WOMEN IN BASEBALL

Last season, history was made on the field through all levels of baseball and even at Hadlock Field. Katie Krall became Portland’s first-ever female coach and the first female coach in Double-A history as the Sea Dogs’ Development Coach. History will continue to be made in Portland as Sea Dogs broadcaster Emma Tiedemann will be joined in the booth by Broadcast Assistant, Rylee Pay, and will make up the first ever all-female broadcast team in Double-A.

Whether it’s on the field or off, women have made huge strides and fans at Hadlock Field have had the ability to witness it first-hand.

It seemed like a tidal wave of new hires for positions in uniform, especially after Kim Ng was hired as the General Manager of the Miami Marlins prior to the 2021 season. Rachel Balkovec then became the first female manager in affiliated baseball with the Tampa Tarpons (Low-A New York Yankees) for the 2022 season.

Last year, 10 women worked as on-field coaches across Major and Minor League teams. Alyssa Nakken, who became the first full-time female coach in MLB history after she was hired as an assistant coach in the Giants’ organization; Rachel Folden (hitting coach in Cubs’ farm system); Bianca Smith (hitting/outfield coach in Red

Sox’s system); Ronnie Gajownik (coach in D-backs’ system); Veronica Alvarez (A’s Spring Training catching instructor and roving Minor League instructor); Jaime Vieira (hitting coach in Blue Jays’ system); Katie Krall (Development Coach with the Sea Dogs); Caitlyn Callahan (development coach in Pirates’ system); and Gretchen Aucoin (coach in Mets’ system).

Gajownik will continue to make history in 2023 as the manager of the Hillsboro Hops, affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, making her the first female manager at the High-A level.