Since its inception in the mid nineteenth century, professional baseball has been a sport far from set in stone. Changes in rules, playing style, governing organizations, and teams have shaped the history of the game for well over 150 years, and while the sport may appear to have been dominated by men for that time, women have in fact been just as much a part of the history of baseball.
In spite of their long involvement with the game, it was only in 2019 that women became involved with coaching on the professional level, and it was not until a year later that Alyssa Nakken made baseball history as the first full-time Major League Baseball coach.
Born June 13, 1990, Nakken grew up in Woodland, California with her family. She attended Woodland High School, where she played softball, basketball, and volleyball, graduating in 2008. Attending California State University, Sacramento, she played college softball for the Sacramento State Hornets as a first baseman, being named to the All-Pacific Coast Softball Conference for all four years of her time at college. She was additionally the 2012 conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
After graduating, she joined the San Francisco Giants as an intern in 2014, working for the team on health and wellness programs. Earning a master’s degree in sports management in 2015 from the University of San Francisco, she also served as the chief information officer for the team. In January 2020, the team promoted her to the major league coaching staff, making her the first full-time coach in MLB history, and in July 2020 she became the first woman to coach on the field during a game.
Nakken earned her position through years spent pushing herself hard to excel in her successive roles in the organization, and when the opportunity came, she felt ready for it. The team was ready for her too, welcoming her drive and unique perspective as they worked through a challenging season impacted by societal change brought about by a global pandemic. Keenly aware of her history-making career move, Nakken is doing her utmost to show the world that baseball is ready for more women in its ranks, telling The Guardian in an interview:
“I do understand [my role] and we’re all role models. People are always going to look up to you. It’s just that right now I have quite a few more eyes on me and I understand if I stay true to me, these girls, these boys, these people will be inspired by the possibilities. It’s my responsibility to stay true to that.”