Genevieve Beacom becomes first woman to play professional baseball in Australia
Genevieve Beacom made history with the Melbourne Aces on Saturday. With her appearance against the Adelaide Giants, Beacom became the first woman to play professional baseball in Australia.
Beacom, 17, entered the contest with the Aces trailing by four in the sixth inning. The leadoff hitter reached base against Beacom, but she managed two groundouts against the next two batters. A walk put another runner on base, but Beacom erased the threat with a flyout to end the scoreless inning.
Genevieve Beacom makes history in her debut as the first woman to play for a professional baseball team in Australia! pic.twitter.com/SFAVGRzmO6
— Melbourne Aces (@MelbourneAces) January 8, 2022
Just like that, Beacom has a 0.00 ERA in the Australian Baseball League. Despite Beacom's promising debut, the Aces lost the contest 7-1.
After the contest, Beacom spoke about her historic appearance, encouraging other young women to keep pursuing their dreams.
Seventeen-year-old Genevieve Beacom speaks on her professional debut with the Aces as the first women pitcher to pitch for a professional baseball team in Australia #GenevieveBeacom pic.twitter.com/YF1qNbYCit
— Melbourne Aces (@MelbourneAces) January 8, 2022
"If anyone tries to push you to do something you don't want to do, push you to softball or play a sport that you 'should' be playing, don't listen," Beacom said. "Do what you want to do and just know that if you work hard enough, you can definitely make it somewhere. It's not impossible. You can see it can be done."
Genevieve Beacom joined Aces in January
Beacom's debut comes days after she signed with the Aces as a developmental player Jan. 1. Beacom, a lefty, features a fastball and curveball. She managed to pick up a whiff during her appearance.
Genevieve Beacom, Pitching for the Melbourne Aces. pic.twitter.com/Pb6ZQSGS06
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) January 8, 2022
Prior to signing with the Aces, Beacom pitched in the Victorian Summer Baseball League, according to the Washington Post. Beacom wants to play baseball for a college in the United States in 2023, and hopes developing with the Aces will help her reach that goal.
