Rankings Spotlight: 21 Things You Didn’t Know About 2026 Extra Elite 100 #1 Player Malaya Majam-Finch!

Last Friday, we unveiled the top-ranked player in the 2026 Extra Elite 100, Malaya Majam-Finch, who plays for the Corona Angels-McCullough team which won PGF Nationals in 2019.

*** Be sure to check in the rest of this week as we present the 2026 players ranked #’s 101-200 (Tuesday), #’s 201-300 (Wednesday) and the 2026 Position Rankings (Thursday)!

Heading into 2021, Malaya is a two-way threat as a dominating pitcher and hitter who is highly heralded across the nation for her talents and achievements on the field.

It’s always fun to learn more about the #1 player off the field and below are 21 things we learned about this talented athlete who is the niece of softball Olympian and all-time great Jennie Finch.

It’s not just that Malaya is related to the softball legend; she is also carving her pathway to softball success and if our ranking her last week and spotlighting her as the #1 player revealed anything, it showed what is an underlying but significant reason for her accomplishments to date:

Family.

It’s not just her famous aunt who has been an inspiration to the 7^th grader in her family.

Malaya has her Grandpa Doug Finch (father to Malaya’s dad, Shane Finch, and Aunt Jennie) helping as her pitching coach and her cousin, Kelly Majam, was a standout player at the University of Hawaii from 2010 to 2013 and holds the school record for most home runs with 72, tied for 20^th best in NCAA DI history.

After being announced publicly as the top-rated player last Friday, Malaya wrote a nice text of appreciation:

Hi Mr. Eads,

Thank you for putting in your time and effort into making the story. I really like how you captured the importance of family and that really is something that is close to me.

Thank you—Malaya

One of the most rewarding things of my job is telling the top-ranked athlete in each class that they will soon be announced via the rankings at No. 1.

Sometimes it’s been done in the middle of a workout, other times when the player and family are out to dinner, a few times it was done in person (like with Amanda Lorenz, Class of 2015… Click HERE to see an interview from 2014 when I was doing the softball rankings at Student Sports).

Last week, when I told Malaya about her place atop the ratings of the 2026 class, I first called the cell phone of her mom, Danielle, who then handed the phone to her daughter. I couldn’t tell it at the time, but as you’ll see in the video of the conversation, the reaction was one that I don’t believe I’ve ever had!

Her mom texted me later saying:

Malaya was indeed shocked. Just to give you a sense of who she is, there were no high fives or celebratory yells. She just quietly sat and cried. She is truly honored.

Here is the video of that brief call… be sure to watch to the end: I think Malaya was so stunned and contemplative, she was speechless and, not sure if she was still there, I asked if she could pass the phone back to her mom!

Finally, it’s always great to get to know these dedicated and talented athletes off the field and see what they like to do in their time when not working out or playing between the lines.

So, without further ado, here are…

*****

21 Things You Didn’t Know About Me…  

by Malaya Majam-Finch

1. I am a super fan of the TV show The Office.

2. I play the flute.

3. My softball idols are four outstanding pitchers: Rachel Garcia and Megan Faraimo (both of whom played for the Corona Angels), Monica Abbott and my aunt, Jennie Finch!

4. My favorite MLB team is the L.A. Dodgers.

5. I started playing softball when I was four years old and started pitching when I was six years old.

6. I wear a size 11 shoe.

7. My favorite quotes from (Corona Angels) Coach Lydell (McCullough) are “It’s a mindset!” and “Pass the salt!”

8. My favorite food is chicken adobo made by my Lola (grandmother).

9. My favorite colors are black, gray, white and blue.

10. I love to go fishing with my family.

11. My favorite ride at Knotts Berry Farm is Silver Bullet.

12. In my spare time I like to watch Netflix with my brother and hang out with my friends.

13. I’m 5 foot, 8 inches tall.

14. My favorite Starbucks drink is a chai tea latte.

15. I received the President’s Award for Educational Excellence Gold last year and have maintained a 4.0 so far this year.

16. The nicknames my teammates gave me are: Finch Fries and Coach Finchy

17. I love to travel and my favorite place so far has been Japan.

18. I enjoy watching stand-up comedy with my Mom… two of my favorites are Jerry Seinfeld and Trevor Noah.

19. My two favorite movie series are Die Hard and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

20. I like to bake with my dad.

21. I was selected to the USA Softball 12U All-American Games to represent Region 10 (Hawaii, California, Nevada, and Arizona) this past summer.