Alexis 'Scrappy' Hopkins makes history as Atlantic League draft pick

Alexis “Scrappy” Hopkins made history on Wednesday when she was selected by the Kentucky Wild Health Genomes, a first-year franchise in the Atlantic League, with the eighth pick in the league’s annual Player Draft.

Hopkins is expected to become the Genomes’ bullpen catcher and is believed to be the first woman ever drafted by an American professional baseball team for an on-field role.

“I’m really excited for this,” Hopkins said. “About two or three years ago in one of my college classes, they said to write down a dream of yours. I was going to put down 'professional baseball player,' but I actually didn’t because I was like, ‘That’s never going to happen.’ But I guess here we are today, making a dream come alive.”

Hopkins played high school softball in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., before playing collegiately at Florida Tech in 2017. Her selection in the Draft followed the league’s two-day professional showcase.

• These women broke barriers in baseball

“Scrappy handled the pitchers better than most of the guys here,” said Stan Cliburn, a former Major League catcher and current manager of the Atlantic League’s Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. “There were guys throwing 93 to 95 [mph], and she handled it just fine. And she was really good at blocking and picking the ball as well.”

In a 2015 profile on Hopkins from the Northwest Florida Daily News, she said she earned her "Scrappy" nickname when she was 5, a nod to her effort on the field. Needless to say, the moniker caught on in a hurry.

Now she has another title: professional baseball player.

The Atlantic League's Opening Day is slated for Thursday, April 21. Hopkins and the Genomes will face the High Point Rockers at 6:35 p.m. ET.