Women’s History Month Spotlight: Luisa Gauci

In an offseason filled with countless roster moves, trades and acquisitions, the Brewers made one of the most important hires in baseball when they added Luisa Gauci to their Minor League coaching staff.

Gauci, just 23-years-old, is already making waves as the first female coach at an affiliate in the organization's history.

As we conclude Women’s History Month, we shine a spotlight on our very own Minor League Hitting Coach, Luisa Gauci.

Journey to the Bigs

Gauci, a native of Australia, began her baseball career the same way many do, with an intense passion for the game.

“I just started showing up every single day at the field and whoever would be practicing, I’d be practicing with them, to the point they’d have to kick me off the field for me to not show up,” said Gauci.

It’s that relentless mindset that netted Gauci’s first collegiate baseball opportunity. While subbing into a scrimmage between Queensland and an American squad, she met her first collegiate coach by chance, and he offered her a scholarship to play summer baseball shortly after meeting.

Gauci then navigated life between three schools, training and a full-time internship with Driveline Baseball, an innovative data-driven baseball player development organization where she honed in on her constraints-led coaching philosophy she hopes to bring to the table for the Brewers.

Growing the Game for Women

Among a growing number of female leaders throughout MLB organizations, Gauci credits Staten Island FerryHawks Pitcher Kelsie Whitmore and Marlins Director of Player Development Rachel Balkovec as two of her biggest role models.

“I was 18, I remember seeing Rachel [Balkovec] for the first time...and I kind of ran to her,” Gauci said. “She ended up living with me when I was in Seattle for a few months, and she’s just been a huge role model in my life.”

Like those who she looks up to, Gauci’s become a trailblazer with the creation of a 20-80-grade scouting scale she developed specifically for women’s baseball.

“I created it because I wanted to have a better understanding for all women development wise to see what we can actually get to because there’s nothing out there, it’s really frustrating,” said Gauci. “I am one of the best women in the state and you just keep telling me I’m not because you’re comparing me to a twenty-hundred other people that are all dudes.”

She was able to provide her data to prospective schools she was applying to, paving a role for herself on collegiate baseball rosters and helping coaches understand the value she can bring to the field, proving her work to be a strong tool for women in baseball.

Trailblazer in the Brewers Organization

Years of playing, coaching and studying led to Gauci being named hitting coach for one of the Brewers Arizona Complex League affiliates in January – the first female coach at an affiliate in the organization's history.

Calling back to her roots, Gauci is most excited to bring her data-driven approach to the game she loves in her first season with the club.

But she doesn’t want to be known as a trailblazer; she wants to be among known among the hundreds of women who excel in the Brewers organization.

“I’ve just been really lucky to come after such motivational women who have opened the doors for other girls like me,“ said Gauci. “I don’t think it should be bucketed at all. Women who are good at their job are going to make it in any space they want.”

Luisa Gauci may be in just her first season with the club, but the impact she brings on and off the field is already immeasurable to women in sports.