Olivia Pichardo becomes first woman to pitch in DI baseball game

The first woman to play Division I baseball has achieved another, well, first.

Olivia Pichardo, who made history when she debuted for Brown University in 2023, became the first woman to pitch at the Division I level when she tossed a third of an inning and retired the only batter she faced in Brown's 16-4 win over Cornell on Saturday at Murray Stadium in Providence, Rhode Island.

Pichardo, a right-hander from Queens, N.Y., entered the game in the top of the ninth with two outs to face Cornell's Tyler Beaulieu. The senior threw two pitches, with Beaulieu grounding out to short on the 0-1 offering to end the game. It was Pichardo's first appearance of the season in any role and the sixth time she has played in a game for the Bears.

Pichardo first broke the Division I baseball gender barrier during her freshman season in 2023, when she appeared as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning of a game against Bryant. She swung at the first pitch she saw and grounded out to first. She's 0-for-4 in her career at the plate, but 1-for-1 in retiring batters on the mound.

But ultimately, the results don't matter nearly as much as her presence.