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04/28 16:42 CDT Olivia Pichardo is a reluctant groundbreaker as a woman in baseball Olivia Pichardo is a reluctant groundbreaker as a woman in baseball By ERIC OLSON AP Sports Writer In her ideal world, Olivia Pichardo would just play ball and not take attention away from her teammates. "Sometimes it feels a little ridiculous," she told The Associated Press, "but it's something I understand is going to happen. That's not what my primary focus is ever on." Pichardo has grown accustomed to being the only girl on her baseball team during her years in Little League, high school and travel ball. Four years ago she tried out for the Brown University team, made it and early in her freshman season became the first woman to appear in a Division I game when she pinch-hit against Bryant. On her senior day last Saturday, she became the first woman to pitch in a Division I game when she got the final out in a key win over Cornell. "I feel like sometimes it might distract a bit too much from the success of our team," Pichardo said. "We just made the playoffs for the first time since 2007, so that's a huge accomplishment, and I wouldn't want to take away from that." Pichardo was listed as an outfielder and pitcher her first three years and focused only on pitching this season. The fact she stuck it out four years might seem surprising. Brown has played 151 games since Pichardo arrived, and she has appeared in only six. She pinch-hit once as a freshman, once as a sophomore and three times as a junior, when she also played right field for an inning and caught two flies. Until Saturday, she hadn't appeared in a game this season, let alone warmed up in the bullpen. With Brown leading Cornell 16-3 in the ninth inning, coach Frank Holbrook's plan was to have little-used reliever Ty Harris get the first two outs and have Pichardo finish. The 5-foot-7, 165-pound Pichardo has a four-pitch repertoire that includes a low-80s four-seam fastball to go with a sinker, changeup and curve. She entered with the bases loaded and threw two fastballs to Tyler Beaulieu, who grounded out to short to end Brown's 16-4 win. Pichardo said she has never had any problem melding with her teammates. She prefers just being one of the guys and not taking spotlight away from the team. She does, however, understand the magnitude of what she's accomplished, not just in college but also in summer ball. In 2023, she became the first woman to hit a home run in a summer league, connecting for Sag Harbor in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League. "It's important for inspiring the younger generation of female baseball players, give them some kind of hope, I guess, that if they want to play at the collegiate level, no matter what division, that door is open for them and it is possible," she said. Pichardo, who graduates this spring with a degree in business economics, has been able to capitalize on name, image and likeness opportunities as the most visible woman in college baseball. She's in her third year as an endorser for the baseball equipment and apparel company Warstic Sports and she has a deal with Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards. Once Brown's season ends, she'll turn her attention to trying out for the U.S. women's team that will play in the group stage of the 2027 World Cup. She has been a regular on Team USA since 2022 and pitched against Japan in the 2024 World Cup in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Pichardo said she's been grateful for every baseball opportunity since her father signed her up for a league in her hometown of Queens, New York, when she was 6. "He didn't have any sons, so I like to say I was his designated son," she said. "I've always been able to play at every level that I've progressed to, so there was never any reason for me to stop playing baseball just because I didn't see other women in the same space as me. It was my first sport, my first love and I knew I wanted to try and play at the highest level possible." ___ AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

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