Pichardo first woman on D1 baseball varsity

Brown University freshman Olivia Pichardo is making history as the first woman to make a Division I baseball roster.

Brown head coach Grant Achilles announced Monday that Pichardo made the varsity roster for the coming season as a walkon utility player, saying she had the most complete walk-on tryout he’d witnessed as a coach.

Pichardo was a pitcher and outfielder for the USA Baseball women’s national team and played club baseball in New York. She spent two weeks with the Brown program this fall, working out as a middle infielder, outfielder and pitcher.

A native of Queens, New York, Pichardo played varsity high school baseball at Garden School in seventh and eighth grade. The 18-year-old said it was “a surreal moment” when she was told she made the team during a hitters and pitchers meeting.

“I’m living out my dream right now and the ideal college experience that I’ve always wanted, so that’s really cool,” said Pichardo, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Mets on Women’s Day at Citi Field in August.