Justine Siegal became the first woman to be hired by a Major League baseball team as a coach this week when the Oakland Athletics named her a guest instructor for its Instructional League club.
Siegal is just the latest woman to make sporting history. Earlier this year, Becky Hammon was hired as an assistant coach with the NBA's San Antonio Spurs, Jen Welter became the NFL's first female coach when she was hired by the Arizona Cardinals, and Nancy Lieberman was hired as a coach with the NBA's
Sacramento Kings, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Siegal expressed her appreciation for the position on social media.
Siegal has been coaching male baseball players professionally since 2009 when she was hired as first base coach for the Independent League Brockton Rox, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. With the A's, Siegel will work with minor league players from Oct. 4-17.
"We feel like Justine has a lot to offer and that (the Instructional League) is a great place to get her feet wet," Oakland's assistant general manager David Frost said to the Chronicle. "She'll be doing a little bit of everything."
The San Jose Mercury News reported that Siegal works as head coach for the national nonprofit Baseball For All, which provides instruction and opportunities in baseball, particularly for girls. She holds a doctorate in sports and exercise psychology from Massachusetts' Springfield College, where she served as assistant baseball coach from 2008-10.
Siegal threw batting practice for the A's, Indians, Rays, Cardinals, Astros, and Mets in 2011. The Chronicle added that she has also completed the Major League Scouting Bureau scout school.
"Player reaction in the past has usually been surprise to have a woman in the job,'' Siegal said. "Then they realize I know what I'm talking about, and then I become another guy on the field.''
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