Brown's Olivia Pichardo makes history as first woman to play in Division I baseball game

Brown's Olivia Pichardo makes history as first woman to play in Division I baseball game

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There was no additional fanfare from the public-address announcer, just the news that a pinch-hitter was coming to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning. The sound was pure, and customary, metal bat meeting ball with a hard clank, a grounder to first base.

Yet the moment was far more significant than the thousands of plate appearances across amateur baseball diamonds on Friday.

Olivia Pichardo, a Brown University freshman, became the first woman to appear in a Division I college game when she was summoned as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning of the Bears' 10-1 loss to Bryant in their home opener in Providence, Rhode Island.

Pichardo, a Queens, N.Y. native, made the U.S. women's national baseball team as she graduated high school and has played club baseball at a high level throughout her teens. She interned in the New York Mets' amateur scouting department in 2022.

A National Honor Society honoree, Pichardo gained admittance to Brown and then was named to the baseball team during her first semester, falling in line with the Jacks and Dylans and Gunners on the team.

The team toured the Dominican Republic in the preseason, started the year with a 10-game road swing through the Sun Belt and finally opened at home Friday, the Northeast weather warming nominally enough to play.

"It was a lot of fun and I'm glad I was able to get something out of my first at-bat," she said, per the team's social media accounts. "I think it's nice to get your first out of the way. There probably are not going to be as much nerves for the rest of my at-bats.

The first of many more to come ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/iqLPY3SIXJ — Brown Baseball (@BrownU_Baseball) March 18, 2023

Women have forged their way into collegiate baseball at multiple levels, perhaps most notably when pitcher Ila Borders became the first woman to pitch in a college game, for NAIA Southern California College. She went on to pitch for the St. Paul Saints.

More recently, Kelsie Whitmore – who Pichardo lists as an inspiration – pitched and played outfield for the Staten Island Ferry Hawks in 2022. Whitmore, who played baseball growing up and softball at Cal State Fullerton, and Pichardo will likely be longtime teammates on the women's national team.

But not until Friday did a woman appear for a Division I squad, with the Ivy League Bears breaking that barrier.

"I just hope that young girls can watch and see that this is possible; that it's not just a dream but it is a tangible goal they can have," Pichardo said, per the university. "I really hope that there is a whole new wave and generation of girls that come around and try to make it as far as I have, and further in baseball."

Brown, winless in its first 10 games, mostly against higher-caliber Division I schools such as Penn State, continues its season Saturday with a doubleheader against Bryant; Ivy League play begins March 25 at Columbia.

"I hope Olivia's accomplishments show people that if someone is talented enough to be given an opportunity, they should be judged solely on their baseball abilities," says Brown coach Grant Achilles. "No other factors should play into that. Olivia is an example of that. It is not just her putting all the work and effort in, but an entire network of people who have supported her along the way, and her teammates.

"Her teammates are a special group to be able to realize how historic this moment is, but also to hold her accountable as a teammate and hold her to our standard as a baseball player."