Sarah Hudek Accepts Scholarship to Pitch in College Baseball

It is a historic day for female baseball players around the world, as left-hander Sarah Hudek has received a college scholarship to pitch at a junior college in Louisiana. 

Per a tweet released by USA Baseball on Feb. 5, Hudek signed her letter of intent to pitch for Bossier Parish Community College:

According to Max Thompson of Yahoo Sports, Hudek is the daughter of former MLB reliever John Hudek and has some giddyup on her fastball.

"Her father, John Hudek was a journeyman reliever and an All-Star in the big leagues, and the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree," Thompson wrote. "While dad was a right-hander, Sarah is a southpaw that throws in the low 80s, a la Jamie Moyer."

In July 2013, Hudek told Matt Rodriguez of Perfect Game USA that one of her goals was to play college baseball: “My goal is to get to somewhere in college, anywhere,” Hudek said. “I just wanna be out there playing the game I love.”

Her father is also quoted in Rodriguez's piece as saying that his daughter's mental toughness is one reason she's made it this far.

“I know how tough it’s gonna be for her to go to the next level, but every time that we go to a level and play, she’s showing something that impresses me enough to say, ‘stick with it,’” he said. “She sticks to her guns that she wants to go to the next level.”

Bossier Parish head baseball coach Aaron Vorachek told Jimmy Watson of Shreveport newspaper The Times that Hudek's scholarship is one that she has earned.

"This is not a gimmick and I could care less about media attention," the coach said. "I'm signing her to help us win ballgames."

Hudek's arsenal may not translate into a future in Major League Baseball, but who cares? She's a pioneer, breaking down a barrier that should never have been put up to begin with. If you can play, it shouldn't matter what your gender is. 

Combine Hudek's breakthrough with Mo'ne Davis' run at the Little League World Series last summer, which was rewarded with a cover photo on an issue of Sports Illustrated, and it's a great time to be a young female playing baseball.