On October 21, the Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL) made groundbreaking news in the women’s sports world, announcing the first four inaugural teams. The announcement included teams based out of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and rivals in Boston and New York City. If you thought Boston fans couldn’t find another reason to argue with New Yorkers, you thought wrong. With the projected success of the league, there are hopes to eventually expand to six, then eight teams within the league.
The league was founded in 2024 by former Major League Baseball coach Justin Siegel, with the goal of building a league to further women’s baseball. The season will be played during the summer, with a 4-week regular season, and will be broadcast on national television.
The last time that there was an established women’s professional baseball league was the end of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1954.
There are currently no established high school or college women’s baseball teams, and the overall goal of the league is to build the visibility of women in the sport.
Mo’Ne Davis, former Little League World Series all-star and Hampton University softball pitcher, will be making her return to baseball, five years prior to the end of her collegiate softball career. Davis has immediately established herself as a role model for the league and expressed her excitement to play in an all-women environment.
Kelsie Whitmore, Savannah Bananas pitcher, and one of four women in the banana ball league, will also be participating in the draft.
There are currently 130 eligible players for the league, and there will be a virtual draft on November 20 to finalize the teams’ rosters. The four inaugural teams will have rosters consisting of 15–25 people, and games will last a full seven innings.
The playing locations have yet to be announced, but the games are guaranteed to be electric.
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