TAMPA, Fla. — Some people go to baseball games to cheer on their favorite team, or to take in the sights and the sounds.

For 9-year-old Lily Taylor, she goes to do her homework. She's been playing softball for four years and she is using this family time with her dad and brother to pick up some pointers.

“I like there’s action, action’s my favorite,” Lilly said. “And I like to see what I can do better in my game by looking at what the players do.”

But as much as she is watching the action on the field, Lily is spending more time watching the dugout. Specifically, someone in the dugout: Tampa Tarpons manager Rachel Balkovec.

“I’m looking at the coach because I want to be like her one day,” Lily said.

History can inspire the next generation, and that is what Balkovec is doing with her status as Major League Baseball’s first female manager. 

When she held her first news conference before her managerial debut, the 34-year-old said her status as a role model is one she doesn’t shy away from.

“I’m definitely highly aware of it, and it definitely drives my actions pretty much every day,” Balkovec said.

She didn’t set out to make history when she got her first job in baseball, but she knew if she wanted her dream job as a general manager some day, she’d have to work her way up the coaching ranks. 

A stint as a pitching coach led to her glass-ceiling-shattering job as a manager with the New York Yankees' low Class A affiliate.

“Just being honest about my strengths and weaknesses, and if they can’t respect that, I don’t know what they can respect,” she said. “So, it’s been hectic. It’s been learning a lot of new things, and also been a blast and feel as ready as I can be.”

Just five years ago, there were only three woman in Major League Baseball who had on-field coaching or player development positions. Now, that number has multiplied by seven to 21. That’s why Balkovec embraces her trail blazer role, knowing it could help those numbers grow even more.

“Many women have done many things before I got this role to make sure I could be here,” she said. “So if I say, 'I don’t want to do that or be a part of that,' it’s selfish. It’s disrespectful to the women who have come before me and it’s just a part of my job.”

Balkovec said representation is important — and now that a young girl like Lily can see it, one day, she thinks she can be it.

“I think it’s amazing because woman are finally getting more supported finally,” Lily said. “And it’s really good for the community to be equal.”