New Phillies coach Sarah Edwards a notable name during Women's History Month
Sarah Edwards becomes the Phillies' first-ever female field coach.
"Extremely prideful, of course." That's how 26-year-old Sarah Edwards, a new Philadelphia Phillies player development coach, described her feelings of being the first female on-field coach in franchise history. Edwards will serve as a hitting coach at the rookie level affiliate.
Considering that March is Women's History Month — and one of this year's themes is the "Power of Sports" — Edwards' achievement is fitting. The significance of her hiring wasn't lost on Phillies manager Rob Thomson. He explained as much to MLB.com's Paul Casella, saying, "Look, I've got two daughters, so anytime you include females in whatever business it is, I think it's great."
Having a chance to speak with Edwards, Thomson was impressed:
"" … she seemed very knowledgeable. It sounds like she wants to help players get better, and that's all we're looking for — knowledgeable people who want to help our players. She epitomizes that.""
- Rob Thomson on Sarah Edwards
Edwards' experience is not limited to the baseball (or softball) field. In fact, she graduated from Hofstra University with a sociology degree and a minor in philosophy. Bringing that knowledge of data analysis and critical thinking skills will pay dividends in her hitting development role.
In softball, Edwards was a top international hitter, says Casella in his article, and represented Team Italy in the 2022 World Games:
""The thing is hitting is quite a language, and there's also like a hundred ways to say the same thing … There are fundamental truths to hitting — but everybody has to try to fully encompass their role.""
- Sarah Edwards told Casella
What's interesting about Edwards is that she also worked as the Softball Recruitment Manager at Baseball Jobs Overseas, where she advised more than 300 baseball and softball players. As Edwards explains on her LinkedIn page, she had the opportunity to "mediate the connections and agreements between professional softball players and softball clubs in leagues around the world."
This is another area where Edwards' experience will greatly benefit her in this Phillies role:
" "Having been around the world, I feel I've been able to work with many different people from different cultures, different backgrounds, [and] countries of course. So, being able to bring that to the Phillies because we have a lot of international athletes here … so I think that helps.""
- Sarah Edwards told reporters
Edwards is also quick to note that it's not about her. She made her objectives clear saying, "I'm here to be a coach and I'm here to help the players." Her track record and skills certainly tee her up to make an impact on the Phillies' younger hitters.