Aces’ Hammond Steps Into Gameday Operations Role Following Historic High School Season

By Peter Rainey

Jennifer Hammond is in her sixth season with the Alexandria Aces, but in a new role compared to years past. Over the past five seasons, Hammond served as an assistant coach on the staff of former manager Chris Berset.

Her tenure on the coaching staff included three runs to the Cal Ripken Sr. League Championship Series as well as the ball club’s sole CRSCBL championship title in 2022. Hammond’s winning credentials with the Aces added to a resume that helped her earn a role that made history earlier this year, becoming the first woman head coach for a varsity baseball program in the state of Virginia at Thomas Jefferson High School.

This summer, Hammond returns to the Aces as their Director of Gameday Operations. Her new role with the program encompasses the coordination of fan experiences for Aces home games, as well as managing the pre-game run-of-show from the ceremonial first pitch to the moment the players take the field.  This new role lets her use the summer months to decompress following an intense first high school season as TJ’s head skipper. 

“My heart is in the dugout. I love working with players [and] I love development,” Hammond said. “I’ve had the privilege now to work at two different high schools, both of which have given me the opportunity to work from the ground up. When the opportunity to stick with this particular group of players came up when my colleague retired, I was very excited.”

Hammond commented on the sometimes unwanted attention drawn from the historic nature of her new position at TJHS, understanding that it comes with being a pioneer within her field: “For me, it’s just going about business as usual and wanting to focus on the field, but also understanding that we’re at a point where that’s still a rarity, and it’s important for other girls and women to see that there are opportunities and that we do belong.” 

Hammond’s colleague, Rachel Worsham, was also brought on this year by the TJHS athletic department to become the first woman head varsity football coach in Virginia history.

“My colleague at TJ put it best,” Hammond said. “To paraphrase the sentiment [Worsham] shared, we recognize we’re the first, and with that comes the responsibility of doing a damn good job so we’re not the last.”

In 2023, Hammond made CRSCBL history, becoming the first woman to manage and win a Ripken League game. Hammond has served as an interim coach on two occasions for the Aces, filling in for then-manager Berset. She is 2-0 with wins over the Gaithersburg Giants and the Bethesda Big Train.

While navigating the loss of her father last year, Hammond described personal motivations to restructure her role with the Aces over the summer to have more time to focus on family. “My mom’s health is a little tenuous, and I wanted to spend a little more time with her bucket listing after we spent the last five years caring for Pop,” Hammond said. 

Instead of walking away, Hammond’s love for the Aces program gave her the desire to contribute in a new way. “I wanted to remain involved because the Aces are such a special part of my baseball journey and experience.” Her new role with the program encompasses the coordination of fan experiences for Aces home games, as well as managing the pre-game run-of-show from the ceremonial first pitch to the moment the players take the field. 

The Aces, now led by manager Brian Wirth,  hosted a “Girls & Women in Baseball Night”  on June 14 at Frank Mann Field during a doubleheader against the Southern Maryland Senators starting at 5:00 PM. DC Girls Baseball, a non-profit organization in which Hammond contributes to through coaching, is one of the presenting sponsors.

“I’m super excited that DC Girls Baseball continues to grow,” Hammond said. “We’ve got a couple of alumni who are going to be playing in the [Women’s Professional Baseball League] . . . and we’ve got girls that are playing for their high school teams and finding their home in baseball.”