Rachel Balkovec: Ethnicity| Married| College| Softball

Rachel Balkovec (born July 5, 1987)[1] is an American minor league baseball manager and former strength and conditioning coach for the Houston Astros.

Rachel Balkovec: Ethnicity| Married| College| Softball

Ethnicity:

Balkovec grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. She has two sisters. Her father worked as a customer service manager for American Airlines, and her mother was a bookkeeper.

As a student at Skutt Catholic High School in Omaha, Balkovec played softball, soccer, and basketball. She initially attended Creighton University, where she was a catcher on the softball team, but transferred to the University of New Mexico, where she also played catcher. She graduated from New Mexico in 2009 with a degree in exercise science.

Married:

The New York Yankees are promoting Rachel Balkovec to manager of the Low A Tampa Tarpons, making her the first woman to skipper a team affiliated with Major League Baseball, according to two people familiar with the move.

The people spoke to the Associated Press on Sunday night on condition of anonymity because the club hadn’t announced the promotion.

College:

Rachel Balkovec is more than qualified for her new role as the manager of the Yankees’ Low-A Tampa Tarpons — a historical hire as the first female manager in affiliated baseball.

The hope among other women seeking a similar career path is that this is just the beginning. It’s fair to wonder if, given the Yankees’ historic hire, the optimism is at an all-time high.

Softball:

Former University of New Mexico softball player Rachel Balkovec made baseball history over the weekend.

The 2009 Lobo graduate was promoted to manager of the Yankees low-A club in Tampa, making her the first woman to manage an MLB-affiliated team.

The 34-year-old began her career in 2012 as a St. Louis Cardinals strength and conditioning coach. She first joined the Yankees organization in 2019 as a hitting coach, becoming the first woman with that job full-time in affiliated baseball.