Inside Jen Pawol’s Life Off the Field — Is the First Female MLB Ump Married?

As the first woman to umpire a Major League Baseball (MLB) game, which happens on Aug. 9 and 10, 2025, it’s no surprise that fans of the sport want to know more about Jen Pawol, the trailblazer shattering barriers many thought would never fall.

But if you’ve been paying attention to her career, then you’d know she’s been on track for this moment for a while — it was only a matter of time before it happened.

Since she was a little girl, Pawol had her sights set on playing baseball. But growing up in the 1980s (she was born in 1976), softball was the next best thing available to girls, according to Britannica.

So, over the years, she forged her own trail through the sport, eventually carving out a career as an umpire. While her accomplishments could fill a book, today we’re focusing on Pawol’s personal life, including whether she’s married or has kids.

Jen Pawol’s career in baseball is an open book, but the same can’t be said for her personal life. While it’s not entirely clear if Pawol is married, the lack of any documented relationship makes it safe to assume she isn’t. Instead, she seems fully committed to the sport of baseball.

And Pawol’s strong dedication to it may be exactly what helped her make history in 2025.

“Umpiring is for me. It's in my DNA. It's been a long, hard journey to the top here. But I just love the camaraderie with my crew, with the fellow umpires. I love the travel. I love working out. There's so many similarities being an athlete and an umpire, and I never have to leave the field when I'm umpiring,” Pawol told MLB.

With no spouse in the picture or any reports of a relationship, it’s also safe to assume Pawol doesn’t have children.

It seems Pawol has spent her life working toward becoming the first female umpire in MLB, even if she did take a few detours along the way. Baseball was a big part of her childhood. It was always on the TV at home, and during her time at West Milford High School in New Jersey, she earned recognition as an all-state athlete in both softball and soccer.

But it was playing catcher in softball that caught the attention of Hofstra University, where she earned a scholarship. She also played on the USA Baseball Women’s National Team before attending Hunter College, where her priorities shifted. In 2005, she graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in painting, according to Britannica.

She even taught art in New York for a period of time, which made her career path a little less clear.

Still, she continued umpiring, and the career-defining moment came when MLB umpire Ted Barrett invited her to a free day at MLB umpiring camp. (During all this time, there’s been no mention of a partner or romantic relationship.) After that day, she decided to leave teaching art and fully commit to umpiring, eventually making her professional debut in 2016.

Fast forward to August 2025, and Pawol has become a historic figure, umpiring the Aug. 9 and 10 Marlins vs. Braves series in Atlanta.