Former Bulls Edwards, Nasti Breaking Barriers in Major League Baseball
4/25/2023 12:47:00β―PM | Softball
BUFFALO, NY β A pair of former University at Buffalo softball players will be seen on a different type of diamond in 2023.
Sarah Edwards and Bree Nasti are beginning positions in Major League Baseball organizations β and N.L. East division rivals -- this season. Edwards is serving as the hitting development coach for the Philadelphia Phillies' affiliate in the Florida Complex League, and Nasti as the New York Mets' affiliate development coach in the same league.
Both women are making an impact in a sport with few female coaches. In fact, Edwards is the first woman to have an on-field coaching position in Phillies franchise history.
"I'm contributing to a cultural change that will open more doors for women in baseball," she said.
Edwards spent her freshman and sophomore year at UB, hitting four home runs for the Bulls in 2016.
After college, Edwards embarked on a professional playing career that included stints in seven different countries and gained coaching experience overseas. She also competed at the national team level, representing Italy at the World Games and European Championship in 2022.
When the Phillies reached out to her last fall, Edwards was ready. Initially offered a data analytics role, she eventually earned an opportunity more aligned with her coaching aspirations.
"Playing for so long and at such high levels gave me the range of knowledge that I have of the game," Edwards said. "Living overseas gave me tons of life lessons along with an ability to relate to our international players."
Edwards said it's taken "a lot of blind faith" to get to this point.
"[These] decisions have all been huge pivots in my journey, and they were all gut instincts," she said. "I'm blessed to have had the softball career that I did and for all the greatness it's continued to bring into my life."
Nasti -- Buffalo's all-time leader in batting average and runs batted in -- made several coaching stops at the Division I level after graduating from UB in 2004.
Outside of an internship with the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies in 2011, the vast majority of Nasti's experience lay in college softball.
That changed in the fall of 2021, when she was accepted into a "scout school" program in the Arizona Fall League.
"I loved it. I learned a ton and I was exhausted when I left, but I knew right away that scouting was not a direction I wanted to go in," Nasti said.
While in Arizona, Nasti met Elizabeth Benn, who served as senior coordinator for baseball operations at MLB.
"She recognized that I probably have more of a passion for player development and coaching," Nasti said.
Benn helped Nasti get an opportunity in the Appalachian League, a collegiate summer league where Nasti spent last summer as a bench coach for the Elizabethton River Riders.
"I like change. I like to embrace it," Nasti said. "I like to find new challenging things to stimulate my mind."
Accepting the position with the Mets in February required Nasti to leave Providence College, where she had been coaching since 2018, in the middle of the year.
"Having been a part of the program and part of their lives, that was really, really tough," she said. "There was a moment where I was like, 'Am I doing the right thing?' and I absolutely think that I am."
Like Edwards, Nasti said she recognizes the women that paved the way for her to reach this level.
By Nasti's count, there are 19 women in uniformed coaching roles across MLB this season. As two of a select few, Nasti and Edwards have a critical role in shaping the future of the sport.
"Visibility is really important," Nasti said. "You don't really believe that you can be something until you see someone like you in that spot."
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Sarah Edwards and Bree Nasti are beginning positions in Major League Baseball organizations β and N.L. East division rivals -- this season. Edwards is serving as the hitting development coach for the Philadelphia Phillies' affiliate in the Florida Complex League, and Nasti as the New York Mets' affiliate development coach in the same league.
Both women are making an impact in a sport with few female coaches. In fact, Edwards is the first woman to have an on-field coaching position in Phillies franchise history.
"I'm contributing to a cultural change that will open more doors for women in baseball," she said.
Edwards spent her freshman and sophomore year at UB, hitting four home runs for the Bulls in 2016.
After college, Edwards embarked on a professional playing career that included stints in seven different countries and gained coaching experience overseas. She also competed at the national team level, representing Italy at the World Games and European Championship in 2022.
When the Phillies reached out to her last fall, Edwards was ready. Initially offered a data analytics role, she eventually earned an opportunity more aligned with her coaching aspirations.
"Playing for so long and at such high levels gave me the range of knowledge that I have of the game," Edwards said. "Living overseas gave me tons of life lessons along with an ability to relate to our international players."
Edwards said it's taken "a lot of blind faith" to get to this point.
"[These] decisions have all been huge pivots in my journey, and they were all gut instincts," she said. "I'm blessed to have had the softball career that I did and for all the greatness it's continued to bring into my life."
Nasti -- Buffalo's all-time leader in batting average and runs batted in -- made several coaching stops at the Division I level after graduating from UB in 2004.
Outside of an internship with the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies in 2011, the vast majority of Nasti's experience lay in college softball.
That changed in the fall of 2021, when she was accepted into a "scout school" program in the Arizona Fall League.
"I loved it. I learned a ton and I was exhausted when I left, but I knew right away that scouting was not a direction I wanted to go in," Nasti said.
While in Arizona, Nasti met Elizabeth Benn, who served as senior coordinator for baseball operations at MLB.
"She recognized that I probably have more of a passion for player development and coaching," Nasti said.
Benn helped Nasti get an opportunity in the Appalachian League, a collegiate summer league where Nasti spent last summer as a bench coach for the Elizabethton River Riders.
"I like change. I like to embrace it," Nasti said. "I like to find new challenging things to stimulate my mind."
Accepting the position with the Mets in February required Nasti to leave Providence College, where she had been coaching since 2018, in the middle of the year.
"Having been a part of the program and part of their lives, that was really, really tough," she said. "There was a moment where I was like, 'Am I doing the right thing?' and I absolutely think that I am."
Like Edwards, Nasti said she recognizes the women that paved the way for her to reach this level.
By Nasti's count, there are 19 women in uniformed coaching roles across MLB this season. As two of a select few, Nasti and Edwards have a critical role in shaping the future of the sport.
"Visibility is really important," Nasti said. "You don't really believe that you can be something until you see someone like you in that spot."
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