I met Alyssa Nakken twice during her upbringing in Yolo County and later after she rounded the bases at a Sacramento State game.
She smiled big and dreamed big even then, once offering on her career ambitions as a softball star who especially digs baseball, "The sky's the limit."
She reached it, and then some.
Nakken this week became the first full-time woman coach in Major League Baseball history to work on the field during a game, manning first base for the Giants against the A's Monday night.
This was no stunt. Nakken, 30, earned her promotions. She started with the Giants in 2014 and was elevated from intern in the baseball operations department after a stellar four-year softball run at Sac State. Nakken was a three-sport star at Woodland High School., finding time to maintain a 4.0 grade-point average.
The NFL and NBA have hired women for coaching or front-office roles. The Yankees hired Rachael Balkovec as a minor-league hitting coach, the Cubs brought in Rachel Folden as an assistant coach for their minor league teams, and the Cardinals tabbed Christina Whitlock for a minor-league role.
Nakken has not been made available to the media since the season reboot but was a hit on social media. Giants outfielder Hunter Pence offered congratulations.
Nakken said during a media conference in February, "Coaching, I never saw it. I'm so excited to be in this role for the challenge and the opportunity to make an impact for this organization that I love. I'm excited that now girls can see there is a job on the field in baseball. It's really cool."
