On Saturday, April 25, Olivia Pichardo made history as she became the first woman to pitch in a Division I college baseball game. The Brown senior stepped on the mound when the Bears faced off against the Cornell Big Red.
Pichardo appeared in the ninth inning, where she was able to help Brown secure a 16-4 win. She helped record the final out as she forced a groundout on the second pitch of her appearance, which ended the contest.
Pichardo and her career at Brown, comments from her on playing college baseball
Pichardo is in her fourth season of playing baseball at Brown. She has four at-bats in her career and two putouts as well on defense.
In 2024, during a game against Princeton, she was hit by a pitch and also scored a run.
A few years ago, Pichardo spoke with CBS Mornings about playing college baseball with the Bears.
“My goal in high school was to play collegiate baseball regardless of the division,” Pichardo stated. “I also wanted to go somewhere that had academics that matched the grades I had in high school.”
Before playing for Brown, Pichardo was a part of the 2022 USA Baseball Women’s National Team. According to Brown Athletics, Pichardo is inspired by one of her teammates, Kelsie Whitmore.
“She was the first female baseball player I had ever heard of,” Pichardo said. “I have been following her journey, and I had the opportunity to play on the same team as her.”
Up next for Brown
The Brown Bears have a 19-16 overall record and are 11-6 in Ivy League play. The Bears sit in second place in the Ivy League standings behind the Penn Quakers.
Their next game is on Wednesday, April 29, against the Columbia Lions. That game is at Murray Stadium in Providence, R.I., and the first pitch is at 3 p.m. ET.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Via Olivia Pichardo on Instagram, (@_oliviapichardo)
