ESPN reporter Shelley Smith will throw out the honorary first pitch at this year’s Congressional Women’s Softball Game.  

Smith, who has worked at the sports network since 1997, returned to work two months ago after battling breast cancer. She had been undergoing treatment for the past year. Each year, the proceeds from the game, which pits members of Congress against members of the Washington press corps, have benefited the Young Survival Coalition, an organization which works to address critical issues related to young women who are diagnosed with breast cancer.  

“I am so honored to throw out the first pitch at the Congressional Women’s Softball Game,” Smith said in a press release. “My hope is that anyone going through an experience like mine is given a fighting chance to survive and thrive, and that is exactly what this game does by raising awareness and supporting young survivors of breast cancer.”  

Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot at a constituent event in her Tucson, Ariz., district in 2011, threw out the first pitch at the game last year.  

This year’s game will take place on June 24 at 6 p.m. at the Watkins Recreation Center.  

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