Nearly 100 participants kick off two-day Trailblazer Series event 

VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Eyeblack streaked across Malia Bagley’s cheekbones as sweat cut through it. The red seams of a spinning baseball blurred on its way to the plate. She dug her cleats into the dirt and adjusted her stance, a long ponytail slipping from beneath her helmet.

Every detail pointed to one truth: The game is hers, too.

Bagley is one of more than 90 girls competing in the Trailblazer Series at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Fla., an event aimed at creating more opportunities for girls in the sport. Held in the days following Jackie Robinson Day, the No. 42 is on display everywhere, a reminder of the legacy of expanding access to the game.

For many players, it is a chance to play alongside others who have chosen to stay with baseball at an age when that path often narrows.

“They want to play baseball, and this opens their eyes,” said Alex Oglesby, president of Evolution Girls Baseball, a nonprofit organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area that promotes girls baseball. “Sometimes it’s their first time playing with other girls, and it’s an opportunity for them to see the support that they have.”

That sense of belonging resonates with Bagley.

“It feels amazing because I know how far I’ve come,” Bagley said. “It’s another learning experience, another open door. It’s awesome being here with all girls, because you can be your true self.”

Bagley began playing on a Little League team named after the Houston Astros in San Francisco. By age 8, she was playing competitively and making All-Star teams. What kept her coming back was the difficulty of the sport.

“I liked it because it was so hard,” Bagley said. “It’s rewarding when you see yourself get better.”

That challenge -- and her coaches -- helped shape how she handles failure in a game that is so tightly close to it.

“Just understanding that I’m human; I’m not perfect,” Bagley said.

Now playing for the San Francisco Bay Sox, Bagley is coached by Oglesby and Rocky Henley. She is also set to compete with Evolution Girls Baseball in Cooperstown this summer.

“I’m super excited that she gets to be here with this elite group of girls,” Oglesby said. “That part of what this is about, too, is that every single one of these girls can bring [what they learned] and spread it.”

Oglesby has seen that growth firsthand. As a member of the inaugural USA Baseball team in 2004, she remembers when the team’s first uniform sizes were men’s extra large.

“The difference is absolutely vast,” Oglesby said. “A huge part of that is what’s been done at the youth space, and these programs with MLB have provided a stepping stone for them to continue to play.”

Her focus now is on continuing that progress.

“My ‘why’ with coaching is to make it easier on these girls, to open more doors and give them more opportunities,” Oglesby said. “The mentality they carry is insane. ... They've had to be stronger sooner, and they've had to really understand the game to be able to move forward.”

Bagley is one of three players from the San Francisco area competing at the event, alongside Jasmine Atkinson and Freda Somers. They represent a region where girls baseball is steadily growing, with San Francisco home to one of the four teams in the new Women’s Professional Baseball League that will begin play this summer.

That visibility matters to her.

“It’s another pathway for women,” Bagley said. “Someone you can look up to and see yourself in.”

And as she steps into the batter’s box, she’s helping redefine who else gets to do that -- just by being herself.

“I just do my best,” she said. “That’s all I can ask for. … I don’t settle for the easy stuff.”