PEORIA MAGAZINE May 2023

S P O T L I G H T

A LEAGUE OF HER OWN The Peoria Chiefs’ Christina Whitlock is the first female coach in the entire St. Louis Cardinals organization

BY LISA COON PHOTOS BY RON JOHNSON

C hristina Whitlock made history when she walked onto the field at Dozer Stadium on April 7, opening day for the Peoria Chiefs. The 48-year-old is not only the first woman coach for the Class High-A Chiefs, but the first uniformed female coach in the history of the St. Louis Cardinals organization. “It’s a great honor and opportunity to have a positive impact on these dedicated athletes,” Whitlock said. Gary LaRocque, assistant general manager and director of player

development for the Cardinals, said Whitlock brings a lot to the field. “Christina spent the 2022 season as a technology fellow with our Florida Complex League team, and is looking forward to the 2023 season now as a Peoria coach,” LaRocque said. “Her experiences and dedication to the game will be valued by the staff and players.” A former two-time softball All American catcher at the University of South Carolina, Whitlock helped lead the team to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship and the Women’s College World Series in

1997. She also was a member of the U.S. national team. She has nearly 20 years of softball coaching experience at the high school, college and international levels, in addition to a stint as the head baseball coach for Stars & Stripes Sports from 2017 to 2020. But her first love was baseball. COMPETING WITH THE BOYS “I started out in baseball, playing Little League with the boys when I was 8,” Whitlock said. Her family moved around a lot with the Navy, living in San Diego, Salt Lake City, Texas and Washington, D.C. She was 6 when she joined co-ed Pee Wee baseball and then Little League two years later. Her father, Scott Plew, a retired Navy master sergeant, recalls his oldest child’s natural athletic ability. “She absolutely loved the game,” Plew said. “Tina just didn’t start walking at 7 months old; she started running and never stopped. I started working with her on hitting and defense, and she was extremely athletic, very, very fast and very quick with her hands. For her size” — Whitlock stands at 5-foot-3 today – “she had tremendous bat speed and leg strength.”

Christina Whitlock played softball for the Gamecocks of the University of Southern Carolina

34 MAY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE