Early into her college, freshman Olivia Pichardo is already making an impact.
The Brown University student became the first woman to make a Division I baseball roster.
Brown University Bears coach Grant Achilles revealed Monday that Pichardo would be a member of the varsity team for the upcoming season. Pichardo was a walk-on athlete and impressed the coaching staff during her tryouts.
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Pichardo is an accomplished baseball player who has experience at multiple positions on the baseball diamond. She threw pitches for the USA Baseball Women’s National Team and also played in the outfield.
For two weeks in the fall, Pichardo participated in practices and workouts with current players.
“Olivia put together the most complete walk-on tryout I have seen from a player since becoming a head coach,” Achilles said in a press release.
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Pichardo was born in Queens, New York, and excelled at baseball at a young age. She played varsity baseball at Garden School in seventh and eighth grade.
As a member of Team USA, she participated in the Friendship Series against Team Canada in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, over the summer. She also worked as an intern in the New York Mets amateur scouting department.
The 18-year-old Pichardo said it was “a surreal moment” when she learned that she made the team.
“I’m living out my dream right now and the ideal college experience that I’ve always wanted, so that’s really cool,” said Pichardo, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Mets on Women’s Day at Citi Field in August.
According to Brown, approximately 20 woman have been a part of college baseball rosters, but Pichardo is the first to make a roster at the NCAA Division 1 level.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
