MLB Trailblazer, Justine Siegal

Welcome back to Mad Props!

This time we are joined by baseball trailblazer Justine Siegal as she talks about her story of coming into baseball, what it took for her to break down the barriers of gender in baseball, her foundation, and more! 

About Justine Siegal - 

When she was 13, Justine's coach told her that girls are only supposed to play softball - not baseball. At that moment, she vowed she’d never quit.  At the age of 16, she set her sights on becoming a college baseball coach.  Despite being ridiculed, laughed at, and told no man would ever listen to a woman on the baseball field, she worked toward her goal, growing even more determined to realize her dream.

After earning her Ph.D. in sports psychology from Springfield College, Justine became the first woman to coach for a Major League Baseball Organization (Oakland Athletics, 2015) and to throw batting practice to an MLB team during Spring Training (Cleveland Indians, 2011). In 2016, she served as Mental Performance Coach for Team Israel at the MLB World Baseball Classic Qualifier. She served as a guest pro baseball coach in Japan and Mexico (2019). Justine is currently the Baseball Coordinator for the tv show, A League of Their Own.

Justine is giving back to the next generation with Baseball For All, a nonprofit she founded to provide opportunities for girls to play, coach, and lead in baseball. She is an inductee of the National Women's Sports Museum and has been named as an Everyday Hero by ESPNW. USA Baseball nominated her as an IOC Woman of the Year.  Her A's jersey is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and her baseball card is in Topps' 2020 Allen & Ginter collection. Justine is the proud mother of a fiercely independent and joyful 23-year-old.

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