During Women's History Month, women are thriving in male-dominated fields.
Women are finding their place in the dugout and the front office of Major League Baseball. The Brewers organization has just promoted two women, one making MLB history.
Sara Goodrum grew up loving the game of baseball.
"I played softball, but my first love was always baseball, " recalls Sara Goodrum.
That love fueled her passion as a college athlete playing women's softball for the Oregon Ducks. Her skill and love of baseball led her to the Brewers organization. After four years, she became the first female minor league hitting coordinator for a major league team.
"As a whole, it's a demanding industry, like you work long hours, long days it's a long season, but when you love it that doesn't bother you at all," said Goodrum.
Goodrum oversees the development of all Brewers minor league players. She describes her job title as a manager.
"Making sure players progress is moving positively in the right direction, and if it's not, how can we provide better guidance to them to help them continue the developmental process of becoming a big leaguer."
While Goodrum is blazing her own trail, she is not the only female knocking it out of the park with the Brewers organization.
Recently, Theresa Lau was promoted to major league assistant athletic trainer and physical therapist. Her inspiration to follow her dream of working in the majors stemmed from trips to Shea Stadium.
"I always would watch the trainers go out to the field and the strength coaches stretch the players and [ told my dad ] that's going to be me one day," said Theresa Lau.
When it comes to how she is treated in the locker room, Lau says gender is not an issue with players.
"The players, they don't care they just know like if you know your stuff, they know that you know your stuff. And they'll gravitate to they want to work with the best," said Lau.
Now living her dream, Lau sees how her work is having an impression on the players that come through the facility for PT.
"They would text me like, 'did you see that? You see that home run? So, that to me is the most rewarding, just having a little impact on these guys' career."
The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport reports in 2020, 22 women had on-field coaching or player development roles. In 2017 there were just three women.
Sara Goodrum has this advice for any young girl wanting a shot at the big leagues.
"Reach literally past the stars and see where you land and you'll be pretty surprised where you land, but don't be afraid to fail, don't be afraid to fall. Keep believing in what you're doing, ask questions and reach out to people," said Lau.
Though it has taken the league 150 years to see more females in the dugout, on the field or running an organization - Goodrum and Lau are showing us that women can be represented in male-dominated fields and thrive.
