Cleveland Guardians hire female minor league hitting coach
By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Guardians have hired the first female on-field coach in club history. Amanda Kamekona, a former star softball player at UCLA, has been hired as a hitting instructor for the team. She will be based at the team’s year-round complex in Goodyear, Arizona, where she’ll work mostly with the team’s minor league players. The 36-year-old’s hiring continues a trend throughout Major League Baseball of teams adding female coaches to their staffs. The Guardians have had women coach mental skills, but have never previously had a female instructor working with players on the field.