Pro baseball’s first Black woman coach has deep local roots, was Texas Rangers intern
Bianca Smith made history Monday, becoming the first Black woman to coach in professional baseball.
The Boston Red Sox hired Smith as a minor-league coach, and she will work primarily with position players at the team’s facility in Fort Myers, Florida.
But her path in becoming a baseball trailblazer started in Tarrant County and included time with the Texas Rangers.
“I am so incredibly grateful for all of the support I’ve been getting!” the 29-year-old Smith tweeted Monday. “Of course none of this would be possible without the help of my family, friends, and the trailblazers who came before me.”
Smith lived in Grapevine and played softball at Colleyville Heritage, where as a co-captain in 2008 helped lead the Panthers to the Class 5A Region I quarterfinals.
It was there where she displayed a strong work ethic and dedication to fundamentals, said former Panthers softball coach Lance Stephens. Smith’s positive attitude was unparalleled.
“It’s a really amazing thing to see people that you dealt with and coach do what she’s doing,” Stephens said. “She’s knocking the block and breaking barriers, and she was always capable of doing that. She’s doing something that’s never been done.”
Smith attended Dartmouth College and walked on to the softball team her junior season.
After earning a law degree at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, she landed an internship with the Rangers in baseball operations. Smith also interned with the Cincinnati Reds, though with with more on-field duties.
Smith then landed at Carroll University in Wisconsin, first working as an associate athletic director before working with the baseball team as hitting coordinator and an assistant coach.
She will start her new job in a few weeks, putting an emphasis on translating how analytics can help Red Sox minor-leaguers.
Earlier this offseason, the Miami Marlins hired Kim Ng to become the team’s next general manager, making her the first woman to serve as GM of one of the four major professional sports leagues in the country.
Alyssa Nakken became the first female MLB coach last year, when the San Francisco Giants added her as an assistant on manager Gabe Kapler’s staff.
Now, it’s Smith’s turn to make some history.
“It just shows you people that do great work can rise to the top,” Colleyville Heritage baseball coach Alan McDougal said. “Here we are in 2021, gender isn’t going to keep you from rising to the top. For it to be linked to Colleyville Heritage, it just speaks volumes of the environment we have here in Grapevine-Colleyville. “
Star-Telegram sports reporter Brian Gosset contributed to this story.
This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 4:10 PM.
