21st Century Women in Baseball Achievements Documented in new Museum Display

(COOPERSTOWN, NY) – If they can see it, they can be it.

Those words summarize the groundbreaking achievements of women in baseball in the last two decades, many of which are now on exhibit at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown.

A new display entitled “From Dreams to Reality” has been added to the Museum’s Diamond Dreams exhibit. One of the Museum’s most popular stops for visitors, Diamond Dreams tells the story of the history of women in baseball, which dates back more than 150 years.

As part of the Museum’s celebration of Women’s History Month in March, the new display opens today and features more than a dozen artifacts including:

• Jersey worn by Rachel Balkovec when she managed her first game with the Tampa Tarpons, Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees, in 2022
• Cap worn by Genevieve Beacom when she became the first woman to pitch in the Australian Baseball League in 2022
• Credential worn by Jenny Cavnar on March 28, 2024, when she became the first female full-time play-by-play announcer in MLB history with the Athletics
• Helmet worn by the Giants’ Alyssa Nakken on April 12, 2022, when she became the first woman to coach on the field during an MLB game
• Helmet worn by Brown University’s Olivia Pichardo in 2023, when she became the first woman to appear in an NCAA Division I baseball game
• Cap worn by University of Maine-Presque Isle pitcher Oz Sailors in 2015 when she became the first woman to captain a men’s collegiate baseball team
• Batting gloves worn by Kelsie Whitmore of the Staten Island Ferryhawks on Sept. 3, 2022, when she became the first woman to record a hit for a professional team affiliated with MLB
• Jersey worn by pitcher Eri Yoshida when she played for the Golden Baseball League’s Chico Outlaws in 2010

The display also includes graphics describing the careers of female baseball pioneers including Mo’ne Davis, Jessica Mendoza, Kim Ng, Jen Pawol and Claire Smith.

The Museum’s popular Diamond Dreams exhibit, which opened in 2006, traces women’s roles in the game from 19th-century ballclubs to their present-day involvement – on the field and in baseball’s front offices and broadcast booths. The exhibit includes original All-American Girls Professional Baseball League uniforms and equipment as well as a list of all players in AAGPBL history; movie props from the 1992 film “A League of Their Own” along with an interview with the film’s director, Penny Marshall; a cap worn by groundbreaking female umpire Pam Postema; a cap from Maria Pepe of Hoboken, N.J., whose landmark Supreme Court case opened the door for girls to play in Little League; and a hardhat worn by urban planner Janet Marie Smith, who helped design Baltimore's groundbreaking Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum chronicles the historic efforts of women in baseball every day via exhibits, online resources and educational programing – and spotlights these stories during Women’s History Month in March. Fans can also experience women’s history through virtual programs and on-site events hosted by the Museum’s team of educators.

For information on upcoming programs, please visit baseballhall.org/events.

The Museum is also debuting School Resource Kits focusing on women in baseball to support the delivery of the Museum’s Women’s History curriculum. The Women in Baseball School Resource Kit provides materials to support educators in a classroom setting. The curriculum explores diverse women’s stories in the world of baseball and aligns with national learning standards.

The kits are available at no cost to public schools, while supplies last. Resource Kits are available for Intermediate Level (Grades 6-8) classrooms. Specifically, each kit contains books, facsimile objects from the Hall of Fame Archives and Collections, school supplies, printed materials, lesson plans, virtual resources and a 3-D reproduction of an artifact.

For more information or to help support this education initiative, please visit baseballhall.org/education/resource-kits.

To further explore the important role of women in baseball, check out a timeline of historic events involving women in baseball, along with educational resources, at baseballhall.org/women-in-baseball.