The new manager of the Hillsboro Hops, the High A affiliate for the Diamondbacks, is paving a path for women in the game.
Ronnie Gajownik, fresh off a season coaching in Double A and the Arizona Fall League, and one of only 11 women coaches in pro baseball, was cleaning her blinds one day in October when the phone rang. It was Josh Barfield, the Diamondbacks’ farm director.
After exchanging greetings, Barfield told her, “We want to talk to you about next season. So, we’d like you to be in Hillsboro ... wait. Hold on.