Saint Elizabeth U. Welcomes First Woman To Baseball Team

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, NJ — When Alexia Jorge had shorter hair, she often blended in on the baseball diamond until opponents got a closer look. When she competes for the Saint Elizabeth University baseball team, she'll become the first woman in squad history and approximately the 16th female student-athlete to ever play college baseball.

Jorge's love for the game began when her father coached her and her older brother in tee-ball and baseball. Mom would cheer from the stands. During early childhood, her father asked whether she wanted to stick with the game or switch to softball.

"I said, ‘No dad, I want to play baseball,’" Jorge told Patch. "And I was 4 or 5, so it was just straight passion and love for the game."

The Lyndhurst High School product played every position at some point, but she fell in love with catcher at age 6 or 7. Jorge rose through the ranks and competed for her high school baseball team and the USA Women's National Team. The latter won the Pan-Am gold medal when Jorge was the youngest player on the roster in 2019.

"Wearing USA across my chest — everything about that experience — I can’t imagine anything better," Jorge said.

When Jorge looked at college programs, she felt welcomed by Saint Elizabeth coaches and players. Several athletes sat at a table and called her over, asking if she was there to play baseball or softball.

Baseball, of course, and they welcomed her immediately.

"I was already accepted, so that kind of helped me make my decision," Jorge said. "I didn’t really get that experience with any other program. Just knowing they already supported me playing college baseball made it an easier choice."

When opponents see Jorge with longer hair, they sometimes do a double-take. But then they see she can compete, and they play on. She also says everyone on her college summer league team was supportive, and she hasn't seen many shocked faces at the collegiate level.

But her presence remains unique. Saint Elizabeth University was a women's institution from 1889 to fall of 2016, when it went co-ed. Saint Elizabeth was among the first Catholic colleges to award degrees to women. But when Jorge steps on the baseball diamond, she'll show that the university is still a place for new women's milestones.

"I know what I’m doing, but at the same time, it doesn’t hit me yet," she said. "It’s just normal at this point. It’s something I do — wake up every morning, go to the baseball field, hit."

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