Penn State women’s volleyball head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley will throw the ceremonial first pitch at the Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals game on June 8 at Rate Field. The Chicago native will be returning to her hometown for the first time since she became the first female head coach to win the women’s volleyball NCAA Championship.

Despite announcing last October that she was diagnosed with breast cancer, Schumacher-Cawley kept coaching the Nittany Lions throughout the season. In the process, her team finished with a record of 35-2, ending with its eighth national championship in program history. This led to her signing a contract extension with the team through 2030.

After a six-month battle with breast cancer, Schumacher-Cawley announced in February that she rang the bell, which signifies that she completed her chemotherapy. In April, she was named an ambassador for the V Foundation for Cancer Research where it will work to help promote the importance of cancer research and find a cure.

Now, she will throw the first pitch at a Chicago White Sox game on June 8 before her team opens the season in the AVCA First Serve Event against Creighton on August 23.