‘It’s something I’ll never forget.’ Tigard alum Emily Paulson makes history as first woman to play for Portland Pickles baseball team

By Dan Brood 

Photos by Cameron Parker/Portland Pickles 

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Emily Paulson has had plenty of at-bats.

The 2020 Tigard High School graduate has stepped in the batter’s box many times as a two-time all-state catcher for the Tigers softball team and while playing for the Western Washington University softball squad.

But this at-bat was different.

This at-bat had Paulson both nervous and excited.

This at-bat brought the crowd to its feet — even before Paulson took a swing.

And, most of all, this at-bat was absolutely historic. 

Paulson became the first female to play for the Portland Pickles, a collegiate wood bat baseball team that plays in the West Coast League, when she stepped to the plate July 8 at Walker Stadium in Portland’s Lents Park.

“It was so cool,” Paulson said. “It’s something I’ll always remember.”

Paulson’s path to the historic at-bat began in May, when she applied for an intern job with the Pickles.

“I started in mid-June and have been doing that since then,” she said.

Then, a week into July, the intern got the call.

“That weekend, we had a split squad,” Paulson said. “The top players were on the road (playing at Cowlitz County), and the rest of the players were up here playing against the (Portland) Gherkins (a Portland Pickles affiliate) from the Wild West League.”

Everything seemed normal entering that series. But that would change.

“The night before, on Thursday, after the game we had a staff BP (batting practice),” Paulson said. “My boss, (Pickles general manager) Ross (Campbell), came up to me and said, ‘You might be playing tomorrow night.’ I said, ‘What?’ I thought he was kidding.”

He wasn’t.

“The next day, while we were setting up the field, Ross contacted me on the walkie talkie and said that he needed to see me right away. He told me to go suit up. It was totally spur of the moment,” Paulson said. “So, I suited up and met my new teammates in the dugout. I didn’t even get a chance to warm up.”

The game went on, and then, finally, it happened.

“The inning before, I was asked, ‘Are you ready?’ I was going to lead off the next inning,” Paulson said.

Before she was to lead off the seventh inning, Paulson got another surprise. One of the Pickles’ in-game promotions is that they award a “Sweetheart of the Game.” Paulson was that night’s Sweetheart of the Game, and Pickles on-field host Jeremiah Coughlan presented her with a bouquet of flowers.

Before her at-bat, Paulson said she received plenty of encouragement from her new teammates in the Pickles dugout.

“I was so nervous in the dugout, but everyone was so accepting,” she said. “That helped calm me down.”

After borrowing a batting helmet, Paulson, wearing uniform No. 15, stepped out of the dugout and into the on-deck circle.

“I just enjoyed the moment,” she said. “I started to get nervous, but then I told myself, ‘This is for fun.’”

Something then happened that also helped calm Paulson down — in an unexpected way.

“The crowd went insane,” she said. “They were so excited for me. I was just thinking, ‘Wow,’ and that helped put me at ease.”

The first pitch to Paulson in her historic at-bat was a ball. She took a big swing at the next pitch, but she didn’t make contact.

“I started laughing after that first swing. I thought I’d have more time,” she said. “The pitch got there so fast. But taking that swing gave me confidence that I could hit it. And my only goal was to put the ball in play.”

The next pitch, she did just that, smacking the ball the opposite way, to the right side of the field.

“I think it was a fastball on the outside corner. I saw it and hit it,” Paulson said. “I grounded to the first baseman. To be honest, it felt like I blacked out after that. But I remember thinking, ‘Why is it taking so long to get to the base (90 feet, as opposed to 60 feet for high school and college softball)?’”

Although she didn’t beat the first baseman to the base, Paulson had a big smile on her face at the end of the play.

“It was so cool,” she said. “Yes, I hit the ball, and I became the first female to play in a game for the Pickles at Walker Stadium. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

There were some unforgettable moments to follow.

After the play, she was congratulated not only by her Pickles teammates, but by the Gherkins as well.

“Everyone was giving me high-fives and fist bumps,” Paulson said. “Then, after the game, a little kid came up to me and I got to sign an autograph. Then, just last night (July 19), I was working at the game, and a guy came up to me and asked if I was the one who got the at-bat. I told him I was, and he said, ‘There are 10 little girls over there who think that was really cool.’”

While she might not have another history-making moment, Paulson is enjoying her summer working for the Pickles.

“I do about everything. I work at the merchandise tent, I’ve been the on-field host, I’ve been the (public address) announcer and I help with social media,” Paulson said of her internship. “It’s given me a lot of experience, and I’ve made a lot of great connections.”

Paulson also got to do an on-field postgame interview with Pickles player of the game Dalton Mashore following an 11-8 win at Ridgefield, Wash.

“That was really fun,” she said.

It’s all been part of an exciting 2022 for the former Tigard standout basketball and softball player.

Paulson just finished her sophomore year at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash. Her sophomore year was capped with her being named to the Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar Team for 2021-22.

“That really means a lot to me,” she said. “I push myself in school and hold myself to a high standard. I think this shows that I’m pretty good at time management.”

On the field, she played in 12 games for the Vikings, starting eight.

“I love my team and my coaches. There’s a great dynamic there,” she said. “I got to play more this past year. I’m really looking forward to next year and playing even more.”

Paulson, who helped Tigard reach the quarterfinal round of the Class 6A softball state playoffs as a sophomore before having her senior season wiped away by the COVID-19 pandemic, also got to celebrate the Tigers’ state championship run this past spring.

“I felt like I was part of it,” she said. “(Tigard star pitcher) Makenna (Reid) and I are super good friends. I know all of the seniors from this year, and they mean so much to me. I’m so proud of them, and Coach Pete (Kostel).” 

As for the future, Paulson seems to have that planned out.

“I want to do sports broadcasting, or I would love to work for a sports team,” she said. “Being a SportsCenter anchor would be my dream job. There was one time I wanted to be the next Kirk Herbstreit. I love college football.”

For now, Paulson gets to talk about sports, a lot, with her own podcast.

“It’s called EPSN (Emily Paulson Sports News), and it gives me an outlet to talk about different sports,” Paulson explained. “I do a lot with my dad (Kevin Paulson), and I did a podcast with a tailgating group for Ducks football.”

As for the rest of this summer, Paulson said she wouldn’t mind stepping to the plate again for the Pickles.

“I might get to do it again,” she said. “I’d totally be down for that.”