Justine throwing batting practice as the first women in MLB history to do that back in 2011
Justine Siegal was named a guest instructor for the Oakland Athletics baseball organization. This makes her the first female coach in
Major League Baseball history.
Siegal spoke to KTVU by phone on Wednesday where she explained that she was the one to approach the team a few months ago.
“I’ve wanted to be a coach since I was 16 years old,” Siegal said. “I’ve worked toward this moment, but the outpouring of support has just been incredibly heartwarming.”
While this is a dream come true for Justine Siegal, I can only imagine how many dreams Ms. Siegal will create for other young girls and women all over the world.
According to the Oakland A’s, Siegal will be a guest instructor with the team and will assist the A’s player development staff both on and off the field at the A’s 2015 Instructional League in Mesa, Arizona this October.
“I’m a rookie coach so I’ll be doing whatever they need,” Siegal. “They’ve asked me to do some classroom work using my Ph.D. in sports psychology.”
Siegal has done a few TED talks in years past about the need for girls and women in baseball. She is the founder of
Baseball for All, a hub for girls youth baseball around the United States.
You can watch Justine Siegal's short TED talk from a couple of years ago, about her personal journey persevering in baseball.