A Melbourne baseball player just became the first ever female pitcher in an Aussie professional baseball team, in what is the definition of an incredible flex.
In a history-making game for the Australian Baseball League (ABL), Genevieve Beacom played for the Melbourne Aces against the Adelaide Giants last Saturday, when she was subbed in during the final innings. She was signed by the Aces back in late 2021 as a development player by the team’s coach Pete Moylan.
“I have watched this young lady develop as a baseballer from her junior days, including playing for Victoria and Australia, and doing more than holding her own against the top baseballers in the country and from around the world,” he told The Washington Post.
“If anyone thinks this is just a token selection, then they need to think again because she has 100 per cent earned her spot on the development list with the Melbourne Aces.”
Teams in the ABL have traditionally been compromised of just men, though it did grant four teams provisional licenses back in 2019 for a women’s league. The women’s teams played in a showcase last May and a Women’s Championship is slated for April this year.
At the moment, Beacom is the only woman playing in the ABL, not as part of one of the four women’s teams.
Genevieve Beacom Professional Debut Highlights
Seventeen-year-old Genevieve Beacom becomes the first woman to pitch professionally in Australia, recording a scoreless inning against the Adelaide Giants in the Melbourne Challenge#GenevieveBeacom #ABL pic.twitter.com/1YdGK6ar33
— Melbourne Aces (@MelbourneAces) January 9, 2022
Beacom’s been making waves in the baseball world for a number of years (go queen), having represented both Victoria and Australia at youth levels when, back in 2018, she became the first ever woman in the Baseball Victoria under-16 squad.
And – also super impressively – she’s the first woman to pitch in Div 1 of the Victorian Summer Baseball League.
Basically, Genevieve is kicking absolute ass in Australia’s basketball scene and she’s only 17. My 17-year-old self would have been deeply intimidated yet seriously in awe of her, which is the highest compliment I can give.
Speaking to The Age, Beacom acknowledged how significant her achievements are.
“I understand it can have a lot of impact, particularly on other women playing baseball.
“At times I think about what I’ve done, and that I’m proving all these people wrong. It’s possible for girls to play what people think is a men’s sport.”
In the future, she’s hoping to play for a college in the US and let’s be honest: any of them would be bloody lucky to have her.
