Olivia Pichardo, Brown (Brown photograph)
SEE ALSO: D1Baseball Fall Stories | High 100 Program Rankings
Brown College freshman utility participant Olivia Pichardo made historical past this week because the walk-on grew to become the primary girl within the historical past of Division I Baseball to make a varsity baseball roster. Twenty girls have made school baseball rosters, however till now, none of them had come from the Division I ranks.
Olivia’s accomplishment comes on the heels of Brown’s fall exercises, the place she put collectively one of many extra spectacular walk-on tryouts in program historical past, per Bears head coach Grant Achilles, who not too long ago accomplished his eighth season as head coach.
“Each fall, we maintain tryouts for college kids curiosity in becoming a member of our crew,” Achilles mentioned. “It’s a exercise widespread for baseball and permits us to judge athleticism and arm power, in addition to each offensive and defensive talent units.
“Olivia put collectively probably the most full walk-on tryout I’ve seen from a participant since changing into a head coach.”
Pichardo, who prides herself in being a jack-of-all-trades sort of participant with a capability to play within the infield or outfield, isn’t any stranger to the sport of baseball. The 5-foot-7, 155-pounder, grew to become enamored with the concept of enjoying baseball on the age of 5, and she or he competed for the USA Girls’s Nationwide Baseball Workforce this previous summer time.
Now, she’s a member of the Brown College baseball crew.
“It’s undoubtedly a surreal second for me as a result of it’s one thing that I’ve wished since eighth grade,” Pichardo mentioned in a college launch. “It’s sort of loopy to know that I’m dwelling out my dream proper now and my perfect school expertise that I’ve all the time wished, in order that’s actually college.
“I’m simply actually glad that we’re having an increasing number of feminine baseball gamers on the collegiate degree, and it doesn’t matter what division, it’s simply actually good to see the development,” she added. “It’s actually paving the best way for different ladies within the subsequent technology to even have these objectives that they need to obtain. Now they know they will do it.”
The Queens, N.Y., native and Brown will start their 2023 baseball season on the highway in opposition to Georgia State on February 24.
