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We continue our list of the Top 15 Softball Stories of 2021, which will run through December 31st when we’ll present our No. 1 story of the year.
Here are the previous stories (clink on link to read):
- #15… FAU’s Riley Ennis Feels Her Team’s Support After Hurricane Devastation
- #14… Four Football Helmets, One Anonymous Bidder, and a Difference Made for ULM Softball
- #13… High School & Club Coaching Great Mark Campbell Remembered in Collegiate Classic Bearing His Name
- #12… TV Ratings Continue to Climb – & Viewership Records Set – on Softball Telecasts
Also, on New Year’s Day 2023, we’ll list all 15 of the top stories of the year as well as run 15 more that were considered.
We’ve surveyed the softball community and talked internally as well to come up with what were the most impactful and relevant stories of the year pertaining to the world of fastpitch softball.
Where applicable, we are providing the text to the original articles and/or references when the story first happened.
- Click Here to see the Top 15 Stories of 2021
- Click Here to see the Top 15 Stories of 2020
- Click Here to see the Top 15 Stories of 2019
- Click Here to see the Top 15 Stories of 2018
To provide comments, insights or thoughts, email: [email protected].
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Today’s Story of the Year: #11:
Former Softball Catcher Rachel Balkovec to Become First Minor League Baseball Manager
Rachel Balkovec spent a decade in professional baseball before 2022; she worked in the rookie league, she was the first full-time female strength coach in the minor leagues, and she spent four years in the Houston Astros’ organization before joining the New York Yankees.
Already a trailblazer for women in baseball, the former college softball player made new history in January when she was named the manager of the Tampa Tarpons, a minor league affiliate of the Yankees.
In April, she won her first game as the Tarpons’ manager. She led the club to a 61-67 record in her first season.
Balkovec’s tenure as the first MiLB manager was the latest in a series of hires across professional baseball that have encompassed Major and Minor League coaching staffs, as well as analysis, conditioning, and front office personnel.
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TV Ratings: Former Softball Catcher Rachel Balkovec to Become First Minor League Baseball Manager
Originally published Jan 9, 2022 on Extra Inning Softball
Former college softball player Rachel Balkovec is set to be named the manager of the Tampa Tarpons, according to a report from The Athletic on Sunday night.
With the appointment, Balkovec will become the first woman to manage a minor league baseball team. The Tarpons are the Low-A affiliate of the New York Yankees.
Balkovec began her career in professional baseball in 2012 as a strength & conditioning coach for a minor league team, on a temporary assignment. She earned the Appalachian League’s award for Strength Coach of the Year and later assumed the role on a full-time basis. She went on to serve in a variety of strength & conditioning roles for the next few years.
In November 2019, Balkovec joined the Yankees organization as an assistant hitting coach. She has spent the last two seasons within the Yankee organization.
A former college softball catcher, Balkovec began her career at Creighton before transferring to New Mexico to finish her playing days. She graduated from UNM in 2009 and later worked with the LSU softball program while receiving her Master’s degree in kinesiology.