Hempstead, NY – Former Hofstra softball student-athlete Jen Pawol will make history this weekend, as she will become the first female umpire in Major League Baseball regular season history.

Pawol will umpire three games in the five-game series between the Miami Marlins and the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta, Georgia. She will umpire both ends of Saturday's doubleheader, and she will be behind home plate for the series finale on Sunday.

"This historic accomplishment in baseball is a reflection of Jen's hard work, dedication and love of the game," said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. "She has earned this opportunity, and we are proud of the strong example she has set, particularly for all the women and young girls who aspire to roles on the field. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my congratulations to Jen and her family on this milestone."

Pawol has been umpiring at the Triple-A level of Minor League Baseball in both the International League and the Pacific Coast League since 2023, and she was the home plate umpire for the 2023 Triple-A National Championship. Additionally, she has been a MLB Spring Training umpire for the past two years.

Pawol, who played for Hofstra from 1996 to 1998, began umpiring part-time towards the tail-end of her time at Hofstra. Following her college career, Pawol worked NCAA Division I postseason games, as well as Big Ten Conference games from 2013 through 2015. In 2016, Pawol attended the Minor League Baseball Umpire Training Academy in Vero Beach, Florida. She was selected for the MiLB Advanced Course, where the top candidates from The Umpire Academy qualify for further training. Her performance in the Advanced Course led to her assignment to the Gulf Coast League, now known as the Florida Complex League. In 2023, she became the first female umpire at the Triple-A level in 34 years, and she became the third-ever female umpire in a Spring Training game and the first since Ria Cortesio in 2007.

A three-time all-conference selection and two-time all-region honoree, Pawol played in 161 games for Hofstra and posted career totals of 169 hits, 109 runs scored, 102 runs batted in, 15 home runs, 22 stolen bases and 33 walks with a .332 career batting average. During her career with Hofstra, the teams posted a combined 110-51 record and a spectacular 33-3 record in North Atlantic/America East Conference play.