Bianca Smith has become the first black woman to coach in professional baseball history after the Boston Red Sox announced she was joining the club. 

The 29 year-old will be a Minor League coach after spending time as the assistant coach and hitting coordinator at Carroll University in Wisconsin.

“The opportunity is amazing. I’m still wrapping my head around it. I probably won’t really have it sink in until I’m actually there,” Smith said in an interview on MLB Network’s Hot Stove programme.

"I think it’s a great opportunity also to kind of inspire other women who are interested in this game. 

“This is not really something I thought about it when I was younger. I kind of fell into it being an athlete. So I’m excited to get that chance to show what I can do.”

She will start her journey at Red Sox working mainly with position players at the club’s player development facility.

Smith played softball at Dartmouth College before graduating in 2012.