For the first time since 1954, a Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL) will be playing in 2026. It is the first pro league for women since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League -- immortalized in “A League of Their Own” -- dissolved 52 years ago.
The upstart league co-founded by Justine Siegal, the first woman to coach for an MLB team with the Oakland Athletics in 2015, announced plans to launch a four-team league that will play a regular season, playoffs and all-star game. The four teams are New York, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The league added the four cities were selected because of their market size and large fan presence. "Each of these cities are storied sports cities," Siegal said in a statement, "and we can't wait to connect with the fans who live there and baseball fans across the country."
The WPBL said it wanted a neutral venue in the middle of the country. Games will be played in the Robin Roberts Stadium (capacity 5,200) in Springfield, Ill. The Phillies Hall of Fame pitcher was born in that city.
The league is scheduled to begin play following the completion of the Women’s Baseball World Cup in nearby Rockford, Ill., which runs from July 22–26.
A four-week, 30-game season will run From August 1 through mid-September, followed by two weeks of playoffs. Games (7 innings) will be played Thursday through Sunday. Each team will play two games per week. Rosters will be 15 players. Aluminum bats will be used.
The Draft
Over 600 players from 10 different countries attended open tryouts in August at Nationals Park, home of the Washington Nationals. The top 120 players from the WPBL's summer tryouts advanced to the league's November 20 draft.
Five countries – the USA, Canada, Japan, South Korea and the Dominican Republic – were represented in the first nine picks. Players from Mexico, Curacao, Australia, France and England were also eventually selected in the 120-player draft, with player ages ranging from 18 to 37. Teams drafted 30 players.
San Francisco had the first overall selection and chose Kelsie Whitmore, a former USA baseball player and current Savannah Bananas pitcher and outfielder. Japanese pitcher Ayami Sato was the first-round selection for Los Angeles which drafted second.
Pitcher-outfielder Mo'ne Davis was the third-round pick by Los Angeles. The 24-year-old Davis, who is from Philadelphia, competed at the 2014 Little League World Series at age 13 and became the first girl to win a game and pitch a shutout. She later played softball at Hampton University, then went on to pursue graduate studies at Columbia University.
Fun Facts
Players will be paid per game at a rate determined by their selection order in the draft. ... Players will receive a portion of the revenue share from league sponsorships. ... Housing will be provided for all players.