Giants make history by hiring first female coach

Alyssa Nakken, who played softball at Sacramento State University, has been added to the San Francisco Giants coaching ranks, making her the first woman on a Major League Baseball coaching staff.

The 29-year-old Nakken joined the Giants as an intern in the baseball operations department in 2014.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler told the Sacramento Bee newspaper that Nakken would work with players on throwing batting practice and base running.

She is currently responsible for organising many of the Giants health and wellness initiatives.

San Francisco also added Mark Hallberg to the staff. Hallberg, 34, served as manager of the Class A Salem-Keizer farm team last season.

"Alyssa and Mark are highly respected members of the Giants and I'm delighted that they will now focus their talents on helping to build a winning culture in the clubhouse," Kapler said.

"In every organisation, environment affects performance, and baseball clubhouses are no different."

In her US college softball career, Nakken hit 19 home runs in 184 games with Sacramento.