San Francisco Giants hire first female coach in MLB history

SAN FRANCISCO — Major League Baseball confirmed to ESPN that Alyssa Nakken is the first female coach in baseball history.

She was named an assistant coach for San Francisco Giants and will be working under new Giants manager, Gabe Kapler.

Nakken is a former softball standout at first base for Sacramento State who joined the club in 2014 as an intern in baseball operations. She and Mark Hallberg, who was also named as an assistant Thursday, will work to promote high performance along with a close-knit team atmosphere, according to The Associated Press.

Kapler, who expressed during the winter meetings that he would hire some coaches for nontraditional roles, said in a text message Nakken will be in uniform.

“Alyssa and Mark are highly respected members of the organization and I’m delighted that they will now focus their talents on helping to build a winning culture in the clubhouse,” Kapler told the Associated Press. “In every organization, environment affects performance, and baseball clubhouses are no different. That’s why in addition to assisting the rest of the coaching staff on the field, Mark and Alyssa will focus on fostering a clubhouse culture that promotes high performance through, among other attributes, a deep sense of collaboration and team.”

At Sacramento State from 2009-2012, Nakken was a three-time all-conference player and four-time Academic All American. She went on to earn a master’s degree in sport management from the University of San Francisco in 2015.

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