The Bay Area learned the identities of two of its newest sports teams Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n
The region\u2019s women\u2019s baseball team<\/a> will be known as the San Francisco Firebells<\/a>, the Women\u2019s Pro Baseball League announced, and\u00a0the women\u2019s volleyball team will be the San Francisco Signal.<\/p>\n The WPBL\u2019s Firebells harken back to former San Francisco volunteer firefighter Lillie Hitchcock Coit, known as \u201cFirebelle,\u201d also the benefactor of Coit Tower in San Francisco.<\/p>\n Each of the Women\u2019s Professional Baseball League teams was named after a trailblazing woman. The Los Angeles Queens were inspired by 1920s baseball player Lizzie Murphy, the \u201cQueen of the Diamond\u201d; the Boston Hunters after the first woman to apply to Harvard Medical School, Harriot K. Hunt; and the New York Heights after civil rights activist Dorothy Irene Height.<\/p>\n \u201cThe WPBL stands on the shoulders of these incredible women who fought for their place in history and on the diamond long before us,\u201d said WPBL commissioner Justine Siegal. These names are not just symbols; they represent the grit, audacity, and excellence that our athletes will bring to the field this August.\u201d<\/p>\n Coit was a Bay Area figure in the late 1800s and was known for wearing trousers when it was not yet socially acceptable for women to do so. She was officially named a volunteer firefighter in San Francisco in\u00a01863.<\/p>\n The Signal<\/a> of League One Volleyball<\/a> (LOVB) determined their nickname after thousands of fan submissions.<\/p>\n \u201cSignal reflects the optimism, ambition and momentum of the Bay Area, but what we love most is the idea behind it: a signal starts with a spark and grows stronger as more people carry it forward,\u201d team president and co-founder Stephanie Martin said. \u201cWe hope the San Francisco Signal continues to bring people together, building a community that grows stronger with every new voice, every new fan and every person who chooses to be part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Firebells, led by former Oakland Ballers pitcher Kelsie Whitemore, will play their opening game against the Boston Hunters on Aug. 2 in Springfield, Illinois, at Robin Roberts Stadium.<\/p>\n The Signal expect to announce their inaugural roster later this month, with the LOVB season beginning in January. LOVB is a multi-layered volleyball organization that includes programs at the youth level. It is expanding from six pro teams to 10 as it enters its third season in 2027, including expansion teams in Los Angeles, Minnesota and Miami along with the Signal.<\/p>\n LOVB teams have not had nicknames in previous years, and the Signal have not yet announced where they will play home matches.<\/p>\n The Firebells and Signal join the WNBA\u2019s Golden State Valkyries, NWSL\u2019s Bay FC, WNFC\u2019s Golden State Storm and PWHL San Jose \u2014 also an expansion team that is awaiting its nickname \u2014 in the Bay Area\u2019s women\u2019s sports footprint.<\/p>\n \t\t\t