Siegal Will Throw to the Indians and the A”s at Spring Training
Spring Training, Arizona, Feb. 2011- Justine Siegal will become the first woman to throw batting practice to a Major League team when she throws to the Cleveland Indians (Feb 21) and the Oakland A”s (Feb 23) during Spring Training. To honor the memory of Christina Taylor Green, Siegal will wear Christina’s Little League’s memorial patch in her honor while throwing BP.
A veteran at throwing batting practice, Siegal is the first woman to coach first base in men’s professional baseball (Brockton Rox, 2009). She spent three years as the only female college baseball coach in the country (Assistant Coach, Springfield College, 2007-10). As the Founder and Executive Director of Baseball For All, Siegal is dedicated to providing opportunities for girls and women to get involved in the game of baseball. Siegal shares her objective behind throwing MLB BP, ‘I want to show that baseball is a game for all and that both boys and girls love this game. My throwing BP is proof that dreams really can come true.’
A Cleveland native, Siegal will start her historic BP journey with the Cleveland Indians on Feb. 21. Siegal will first throw to early camp Minor Leaguers, and potentially throw to some of the Major League players later in the day. Excited for this opportunity, Siegal shares, ‘I grew up wanting to be a Cleveland Indian. This is a dream come true.’ On the 23rd, Siegal will continue her professional baseball dreams and throw BP to the Oakland Athletics.
When Siegal throws, she will be wearing a baseball memorial patch in honor of Christina-Taylor Green, the 9-year-old killed in the Tucson, AZ shooting attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Christina was the only girl on her Little League baseball team and had her own dreams of baseball glory; she wanted to become the first woman to play Major League Baseball.
To prepare to throw to the A”s and the Indians, Siegal has been throwing to various colleges, including Northeastern University, UMASS Amherst, American International College, and Springfield College. Siegal has also been strengthening her arm with personal trainer Mike Zolkiewicz, a former Braves intern and current Highland Games world-record holder. Siegal would like to continue throwing BP to other MLB teams. Off the field, Siegal is a Ph.D. candidate in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Springfield College (MA) and has a 13-year-old daughter, Jasmine.
