Justine Siegal Hired By Oakland Athletics, Becomes First Female Coach For The A’s

Justine Siegal was recently hired by Oakland Athletics, making her the first female coach for the A’s.

The announcement was made on Tuesday, September 29, revealing that Siegal was hired for a two-week stint as a guest instructor with their Instructional League club in Arizona.

“We’re thrilled that Justine will be joining us for Instructional League,” A’s assistant general manager David Forst said. “She brings with her a wealth of knowledge and expertise from years of playing, coaching, and teaching the game, and all of our young players stand to benefit greatly from her time in camp.”

ICYMI: A’s invite @justinebaseball to serve as guest instructor at Instructional League. http://t.co/eITDdMSHvD pic.twitter.com/qnGKQZV727

— Oakland Athletics (@Athletics) September 29, 2015

Siegal already has experience coaching at the professional level. In 2009, she became the first female baseball coach when she served as first-base coach for the Brockton Rox, an independent baseball team, according to Sport Act. In the spring of 2011, Justine threw batting practice for six major league teams: the A’s, Indians, Rays, Cardinals, Astros and Mets.

Also in 2011, Siegal completed the Major League Scouting Bureau scout school and served as the co-chairperson of SABR’s Women in Baseball Committee. She also served as an assistant coach for the baseball team at Springfield College from 2008 to 2010.

“It’s a dream come true,” Siegal said by phone, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “The A’s are a first-class organization and it will be an honor to wear their uniform.”

Justine will be working with the A’s minor-leaguers from October 4 through October 17 at the Lew Wolff Training Complex in Mesa, Arizona. During this time, she will be assisting the A’s player development staff both on and off the field.

“It’s going to be a great two weeks,” she said. “I’m going to focus on being the best coach I can for those two weeks.”

“As a rookie coach, I expect to hit a lot of fungos, throw a lot of batting practice and help out wherever they want me to help,” Siegal added. “And I do like talking about life skills—I like to help people achieve their life goals.”

Currently, Siegal serves as the head coach and founder of Baseball For All, which is a non-profit organization that “fosters, encourages, and provides opportunities for girls to participate in baseball.” She also serves as the Chair of the Women’s Commission for the IBAF.

“We educate the public concerning the importance of providing equal opportunities and provide resources for girls who are told they are not allowed to try out for a school team,” the organization’s website reads.

The site adds that “Justine was honored by the Women’s Sport Foundation at their 32nd Annual Salute to Women in Sports Gala, named an espnW Everyday Hero, and USA Baseball nominated her for an IOC Woman of the Year Award.”

Justine holds a Ph.D. in sport and exercise psychology from Springfield College and an M.A. from Kent State University in Sport Studies. She earned her B.A. from St. Olaf College in 1998.

While Justine has not yet been offered a full time coaching position, Forst says they aren’t ruling it out.

“Justine knows that nothing has been promised, but we’re not ruling that out,” he said.

The NHL, as of now, is the only major professional sports league that has not had a female coach.