Listen, we know it’s tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day. Trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk just isn’t easy. It’s okay, though, we’re going to do the heavy lifting for you each morning, and find the things you need to see from within the SB Nation baseball network, as well as from elsewhere. Please hold your applause until the end, or at least until after you subscribe to the newsletter.
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You may not know who Sarah Hudek is right now, but you may be hearing a lot more about her in the future. Hudek is believed to be the only woman currently playing baseball at the college level, and last week she notched her first ever win for Bossier Parish Community College in Louisiana. If her last name sounds familiar, there’s a good reason. Sarah Hudek’s father is John Hudek, who pitched in the Majors for six seasons and was an All-Star in 1994. Sarah’s baseball bona fides are legit, and she showed off her talent and potential when she held the lead against Hinds Community College on Wednesday, striking out three in 2 and 2/3 innings.
Hudek may be the only woman playing collegiately this year, but she’s not the first ever. Several others came before her, the first being Julie Croteau in 1989. Most recently, Ghazaleh Sailors pitched for the University of Maine at Presque Isle, despite it being so far north that it’s populated primarily by moose. Hudek did accomplish a huge first just a year ago, though. When BPCC offered her a scholarship to pitch for their team last February, she became the first woman to ever accept a collegiate baseball scholarship. According to Hudek (who hates spiders and arrogant athletes, natch), her new teammates have been accepting. And while most athletes would be inconvenienced by BPCC’s lack of a clubhouse for showering and changing, for Sarah it means she’s not excluded — everyone on the team is in the same (stinky) boat.
This win continues Hudek’s two-year roll through the amateur baseball community. In 2014 she pitched for Team USA in the Women’s Baseball World Cup, and her 0.53 ERA (not to mention her .444 average at the plate) helped the team win the silver medal. In fact, her performance earned her the title of 2014 USA Baseball Sportswoman of the Year. Given all her accomplishments already, it’s not hard to imagine that Bossier Parish Community College may just be a stop on the way to a greater future for Hudek. BPCC is known for producing players who go on to compete in Division I and II, and 30 BPCC alumni have been Major League signees. She’s said that playing Division I baseball is her dream, so I bet this won’t be the last time we hear from Sarah Hudek.
- Baseball America has released their top 100 prospect list, so don’t forget to take a look and celebrate/complain about where your favorite prospects are.
- If you like Ken Griffey Jr. and NASCAR, today is your lucky day. The Kid has been named the honorary starter/green-flag-waver for the Daytona 500.
- Did you know that Joe Mauer has been suffering from post-concussion blurred vision for two years? Thankfully, he’s been symptom free for three months.
- Joe Panik has recovered from the back issue that kept him from the Giants lineup in 2015, and he’s ready to help lead the team to their next improbable-yet-predictable even-year World Series championship.
- The Blue Jays may have had a quiet offseason, but Bluebird Banter argues that one small move — acquiring reliever Drew Storen — was actually a huge difference maker.
- Masahiro Tanaka isn’t sure if he’ll be ready for opening day, but Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild thinks he will be. Who’s right? Only time will tell.
- A French newspaper has proposed that Montreal and Tampa Bay share custody of the Rays, an idea that is both creative and crazy.
- Bill Murray loves the Cubs so much that he wore these ugly Cubs pants while golfing at a Pebble Beach Pro-Am tournament.
