Jen Pawol

Jen Pawol
Pawol during a Triple-A game at Werner Park in 2024
Born1976 or 1977 (age 47–48)
West Milford, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma mater
OccupationBaseball umpire
Years active2017–present

Jennifer Pawol (born c. 1976 or 1977) is an American baseball umpire who currently works in Minor League Baseball. She is just the seventh woman to work as a professional baseball umpire.[1]

Education

Attending West Milford High School in West Milford, New Jersey, Pawol played soccer and softball, attending Hofstra University on an athletic scholarship and playing as a catcher in Division-I softball for the Pride. It was during this time that she began umpiring softball games.[2]

Before going into professional umpiring, Pawol was an art teacher. She is a graduate of the Pratt Institute (B.F.A.) and Hunter College (M.F.A.). During this time, she continued to umpire part-time in amateur softball leagues.[3]

Umpiring career

After umpiring softball games part-time for 11 years, Pawol decided to go into umpiring full-time. In 2016, she attended the Minor League Baseball Umpire Training Academy in Vero Beach, Florida. Her performance at the academy led to a spot in the MiLB Advanced Course which she completed in 2017. That same year, she began her professional baseball career in the Gulf Coast League.[4]

During the 2023 season, she worked at the Triple-A level in both the International League and the Pacific Coast League, and was the home plate umpire during the Triple-A National Championship Game. She was the first female umpire to work at the Triple-A level in 34 years.[5]

In 2024, Pawol became only the third woman to umpire in spring training, after Pam Postema and Ria Cortesio.[6] She was the third base umpire during a game between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals.[7] She will act as a crew chief in Triple-A during the 2024 baseball season.[8] In March, it was reported that Pawol was placed on MLB's call-up list for the 2024 season, meaning that she could be called up to the majors in the event a full-time Major League umpire is not available.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ Augustine, Gabrielle. "Pawol breaking umpire barriers". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
  2. ^ Heaphy, Leslie. "Professional Woman Umpires". Society for American Baseball Research. She played soccer and softball at West Milford High School (New Jersey) before getting a scholarship to play at Hofstra from 1995-1998. Pawol earned All-American honors as a catcher, hitting .332 with 102 RBIs. She umpired for fast-pitch softball as well as being an NCAA Division I postseason umpire. She also umpired in the Big Ten Conference from 2013 to 2015.
  3. ^ Heaphy, Leslie. "Professional Woman Umpires". Society for American Baseball Research. Pawol is also an artist. She earned her BFA from the Pratt Institute and then an MFA from Hunter College. When she was not umpiring in previous years she also worked part-time as an eighth grade art teacher.
  4. ^ Hill, Benjamin (June 22, 2016). "Pawol continues legacy behind the plate". MiLB.com.
  5. ^ Heneghan, Kelsie (September 30, 2023). "Female umpire Jen Pawol to work home plate in Triple-A championship". MLB.com.
  6. ^ Kreuz, Julia (February 12, 2024). "Pawol to be first woman to umpire MLB Spring Training games since 2007". MLB.com.
  7. ^ "Jen Pawol becomes first woman to umpire spring game since 2007". ESPN.com. Associated Press.
  8. ^ Rogers, Jesse (February 12, 2024). "Jen Pawol one call away from being first woman MLB umpire". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  9. ^ Axisa, Mike (March 15, 2024). "Jen Pawol close to becoming first female umpire in majors, placed on MLB call-up list for this season". CBS Sports.

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