Alyssa Nakken, a Major League Baseball (MLB) coach for the San Fransisco Giants, has been the talk of the field since she first appeared coaching during their April 11th game against the San Diego Padres. She made history that night as the first woman to ever coach first base at a regular-season MLB game. 

While growing up in Woodland, California, Nakken got involved in an array of sports ranging from softball, volleyball, and basketball. She then went on to start off her professional sports career by playing softball at Sacramento State University, where she also began studying for a major in psychology. During those 4 years, she held a .304 batting average and was named to the All-Pacific Coast Softball Conference each year. She was also an all-conference selection not only once, but three times, and was awarded the 2012 conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

Nakken was first introduced to the Giants’ team in 2014 when she joined as an operations intern. A year later, she earned her master’s in sports management from The University of San Francisco. At the university, she was also the chief information officer for their baseball team. Soon, in January 2020, she was promoted to assistant coach. This promotion was significant not to only her but to history, as she became the first full-time female coach in the MLB. 

That same year, she continued to carry the Giants to victory. During a game against Oakland Athletics on July 20th, 2020, Nakken became the first female to ever coach on-field at an MLB game during exhibition play. The Giants ended up winning 6-2, and Nakken’s jersey from that day was sent to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. 

Nakken has shaken the waters of gender roles in sports and has been an inspiration for all women with a passion for the industry. Baseball fans can surely look forward to the things they might see from her in the future.