Now, that’s some serious girl power on the plate.
Olivia Pichardo of Brown University became First woman to hit a home run in Hampton College baseball history She was on Saturday for the Sag Harbor Whalers in Game 2 of their doubles match against the No. 1 Westhampton Aviators.
Pichardo, a left-handed hitter, hit her two-run drive over the right-field fence, and Sag Harbor teammates jumped out of the dugout, yelling in excitement.
Pichardo, 19, recently completed her freshman season at Brown University and became the school’s freshman on March 17. first woman to appear in division 1 baseball when She pinched the ball and ground the ball in a 10-1 loss to Bryant.
It was Pichardo’s only game last season for the Bears, but the 5-foot-7, 160-pound versatile player will hit regularly this summer as a Sag Harbor outfielder. She struck out six hitters in three innings in three games out of the bullpen as a right-handed pitcher, and she even made the league’s All-Star Game this month.
Modeled after the famous Cape Cod League that attracts elite players, the HCBL is a six-team summer woods league for Long Island University players. Since its inception in 2008, the league has produced more than 20 major league players, most notably Milwaukee Brewers Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burns, Washington Nationals All-Star pitcher Josiah Gray and Arizona Diamondbacks Gold Glove shortstop Nick Ahmed.
Pichardo, who is from Queens, is an outfielder and pitcher for the U.S. women’s national team, which won three of five games in its lone game against Canada last summer. She stayed on with the Browns in the fall, and coach Grant Achilles told her she earned a roster spot in November.
Pichardo, who plays club ball in the New York area, completed an internship with the New York Mets’ amateur scouting department last year. She is a basketball player and also played volleyball at the Garden School before attending Brown University.
Above: Olivia Pichardo in USA Baseball gear. (Credit: King of Juco/Twitter)
