The New York Yankees recently made a huge step in breaking the glass ceiling that hinders many females in the world of professional sports from reaching their fullest potential. On Jan. 11, the organization announced Rachel Balkovec as manager of the Tampa Tarpons, the Yankees’ Low-A affiliate team. Balkovec will become the first female manager in affiliated professional baseball history. 

Senior and Yankee fan Jessica Torres was ecstatic when she heard this news. “It’s huge to finally have the first female manager in baseball, and it can help other girls who want to do that job pursue their dreams and find work in professional sports,” Torres said. 

According to a CNBC (www.cnbc.com ) article by Morgan Smith, “This isn’t the first glass ceiling the 34-year-old has shattered in baseball, either. The Omaha native has been a professional baseball coach for 10 years and has often been the first woman to hold different jobs within the sport.”

From the onset of her career, Balkovec has always been fighting for her talent and voice to be recognized on and off the field; however, Balkovec never minded having to work a little bit harder. “I had to do probably much more than maybe a male counterpart, but I like that because I’m so much more prepared for the challenges that I might encounter,” she said in an interview with the Associated Press (www.apnews.com). 

Junior Katie Straub, who played baseball when she was younger, remarked, “It’s so inspiring for little girls to see women like Balkovec and know that they can do that too one day.” 

After earning her master’s degree from Louisiana State University, Balkovec joined the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012. Working as a strength and condition coaching intern, she also had various other positions with a variety of teams. According to the YES Network (www.yesnetwork.com), “Balkovec’s other stops and experiences include various roles at Arizona State University, the Arizona Fall League, Los Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Winter League and a 2020 hitting coach position with the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League.”

This steady run for Balkovec did not last long, however. After her internship with the Cardinals, Balkovec was on the lookout for other job opportunities within the league. Although she was readily qualified, only one team came in contact with her, and they told her that the team would not allow for a female strength and conditioning role on their roster. In an interview with NBC New York (www.nbcnewyork.com), Balkovec said, “In that very moment, my level of naivete went from a 10 to a zero.” 

Change needed to be made, but not in the way Balkovec would have hoped. Encouraged by her sister to change her name to “Rae Balkovec” to appear more masculine, the Cardinals did eventually hire her back to their roster for a full-time position in 2014. 

Once Balkovec was allowed on that field, she never wasted another opportunity. After coaching with St. Louis for two years, she parted ways and joined the Houston Astros to become the first female strength and conditioning coordinator for their Latin American team. Every coach and athlete relationship starts with a good foundation of understanding, so she taught herself Spanish in order to understand her Spanish-speaking players. 

Balkovec’s reputation with the Yankees thus far has been nothing short of spectacular. This past season, she was named a hitting coach for the Florida Complex League (FCL). In addition to bettering their chances at the plate — the team leading the league in scored runs, home runs, OPS and RBI’s — the team placed third for batting average and on base percentage, fourth place in hits, and second place in walks and triples. Clearly, Balkovec has a knack for the sport, as she studied performance science at Driveline Baseball, a center that trains and collects data from numerous minor league players. Along with her interest in biomechanics, Balkovec’s research has allowed her to better analyze and improve the mechanics of a player’s swing, thereby improving a player’s chances of getting a hit.

As the glass ceiling seems to have been shattered with Balkovec’s new role with the Tarpons, freshman Sean Strohofer is hopeful that the trend of girl coaches and managers “will become more common within organizations.” Now as a manager, Balkovec has the task of coaching and getting to know her team. 

As the saying goes, when opportunity knocks, one should answer it; sometimes, even closed doors can be opened with persistent determination. With the career she has had thus far, Balkovec knows this truth all too well, as she told the Associated Press: “My mom always used to say, life’s not fair. So is it fair? No. Does it matter? No. You have to keep standing at that door banging on it.”