Women Baseball Coaches Make History

History unfolded on the university’s campus this spring when a pair of baseball coaches – Carol Laube of George Fox and Jacqueline Reynolds of UMass Boston – suited up for their respective teams. While not verifiable via NCAA records, Laube and Reynolds both believe it was the first time two women coaches competed against each other on an NCAA baseball diamond.

“I’m excited and grateful,” Laube said after the game. “I wouldn’t be a part of this historic moment if it weren’t for others taking a leap of faith and giving me a chance to coach.”

“A few years ago, many didn’t think it was possible for women to coach baseball,” Reynolds added. “This moment means a lot. It means a lot for the game and means a lot for young girls to see that, after they are done playing, there is still room for them in the sport.”

For Laube, becoming a baseball coach wasn’t about making a statement or blazing a trail for women in sports. It was simply the game she loved, and she wanted to be a part of it.

The daughter of Don Laube, a New York Mets scout and former minor league player for the St. Louis Browns, baseball was an integral part of her childhood. “Our home was a baseball home,” she says. “I spent many spring and summer days on or near a baseball field and loved everything about it.”

Today, Laube serves as the Bruins’ outfield position coach while also assisting with hitting and recruitment. She hopes her story can provide encouragement and belief to young women, as well as shape the men she coaches.

“When they see a woman on a baseball field, I hope it inspires them to know that anything and everything is possible – nothing is off limits to them,” Laube says. “And just as important is the impact I have as a coach on my players as young men and, perhaps, their perceptions of women’s roles anywhere in life.”