The first woman to play Division I baseball has found her new home to begin her collegiate softball career.Former Brown baseball player Olivia Pichardo is transferring to the California Golden Bears, the program announced with a press release on Monday"We are really excited to welcome Olivia to our program," Cal head coach Steve Singleton said. "She is an elite athlete for our game who brings a great combination of speed, strength, arm strength and bat speed to a new sport. Her experience playing baseball her entire life will bring some intangibles to our team that will be helpful for the group. Her story is one that is fun to be a part of and we see her ability translating on the field this year."— Cal Softball (@CalSB) June 15, 2026Pichardo has never played organized softball before, but if there is anyone who can work with a baseball player, it is Singleton.Before joining the Texas Longhorns in 2019, Singleton spent most of life in baseball. He played collegiately at San Diego for three years before entering the MLB draft in 2006, when he was selected in the 11th round by the Minnesota Twins. He played 654 career games from rookie to AAA as a middle infielder.After Singleton finished playing in 2016, he transitioned to coaching. He crossed over to softball in 2019 after spending spring training with the Twins, working with hitters, infielders and outfielders."I'm super excited to start my softball career playing in the ACC at Cal," Pichardo said. "I'm excited to have the Bay Area as my new home and help brings some wins to a brand new ballpark with a great group of girls."Pichardo, a right-hander from Queens, N.Y., appeared in six games for the Bears – one as a pitcher, and five as a pinch hitter. She finished her career 0-for-4 at the plate with a hit-by-pitch and a run scored. On the mound, she retired the only batter she faced on two pitches.Olivia Pichardo makes history as the first woman to pitch in a NCAA DI game, closing out a victory for Brown University! pic.twitter.com/2dSdiWZCSA— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) April 26, 2026The right-hander wasn't always focused on pitching. When she first arrived as a freshman, she was an outfielder. She made one appearance in right field during her collegiate career and caught two fly balls. As a senior, Pichardo's main focus was pitching. She had not appeared in a game all season until April 25 against Cornell. She entered the game with the bases loaded and threw two fastballs to Tyler Beaulieu, who grounded out to short to end the game and secure a 16-4 victory for the Bears.Pichardo has been a member of the United States Women’s National Baseball Team since 2022.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow