History was made on Wednesday, 3 May, as two former international women's baseball players faced off on opposite coaching rosters in a Northwest League game between Vancouver Canadians and the Hillsboro Hops in Hillsboro, Oregon, USA.
Ronnie Gajownik took the field as the manager of the Hops while Ashley Stephenson was in the dugout as a position coach on the Canadians' staff to become the first two female coaches to face off at High-A.
Gajownik, 29, played softball at the University of South Florida. During her master's studies at Liberty University, Virginia, she started coaching softball. In 2015 she helped the United States win a gold medal in women's baseball at the Pan American Games. After coaching softball in 2018, she turned to baseball in 2021, when she signed for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
At the 2015 Pan Ams, Gajownik crossed roads with Stephenson, representing Canada.
An original member of the Canadian Women's National Team from 2004, the 40-year-old Stephenson played for Canada until 2018. She retired after leading her National Team with a .455 batting average, 10-for-22 with eight RBIs, to a bronze medal at the 2018 WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup.
"It is extra special," Stephenson said of having two female coaches in prominent positions on the same field in an interview with MLB.com. "It's exciting for us to have these opportunities, and we want other women to have these opportunities. There are more women out there who would make fantastic coaches."
"She has a great baseball mind. It's cool for her," Gajownik said. "Women are qualified [for coaching roles], so it's cool to look into the other dugout and see a ponytail and have it be attached to a female's head."
"She's in a leadership position as a manager; it's such a significant role on a team. To have a female leader is a further step for women," Stephenson added. "We understand that if we do a good job, that continues to open the door for other women."
The Canadians defeated the Hops, 8-1, in front of 1,011 fans at Ron Tonkin Field and is second place in the league (11-9) while Hillsboro (9-14) is in last place.
The Northwest League, founded in 1955, is one of the leagues Minor League Baseball (MiLB) rates High Class A.
Cover photo courtesy of MiLB
