In the exhilarating world of Major League Baseball (MLB), many women are making waves for women in the sports industry. These trailblazers are proving that baseball isn’t just for the guys anymore. They are breaking barriers in positions like journalism and even coaching. From calling the shots on the field to getting the perfect game-winning shot these amazing women are inspiring the next generation of girls to dream big.
Coaches:
Alyssa Nakken is the first woman to be a full-time coach for an MLB team. She works with the San Francisco Giants in January of 2020. Nakken was also the first woman to coach on the field during a major league game in April 2022. For that game, she filled in as a first-base coach after another player was ejected. She has been with the Giants for almost a decade.
Sarah Edwards was the first woman to coach for the Philadelphia Phillies. Before she worked with them she had established herself as an international softball star in the decade prior. Edwards was a hitting coach for the Phillies’ Rookie Level affiliate in the Florida Complex League.
Of course, these women aren’t the only ones who have had a chance to coach in the MLB. Some others include Kayla Baptista (development coach for the Texas Rangers), Caitlyn Callahan (development coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates), Ronnie Gajownik (coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks), Katie Krall (development coach for the Boston Red Sox), and Jaime Vieira (a hitting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays). Last season in 2023, there was a total of 43 female coaches in the MLB which is the highest number ever recorded.
Journalists:
Jenny Cavnar is a broadcaster who is the play-by-play announcer on television for the Oakland Athletics. Making her the first female primary play-by-play announcer in MLB history. In addition to doing the play-by-play for baseball, she does the play-by-play for women’s and men’s college basketball. Cavnar has also won five Emmy Awards.
Melanie Newman is a sideline reporter, host, and commentator. Newman is currently a broadcaster for the Baltimore Orioles and the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN). She is one of seven women in the whole nation to do play-by-play for professional affiliated baseball. Newman also led the first all-female booth in professional baseball and all-female broadcast in FBS-division football.
Mental/Physical Health
Ceci Craft is the mental skills coach for the Philadelphia Phillies. Her technical title is Director of Mental Performance. Previously Craft has worked with the United States Army and the Cleveland Indians. During her time with the Army, she coached Special Forces soldiers at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Having that background helped her credibility with the players.
Theresa Lau is an assistant athletic trainer and physical therapist for the Milwaukee Brewers and she has been with them for the last six years. When she started with the Brewers she was a Minor League Physical Therapist, then a Rehabilitation Coordinator. Before her time with the Brewers Lau worked with the Boston Red Sox as a MiLB as an Assistant Athletic Trainer with the Florida Complex League Red Sox, which was their Gulf Coast League affiliate. She provided rehabilitative treatment across the Minor League System in Fort Myers, Florida.
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