In 1866, the Vassar Resolutes and Vassar Liberties formed the first women’s baseball teams in the United States. About 160 years later, Vassar’s baseball team is now home to Pitching Coach Beth Greenwood, the first American female catcher in NCAA baseball history and a member of the first Women’s Pro Baseball League draft class. Greenwood’s baseball career has been a story of steadfast determination and commitment.
Greenwood grew up in New Hampshire and attended the University of Rochester. While the college athletic recruitment process is turbulent for most, hers was uniquely opaque and challenging. Greenwood said in an interview with The Miscellany News, “When I was looking at colleges, there were less than 10 women who had ever played collegiately, and none had played my position.” Talking with coaches, Greenwood was hungry to let her merit and talent speak for themselves, but because of her sex, many coaches overlooked her altogether. Though many women play NCAA softball, NCAA baseball is open to men and women, but few women actually play. “There’s a lot of coaches that I emailed, and the second they saw I was a woman, there was zero interest. Or coaches would flat out say that’s why they weren’t interested before they saw any video. I mean, I don’t know, at least watch video and tell me I suck.” Greenwood ended up at the University of Rochester, where she tried out for the baseball team and eventually got cut during her first year at the school.
The softball coach was intent on recruiting her, but she had no interest. Softball simply never spoke to her. At that point, Greenwood was one of the top 40 women’s baseball players in the United States; the top 20 qualify to play for the World Cup team. Her dream had always been to play for the national team. She made a promise to herself to try out for the University of Rochester Varsity Baseball team all four years. Greenwood’s determination was steadfast: “If I got cut all four years, I owed myself that opportunity. Twelve-year-old me wouldn’t have been able to imagine that I would have been able to get to that point.” After playing on the club team freshman year and then on the Varsity practice roster sophomore year, Greenwood earned a spot on the team in her latter two years of college. Greenwood was the first female catcher to appear in an NCAA baseball game when she appeared as a pinch-hitter and catcher in a victory against Clarkson on April 25, 2021. Her ability to balance a degree in mechanical engineering with college athletics pales in comparison to the unrelenting drive to break into a space that she knew would not be easy to thrive in. Thanks to a strong support system from the coaching staff and fellow players, Greenwood found a spot on the team where she supported their efforts just as much as they supported hers: making the women’s national team.
After graduating from college, Greenwood got a job doing research and development with the Philadelphia Phillies, but she knew her place was on the field. One day at the Phillies’ facility, a handful of coaches had the day off while Greenwood was there working. She found her way down to the field, and a couple of players happened to need someone who could throw batting practice (BP) pitches for them. Of course, Greenwood had taken these pitches, likely thousands at that point in her career, but she had not thrown much BP. She seized the opportunity and found herself in with the players: “That’s kind of how I accidentally started coaching with the Phillies, because all of a sudden, I could do it.”
About a year later, still working towards her national team goal, Greenwood made the top 20 roster in 2023 and played in the World Cup qualifier year, where the team went 5-0. They then went on to get silver in the World Cup tournament.
After returning to the Phillies, Greenwood weighed her next steps. She knew coaching in the big leagues would be a challenge like no other, and she still wanted to play ball. The Phillies told her that she would have to decide between coaching full-time and playing baseball.
Greenwood pursued the Division III college coaching scene because it would allow her to continue working in baseball while keeping her summers free for international and professional competition. Her meeting with Vassar confirmed her interest in the institution: “When I interviewed here, I wasn’t sure if the college scene was what I was looking for, but then kind of meeting the players last year and the head coach [Tad Skelley] and I were aligned on a lot of things player development wise, and supporting me and what I was trying to do.” Head Coach Tad Skelley told The Miscellany News, “She [Greenwood] is exceptionally intelligent, has a tremendous work ethic, and quickly demonstrated how deeply she cares about our players and our culture. Her continued pursuit of a professional playing career also makes her highly relatable to our athletes, as she experiences the same successes and failures they encounter in the game of baseball.”
Within the team at Vassar, there was no ambiguity: Greenwood was as qualified and fit for her position as one could possibly be. Outside of Poughkeepsie, there was less support. “I know there’s schools that don’t always have the nicest things to say about me being hired, and they’ve vocalized that to Tad [Skelley].” Greenwood continued, “When I was younger, I felt I had to prove something, and I think all of us still feel that to an extent. Now I’m much better about ‘I’m just doing my job, and people are going to have things to say about it, and I’m just going to do my thing.’” Coach Skelley told The Miscellany News, “Externally, there have been some mixed reactions, but that’s beyond our control, so we’ve chosen to focus on what we can do collectively to move the program forward, which I know has been at the forefront of all Beth does.” Greenwood has been at Vassar for over a year and has been embraced by coaches and players alike. Pitcher Daniel Wellner ’26 told The Miscellany News, “She really understands how to manage a game and how to help pitchers make smart decisions in big moments. She challenges us every day and holds us to a high standard, and she truly makes everyone around her better. She’s one of the most fantastic coaches I’ve had in my life.” Fellow pitcher, Addison Lee ’26 added, “On the technical side, her knowledge of pitch calling theory that she gained through her catching experience is incredibly important to our staff’s success. She also provides the catchers with high-level drill work and mechanical help that was previously absent from their practice routines. On a cultural level, the success that she has seen in baseball has been inspiring to everyone on the team. We’re all super proud to have her as an integral part of our coaching staff.”
When she was interviewing at Vassar in December of 2024, there were whispers of a possible professional women’s league. She had discussed this with Skelley, who was in full support of her professional pursuits, along with the rest of the athletics department and personnel at Vassar. Strength and Conditioning Coach Alice Read welcomes Greenwood into the varsity weight room, where she continues to work towards her professional season, and Skelley is glad to provide flexibility for Greenwood around summer player recruitment.
In November, the Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) held its inaugural draft. The draft was six rounds, with the first three rounds of players earning guaranteed contracts. Greenwood was drafted to Boston in the third round, punching her ticket to her hometown team on a guaranteed contract. The league’s first season will feature four teams—New York, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles—and will be a four-week regular season starting in May with a two week post season.
Looking ahead, Greenwood will focus on preparing for her WPBL season with Boston as well as this summer’s tryouts for the national team. The upcoming women’s baseball World Cup will be held in Rockford, IL, at the International Women’s Baseball Center (IWBC). The IWBC is home to decades of women’s baseball history and will now be a viable site for international competition thanks to a donation of over $2 million from New York Mets owner Steve Cohen. Since she was a child, Greenwood had her sights set on professional baseball. In sixth grade, she wrote a poem, declaring her dream of professional baseball: “When you’re eleven, the world’s not so scary and you think you can conquer the whole thing.” For Beth Greenwood, while the world of professional baseball may have been scary at times, there is no doubt that she has and continues to conquer it. Having broken ground in the NCAA, played for her country, worked for a professional organization and now drafted to her hometown team, Greenwood is raising the bar with each step she takes. She told TheMiscellany News, “That little kid would be freaking out right now.” Well, just wait until that little kid sees what Beth Greenwood does next.