Back in January, the New York Yankees organization announced that they had hired Rachel Balkovec as the new manager for their single-A farm team, the Tampa Tarpons, making her the first female manager in minor league history.
It was massive news for women in male dominant sports, and today, a woman in baseball is making massive headlines again…
As Olivia Pichardo has walked-on to Brown University’s baseball team to become the first female to ever make an active NCAA Division I varsity baseball roster, according to ESPN.
Pichardo, a freshman utility player for the Brown Bears, was a pitcher and outfielder for the U.S. baseball women’s national team this past summer, and previously played varsity baseball in Queens, New York, and played club baseball for the New York Crush and Next Level baseball.
Brown head baseball coach Grant Achilles said he was very impressed with Pichardo’s abilities, calling it:
“the most complete walk-on tryout I have seen from a player since becoming a head coach.”
Pichardo can play both infield and outfield, and found out she made the team on October 4th.
Nearly 20 women have made college baseball rosters across the country, but she is the first to make a division one roster.
She said in a news release:
“It was definitely a surreal moment for me because it’s something that I’ve wanted since eighth grade. It’s kind of crazy to know that I’m living out my dream right now and my ideal college experience that I’ve always wanted, so that’s really cool.
I’m just honestly trying to develop myself as a baseball player and not trying to think too broadly. For me, I always just wanted to play college baseball, no matter what division it was. This school happens to be a Division I team that I walked onto.”
