Dr. Justine Siegal PhD
1st Woman to Coach Pro Baseball
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 PhD in Sport Psychology from Springfield College, Justine became the first woman to coach for a Major League Baseball Organization (Oakland Atheltics, 2015) and to throw batting practice to a MLB team during Spring Training (Cleveland Indians, 2011).
Now, 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. Her jersey is now hanging in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. She is also a proud mom of a happy and fiercely independent 20-year old daughter.