Kamekona, Gonzalez embrace role as pioneer female coach, trainer in Guardians organization

There’s a welcomed surge in the game of baseball, and Amanda Kamekona and Karina Gonzalez are happy to be considered pioneers for it.

Kamekona is in her second season with the Guardians and is the first on-field female coach in the organization as an assistant hitting instructor for the Akron RubberDucks.

Gonzalez is an assistant athletic trainer for the Ducks and joins Yuka Ogata of the Lynchburg Hillcats as the only females to hold that position in the organization.

“I don’t think there’s even a couple of words that I could string together to express how I felt about being hired,” Kamekona said. “I think in the most basic, easiest terms, I can probably put to make it relatable is that it gave me an extra boost of confidence. Like, ‘Wow. If all these people are so knowledgeable and good at what they do, if they believe I can do this and they care what I say, that I have a voice at the table, then it just makes me believe in myself more.’”

All interviewed for this story said they are looking forward to the day when gender is not a headline in a baseball, but they aren’t naïve about what the present means.

Last season, Kamekona was one of 43 female coaches regardless of level in Major League Baseball organizations. That number was zero in 2011.

Gonzalez, who was also hired by the Guardians last season, was one of about 50 athletic trainers in the game in 2023.

“I'm the first at the AA level for Cleveland, and I don't think it's fully hit me,” Gonzalez said. “I don't so much think about it that way. I think about it more of I try to do my job as best I can, and I am fortunate that the people that I work with believe in me enough to have faith that I can be at this level.

“It's kind of more of an accomplishment of this is the work that I've done, this is why I've done all this work. And now to be at this level, I don't much think about it as being the first female at this level, I just think about it as being an athletic trainer that was promoted up to this level.”

How Amanda Kamekona came to the Cleveland Guardians organization

Kamekona, 38, was an outstanding softball player for UCLA and Cal State Fullerton. The two-time All-American played in the Professional Xtreme Tour (2010-11) and National Pro Fastpitch League (2011-19), where she was a three-time national champion.

Kamekona founded and coached a junior Olympics-level softball team in Chino Hills, California (2020), and was the head coach at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente, California(2019-22).

She interviewed with Cleveland at the urging of friend Rachel Folden, who is currently the hitting coach for the Double A Tennessee Smokies in the Chicago Cubs organization.

Last season, Kamekona was in the Arizona Academy for the Guardians with Gonzalez.

“You see a lot of coaches in our organization that are from all walks of life,” Ducks manager Greg DiCenzo said. “Some haven’t played pro baseball. Some haven’t played in the big leagues. Some have played in the big leagues. Males or females, it doesn't matter. If you're really good at what you do and you care about the people around you and you're a really good teammate and have the potential to be a really good leader, this is a really good spot for you.”

How Karina Gonzalez came to the Cleveland Guardians organization

Gonzalez, 33, has a doctorate degree from Indiana State University, masters from Thomas Jefferson and Bachelor of Science from Sonoma State.

Like Kamekona, she hails from Southern California.

Gonzalez was an athletic trainer at Seeger Memorial in Indiana from 2020-22 before coming to the Guardians.

She knew her career path was either going to be in baseball or the military, so when Cleveland came calling it was a no-brainer.

“The Guardians are breaking the glass ceiling and putting themselves in a position to give more opportunities,” RubberDucks President and General Manager Jim Pfander said. “You see it at the minor league level with the players that they bring up. Now you're seeing it on the coaching side. They've been pioneers in the front office as well.

"It's inspiring to have from your parent club and to have the organization really being trailblazers and setting the table for everyone else to follow.”

Looking forward to the day where a glass ceiling doesn't exist

Alyssa Nakken has already broken the ceiling as the first on-field baseball coach for the San Francisco Giants (2022-present).

Sue Falsone became the first head athletic trainer in 2012-13 when she was with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I think at the end of the day, when you're really good at what you do and people who know you and are around you, gender doesn't matter,” Kamekona said. “People care. Can you help others be better and can you help them make it to the show? If they're at the show, can you keep them there?

“I don't think that athletes care if you're purple, brown, pink, a male, female, whatever. If you can help them accomplish what they want to do, the gender part doesn't matter.

“I don't think it's just in baseball that gender is a thing. I think it'll be a good reflection on where we are as a society where seeing women in leadership roles and in powerful positions isn't out of the ordinary. It's not just baseball where it's like, ‘Oh, she's a female coach.’ … I think that the day that we can look and just call coaches 'coaches' and athletes 'athletes' and leaders 'leaders' we’ll be in a good place in the society as a whole.”

Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians female coach, trainer continue paths as pioneers