Genevieve Beacom (born 30 October 2004) is an Australian baseball pitcher who in 2022 became the first woman to pitch in the Australian Baseball League. Beacom made her debut on 8 January 2022 for the Melbourne Aces in a game against the Adelaide Giants. A left-hander, Beacom throws a curveball, an 85.9 mile-per-hour fastball, and a changeup, and stands at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m). Beacom stated she intends on coming to the United States to play college baseball for 2023.
| Genevieve Beacom | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: October 30, 2004 Melbourne, Australia | |
| Australian Baseball League debut | |
| 8 January, 2022, for the Melbourne Aces | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Biography
editEarly life and amateur career
editGenevieve Beacom was born on 30 October 2004[1] to her father Brendan.[2][3] Growing up, Beacom watched her brother, Sam Trend-Beacom, play baseball, and started herself playing Tee-ball at a young age.[2] Beacom played one year of softball, which she stated she "hated".[2] In 2018, she struck out seventeen batters in a youth women's competition.[4] She was the first woman selected to the Baseball Victoria under-16 team, and was the first female pitcher for the Victorian Summer Baseball League;[3] she pitched to a 0.00 earned run average in the under-16 tournament,[5] which consisted of the best 200 players in Australia.[2] She played in the 2019 Australian Youth Championships.[5]
Beacom signed with the Melbourne Aces of the Australian Baseball League (ABL) around 1 January 2022 as a development player[5] without pay so as to not interfere with her eligibility to play college baseball in the United States.[2] Beacom made her ABL debut against the Adelaide Giants on 8 January 2022 for the Aces, where she pitched one inning, allowing one walk and no hits as the Aces lost 7–1.[3][6] When she made her debut, she became the first woman to pitch in the ABL.[4][7] A left-hander, Beacom throws a curveball, an 85.9 mile-per-hour (MPH) fastball (as of May 2023[update];[8] most women baseball pitchers throw in the upper 70s for MPH)[9] and a changeup, and stands at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m).[2] Beacom stated she that intends to take a gap year for 2023.[9]
In January 2023 Baseball Australia invited Beachom to its men's under-18 national team camp.[9] She was a member of the 2023 roster for Australia women's national baseball team.[10] In the 2024 Women's Baseball World Cup, she went four for thirteen batting and pitched 5+1⁄3 innings with eight strikeouts. Australia went 2–3 and did not advance to the finals.[9]
College career
editOn March 22, 2024, Beacom committed to East Central College, a DII community college, to play college baseball.[11]
Personal life
editBeacom's brother Sam played college baseball for Lower Columbia College in Longview, Washington.[2] In an interview with MLB Network in January 2022, she stated her favourite baseball team is the Atlanta Braves, and her favourite player is Gerrit Cole.[12] She graduated from Flinders christian community college in Tyabb, Victoria in 2022. She stated she would like to study psychology at university in the United States.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Roster | Melbourne Aces". melbourneaces.com.au. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Waldstein, David (12 January 2022). "'Genevieve Is Pitching Because She Can Get Outs'". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c Axisa, Mike (9 January 2022). "Genevieve Beacom, 17, becomes first woman to pitch for a professional baseball team in Australia". CBS.
- ^ a b Bennett, Russell (10 January 2022). "Melbourne teen blazes trail as first female to pitch in Australian Baseball League". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ a b c "Genevieve Beacom Signs with the Melbourne Aces as a Development Player". Melbourne Aces. 1 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ "Beacom becomes 1st female pitcher for an Australian pro team". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 10 January 2022.
- ^ Sterling, Wayne (9 January 2022). "Genevieve Beacom becomes first woman to pitch in the Australian Baseball League". CNN.
- ^ a b Delahunty, Erin (6 May 2023). "Australia's baseball prodigy has a fastball that could take her to the major leagues". The Guardian.
- ^ a b c d Clair, Michael (17 August 2023). "Australia's two-way superstar Genevieve Beacom drawing Ohtani comparisons". MLB.com. Major League Baseball.
- ^ "Women's Baseball Update Emeralds 2023 World Cup Squad Announcement". baseball.com.au. Baseball Australia. 30 April 2023.
- ^ "Australian two-way fireballer Genevieve Beacom commits to college baseball". mlb.com. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ "Genevieve Beacom – the 1st woman to play professional baseball in Australia". MLB Network. 10 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022 – via YouTube.