Brown’s Olivia Pichardo becomes first woman to make D1 baseball roster

Olivia Pichardo made history this week, becoming the first female Division I student-athlete to make a varsity baseball roster. Pichardo made the varsity roster for the spring, after trying out for the baseball program in the fall as a walk-on.

After her acceptance to Brown, Pichardo reached out to the school’s head baseball coach, Grant Achilles, about trying out for the baseball team. Pichardo participated in the fall workout sessions, working out as a middle infielder, outfielder, and pitcher.

Her work over the two week period was beyond impressive, according to Achilles:

“Every fall, we hold tryouts for students interested in joining our team,” said Achilles. “It’s a workout common for baseball and allows us to evaluate athleticism and arm strength, as well as both offensive and defensive skills. That day, Olivia put together the most complete walk-on tryout I have seen from a player since becoming a head coach.”

At a recent team meeting, Achilles announced her addition to the roster in front of the team:

Pichardo started playing baseball when she was just five years old, playing Little League in Queens, New York. She played varsity high school baseball at Garden School as both a seventh and eighth grader.

Pichardo also played for the U.S. Women’s National Baseball Team during the 2022 season, playing in all five games, four in the outfield and one on the mound. In her appearance on the bump, Pichardo threw three innings, with five strikeouts.

She also played club baseball for the New York Crush and Next Level Baseball. Pichardo was also an intern in the scouting department for the New York Mets this past spring.

In this video from Baseball for All, a non-profit organization looking to create opportunities for girls and women in baseball, you can see Pichardo on the mound, mixing in some off=speed pitches while topping out in the low 80s with her fastball:

The announcement that she made the spring roster at Brown was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for Pichardo, who envisioned playing college baseball when growing up. “It was a surreal moment for me because it’s something I’ve wanted since eighth grade. It’s kind of crazy to know that I’m living out my dream right now and the ideal college experience that I’ve always wanted, so that’s really cool.”

“I’m just honestly trying to develop myself as a baseball player and not trying to think too broadly,” Pichardo added. “For me, I always just wanted to play college baseball, no matter what division it was. This school happens to be a Division I team that I walked onto.”