Brown's Olivia Pichardo Becomes 1st Female Athlete Named to NCAA D-I Baseball Roster

Brown University freshman Olivia Pichardo was named to the varsity baseball team Monday, making her the first female athlete in NCAA Division I history to make a varsity baseball roster.

"It was definitely a surreal moment for me because it's something that I've wanted since eighth grade," she said. "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."

According to the nonprofit Baseball for All, whose goal is to "build gender equity in baseball by providing girls with real opportunities to play, coach, and lead" in the sport, at least 20 women have played collegiate baseball at some level, and eight are scheduled to be on rosters for the 2023 season.

Only Pichardo will be rostered at the top level, however.

"I'm just really glad that we're having more and more female baseball players at the collegiate level, and no matter what division, it's just really good to see this progression," she said. "It's really paving the way for other girls in the next generation to also have these goals that they want to achieve and dream big and know that they can do it."

Brown's baseball head coach, Grant Achilles, said Pichardo "put together the most complete walk-on tryout I have seen from a player since becoming a head coach," displaying impressive "athleticism and arm strength."

Her resume includes playing on the USA Baseball women's national team in 2022 as a right-handed pitcher and outfielder, along with interning in the New York Mets' amateur scouting department.

She'll serve as a utility player for Brown to start her career as a fill-in in both the infield and outfield. She was greeted by a round of applause from her teammates when Achilles announced she'd made the team.

"Coach introduced me to the entire team, and all of them greeted me warmly," she said. "Everybody was super welcoming, and I really felt that from my teammates."