Sara Goodrum has had several months to process everything.
She was told in October 2020 that she would become the Milwaukee Brewers’ minor league hitting coordinator, the first female to hold that position in major league history. The Brewers officially announced the promotion in January 2021.
Growing up, Goodrum said sports were her identity. In her last year as a Duck, she wanted to make an impact off the field as much as she did on it.
As a Human Physiology major at Oregon, she loved the integration of the human body and sports. She became an undergraduate research assistant at the Bowerman Sports Science Clinic and furthered her education at the University of Utah where she earned a Masters Degree in Exercise and Sports Science. She then had the golden opportunity to intern for the Brewers in 2017 as a sports science intern. She also played for the Ducks in 2012-2014 as an outfielder for three years. She appeared in 33 games her junior year and batted .200 with 13 runs scored in her three starts.
“When I graduated from Oregon, I felt like I was in a really good place to move forward after sports, which is a really hard thing for some people to do,” Goodrum saidtold the Daily Emerald.
Her natural interest in the human body combined with her love of baseball came to fruition when the Brewers offered her a full-time position as Coordinator for Integrative Sports Performance. Now, three years later, she joins a handful of other females in groundbreaking coaching positions in the MLB.
The Boston Red Sox’s Bianca Smith is set to begin her position as minor league coach this season, making her the first Black female to do so. In 2019, the New York Yankees hired Rachel Balkovec as a minor league hitting coach and the first female to be employed by an MLB organization.
“The most exciting thing is that I never would have sat here and thought that I’d be doing what I’m doing now, but I’m able to do it because of the other people that came before me,” Goodrum said.
Goodrum said she looked up to women such as Kim Ng, who was recently named general manager of the Miami Marlins — one of the top positions in all of sports. Both Ng and Goodrum are on a path for females in professional baseball roles.
“When that happened, for me it made me realize that what I’m doing right now can impact the next generation coming up, along with every other woman in sports that is breaking glass barriers now,” she said.
Since entering MLB, Goodrum said she intends on making an impact on these young athletes who are trying to make their major league roster dreams come true. After Goodrum talked with a 17-year-old player who had never been to the United States before, she said she realized she could contribute to helping these young prospects accomplish their dreams and make an impact on young players’ lives and careers.
“It fills my cup every single day knowing that I can be providing good information, helping people achieve lifelong dreams from when they were just kids, to making it to a major league roster is something incredibly exciting for me,” Goodrum said.
Even though she’s making league history, this is just a stepping stone in her career. Goodrum said she wants to push into higher positions and urges the next generation to shatter more glass ceilings and barriers.
“There are so many good people in baseball,” she said. “I have come across incredible people that have impacted my life through baseball. Being able to find those people that value your opinions, you can get their perspectives and they’re willing to open up and listen to you is super important.”
As she started moving up in her career, Goodrum reminded herself of a saying she learned while playing at Oregon: Be comfortable being uncomfortable.
“For me, if I’m a little uncomfortable in certain situations, then I’m in a good place and I’m growing in what I’m doing,” she said. “You have to advocate for yourself, you have to be confident, believe in who you are and what you bring to the table.”
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