With a pinch-hit appearance late in Brown's contest against Bryant on Friday, Olivia Pichardo made history as the first woman to appear in a Division I baseball game.
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 from Queens, New York, was added to the team roster in the fall as a walk-on after impressing in a tryout. Listed on the team roster as a utility player, Pichardo made her first appearance for the Bears in their home opener.
Pichardo wasted no time at the plate, swinging at the first pitch and putting the ball in play toward first base. The Bears would go on to lose the game, 10-1.
Here's Olivia Pichardo making history as the first woman to play in an NCAA Division I baseball game today for Brown. (First-pitch groundout.) pic.twitter.com/aQDiWovrEe
— David Adler (@_dadler) March 17, 2023
Pichardo played for the USA Baseball Women's National Team before joining the Brown roster. According to Baseball for All, Pichardo is one of eight women on a collegiate baseball roster in 2023 — but she's the only one at the DI level.
