Malaika Underwood
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's baseball | ||
| Representing United States | ||
| Women's Baseball World Cup | ||
| 2006 Taiwan | Team competition | |
| 2008 Japan | Team competition | |
| 2010 Venezuela | Team competition | |
| 2012 Canada | Team competition | |
| 2014 Japan | Team competition | |
| Pan American Games | ||
| 2015 Toronto | Team competition | |
Malaika Underwood (born June 7, 1981) is the executive director of the Professional Women's Hockey League Players Association.[1] She is a former member of the United States women's national baseball team which won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games.[2][3]
Playing career
Raised in San Diego, California, Underwood played baseball, volleyball, and basketball at La Jolla High School. She would earn the Female Athlete of the Year Award in 1999 in San Diego.[4]
Baseball
As a child, Underwood played baseball at Chollas Lake Little League.[5] She pitched and played second base at La Jolla. She coached Little League baseball in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 2001 while in college.[6]
Underwood played for the U.S. women's national baseball team from 2006 to 2022 and was named to the all-tournament team at the 2008 and 2014 Women's Baseball World Cup.[5][7][8][9] She was named the USA Baseball Sportswoman of the Year in 2015.[10][4]
She later was an assistant coach for the team.[5]
Volleyball
Underwood accepted a volleyball scholarship to play for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. She won the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament MVP Award in 2001.[6]
Awards and honors
- 2008 Women's Baseball World Cup All-Tournament Team (second base)[8]
- 2014 Women's Baseball World Cup All-Tournament Team (first base)[9]
- 2015 USA Baseball Sportswoman of the Year[10]
Personal life
Underwood earned a bachelor's degree in international studies and a master's degree in sports administration from the University of North Carolina.[1]
Bibliography
- Ring, Jennifer (2015). "Chapter 11: Malaika Underwood". A Game of Their Own: Voices of Contemporary Women in Baseball. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press. pp. 173–193. ISBN 978-0803244801.
References
- ^ a b "PWHLPA Selects Malaika Underwood as Executive Director to Lead Its Next Chapter". Toronto, Ontario: Professional Women's Hockey League Players Association. January 22, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
- ^ "UNDERWOOD, Malaika". Toronto2015.org. Pan American Games. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ "Baseball - Event Overview - Women". Toronto2015.org. Pan American Games. Archived from the original on December 10, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ a b Walston, Turner (February 14, 2017). "Black History Month Honoree: Mailaka Underwood". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
- ^ a b c Glunt, Connor (June 26, 2024). "Six Innings with Malaika Underwood, USA Baseball Women's National Team Assistant Coach". Little League. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
- ^ a b "Malaika Underwood - Volleyball". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
- ^ Cooper, J. J. (August 23, 2017). "Japan Dominates Top Women Players' List". Baseball America. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
- ^ a b Ring, p. 190.
- ^ a b "Women's Baseball World Cup Final Report". ibaf.org. September 8, 2014. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
- ^ a b "Awards and Honors". USA Baseball. Retrieved March 6, 2026.