0738531669
  12. ^ "Mentink 'thrilled' after historic TV debut". MLB.com. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  13. ^ "Major changes coming to Mariners broadcast team?". The Seattle Times. September 18, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Columnist, Larry Stone / (August 22, 2018). "After scary year with cancer, Angie Mentink savors daily drumbeat of baseball". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  15. ^ "Reaction to Angie Mentink's breast cancer announcement was beautiful". September 8, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
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