LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Lexington Legends and the Wild Health Genomes are welcoming their first female coach.

Lindsay Gardner is the newest baseball coach for the Atlantic League.

“I don’t wanna just go up and hit the ball hard. It’s not about hitting the ball hard,” Gardner said, as she explained a little of her Green Zone theory.

She said this is all the first step in her lifelong dream. She’s sought a professional baseball career since age 5.

“You know, standing in front of the TV and just taking swings while watching the TV while watching the pitcher,” Gardner recalled.

She spent a week in Louisville training baseball players, perfecting their craft at the Louisville Slugger Hitting Science Center.

“This workshop was one of the nicest labs I’ve ever been in, honestly. It is top-notch. It doesn’t get much– it doesn’t get nicer than this,” Gardner said, while she prepared for a round of players to arrive.

Gardner, 41, will start her coaching role as the Hitting Development Coordinator for both teams in April.

“They already know how to swing. I’m here to teach them how to think and help them improve their batting average and the results,” Gardner said. “Because it’s a lot more fun to be a 400, 500 hitter than a 200, 300 hitter.”

She knows a thing or two about baseball. She’s been developing and working on executing her Green Zone theory, which helps players hit smart, for some time now.

“I’m excited to go out there and show people the power gaps and teach them how to swing to it. [Be]cause they are mighty capable. I’m just so pumped about this,” Gardner said.

She also aiming to draw more young girls and women to follow a path in baseball.

“I hope that young girls can see the progress and see how many women are getting into pro-baseball, whether it be on the coaching side or in operations,” Gardner said. “Women are smart and this is a game that we can bring something to this game.”

Gardner also founded Just Dig In, a baseball and softball training company specializing in hitting mechanics and mindsets.

In April, she’s making a cross-country journey, driving from Los Angeles to Lexington, all the while capturing her journey on social media.