San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler changed MLB history forever by hiring Major League assistant coach Alyssa Nakken to the coaching staff. Nakken becomes the first woman to be hired as a coach in the bigs.

At Sacramento State, Nakken was a four-time All-Pacific Coast Softball Conference selection for first-team (2012), second team (2010-2011), and honorable mention (2009)

With the Giants, Nakken worked on player development, producing, and directing several health and wellness initiatives and events.

“Alyssa and Mark are highly respected members of the organization and I’m delighted that they will now focus their talents on helping to build a winning culture in the clubhouse,” Kapler said in a statement. “In every organization, the environment affects performance, and baseball clubhouses are no different. That’s why in addition to assisting the rest of the coaching staff on the field, Mark and Alyssa will focus on fostering a clubhouse culture that promotes high performance through, among other attributes, a deep sense of collaboration and team.”

Nakken wasn’t the only woman considered for the position, the Giants also interviewed recently hired Yankees Minor League hitting coach Rachel Balkovec.

From the MLB to NFL, waves of change bring new opportunities for eager and talented women to shine in an industry once shunned to female professionals. 

What a time to be alive.