Brown’s Olivia Pichardo made NCAA history on Friday, becoming what the school said was the first woman to appear in a Division 1 baseball game.
The freshman from New York City came on as a pinch hitter with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning and grounded out to first base in what ended up being a 10-1 loss to Bryant in Providence, Rhode Island.
HISTORY! Olivia Pichardo becomes the first female in history to appear in an NCAA Division I baseball game #EverTrue pic.twitter.com/35mqSIl7rS
— Brown Baseball (@BrownU_Baseball) March 17, 2023
Pichardo, a freshman utility player and walk-on, became the first woman to make an active NCAA D-I baseball varsity roster this past fall.
Brown baseball coach Grant Achilles said he was impressed by Pichardo’s athleticism during her initial tryout and in subsequent practices, calling it the “most complete walk-on tryout I have seen from a player” since he became Brown’s coach in 2012.
Pichardo was a pitcher and outfielder for the U.S. baseball women’s national team this past summer and previously played varsity baseball in Queens.
Brown fell to 1-10 with Friday’s home-opening loss.
