Amanda Kamekona Hired as Guardians' 1st Female On-Field Coach in Franchise History

The Cleveland Guardians have hired Amanda Kamekona to serve as a minor league hitting instructor, per Tom Withers of the Associated Press, making her the first female on-field coach in the organization's history.

The 36-year-old was a former softball star at Cal State Fullerton and UCLA.

She'll be working with the team's developmental players in Goodyear, Arizona.

Kamekona made a name for herself as a softball player at UCLA and was a two-time third-team All-American with the Bruins. Her eight RBI in a game remains a school record.

After her college career, she played in the National Pro Fastpitch League with both Carolina and New York-New Jersey and coached at Limestone College, Brevard College and Bishop Amat Memorial High School.

Major League Baseball has slowly made strides in terms of its hiring practices regarding the employment of women in coaching roles. In 2022, Rachel Balkovec became the first female manager for a minor league affiliate, serving as the New York Yankees' manager for their Single-A team in Tampa.

In January, Ronnie Gajownik was hired as the manager for the High-A Hillsboro Hops, part of the Arizona Diamondbacks farm system. She had previously served as a coach in the Diamondbacks' farm system in 2022.

Also in 2022, the San Francisco Giants' Alyssa Nakken became the first woman to ever serve as a coach on the field when she took over as the first base coach for Antoan Richardson, who had been ejected.

In 2020, Nakken made history as the first woman to be a full-time major league assistant coach when she was hired by the Giants.