New York, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco will be the first four cities to host teams in the Women’s Pro Baseball League, officials told The Athletic. The WPBL launches its inaugural season in spring 2026.
“Each of these cities are storied sports cities and we can’t wait to connect with the fans who live there and baseball fans across the country,” said Justine Siegal, co-founder of the WBPL.
The new league was announced in October 2024. In August, more than 600 players participated in tryouts at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. A total of 130 players will be eligible to take part in the WPBL draft in mid-November, which will be held virtually. The virtual draft is designed to create social media engagement and online awareness. Each team will have 15 players on its initial roster.
“We want to kick off on a really high note and an ambitious note with some of the top cities in the country that are some of the biggest fans of baseball,” said WPBL league chair Assie Grazioli-Venier. ” … To be able to tap into the four largest consumer MLB markets and give them a women’s product is a pretty great opportunity. Those markets reach over 35 million residents.”
Former Little League World Series star Mo’ne Davis was among those who tried out in August. Davis became a viral sensation in 2014 when she threw a fastball over 70 mph at age 13. As far as a batter’s reaction time, it was the equivalent of a 93 mph pitch on a major league diamond.
Kelsie Whitmore, former USA baseball player and current Savannah Bananas outfielder, also tried out. Whitmore had a 1.35 ERA while playing for the USA national team from 2014-2019. Whitmore made history in 2022 as the first woman to start and pitch in an Atlantic League game with the Staten Island FerryHawks, and also was the first woman to appear in a Pioneer League game in 2024 with the Oakland Ballers. She joined the Bananas in August.
Professional baseball player Kelsie Whitmore was among those who took part in WPBL tryouts. (Jess Rapfogel / Getty Images)
The WPBL is the second attempt at a women’s professional baseball league in the U.S. From 1943-1954, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League kept ballparks occupied during and after WWII. Former star Maybelle Blair, a major inspiration for the film “A League of Their Own,” is serving as the honorary chair for the WPBL. The 97-year-old threw out a ceremonial first pitch to Davis at the August tryouts.
“I was shocked frankly that baseball is the national pastime in the U.S., and we have every other major sport represented by men and women,” Graziolo-Venier said. “I could not believe that it wasn’t more shocking to everyone else that baseball somehow was different. And then when I started looking under the hood, there was really no reason for it.”
The emergence of the WPBL is coupled with the June debut of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, which had 18 games broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU. In July, MLB announced a strategic investment into AUSL. Graziolo-Venier doesn’t see AUSL as a competitor to the WPBL.
“I’m a huge fan of softball, but it’s two totally different games,” Graziolo-Venier said. ” … I wanted to make sure that silly narrative stopped in its tracks. I truly think there’s a world where softball and baseball coexist.”
As the league’s inaugural season draws closer, public response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“There are a lot of little girls flooding my (direct messages) who are thanking me,” Graziolo-Venier said. “Their mothers are thanking me for allowing their young girls to not just dream about a professional career, but actually know that they can achieve it if they try. It’s an amazing full-circle moment.”
When the WPBL season begins next spring, it will feature a regular season, playoffs and championship.