Umpire Jen Pawol is scheduled to make Major League Baseball history on Saturday. She is set to become the first woman to umpire in an MLB game when she takes the field at Truist Park in Atlanta for the series between the Braves and Miami Marlins.
What will Jen Powal’s role be this weekend?
Like minor league players who make it to “The Show,” the New Jersey native will live out her dream as she works the bases during Saturday’s doubleheader. She’ll go behind the plate to call balls and strikes on Sunday.
Pawol worked her way up through the ranks like most players and umpires. She was a three-time all-conference softball player at Hofstra University. After her playing career ended, she pursued her master’s degree and took teacher certification classes in Binghamton, New York. She missed being a part of the game.
“I wasn’t really satisfied,” Pawol said. “Coming off of a huge competitive career, just playing locally, I wasn’t getting my fix. And I remember looking at the umpire and being like, I think that’s it. I got to go for that.”
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How did she get her umpiring start?
The 48-year-old Pawol started umpiring college softball games and, after six seasons, attended an MLB tryout camp in 2015. A year later, she was in rookie ball and made it to Triple-A in 2023. She said umpiring is now in her DNA. In 2024, Pawol became the first female in 21 years to umpire games in major league spring training.
“I greatly appreciate everyone’s enthusiasm,” Pawol said after that first game. “Everyone’s welcoming attitude on the field tonight was just very, very special. Gentleman ran out, his name is Javier, he ran out early in the game and told me he has a daughter playing all kinds of sports, and it’s good to see you out here, so sure, sure it’s part of this.”
How long did it take other sports to hire women officials?
Her reception this weekend will likely be similar. Baseball has not been as quick as other leagues to bring women into the officiating ranks. The move comes 28 years after Violet Palmer broke the gender barrier in the NBA and 10 years after Sarah Thomas became the NFL’s first official.
FIFA employed a female referee during the 2022 World Cup, and the Premier League assigned a female referee to a match in 2023. Pawol has been waiting for the call since that first spring training experience.
“Anybody in baseball will tell you, you have to keep it simple,” Pawol said. “Keep working hard, put your all into it, get ready for the next day, so that’s all I think about every day, get better before tomorrow.”
How did a spot open up, and what’s next?
When Pawol umpired that spring game in 2024, she became just the third-ever woman to do so. She returned to spring training in 2025, and in between those appearances was placed on MLB’s call-up list.
MLB has 76 full-time staff umpires and uses fill-ins on crews for openings that are created by injuries and vacations. Pawol will go back to her job in Triple-A as a crew chief after the weekend series, hoping to get another call to the Bigs soon.
