MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN – Continuing to empower the full potential of our youth, the Minnesota Twins, in partnership with Baseball For All and in collaboration with Triple-A affiliate the St. Paul Saints, today announced plans to hold what is believed to be the state’s first-ever girls baseball tournament. The “Baseball For All Toni Stone Invitational Powered by the Minnesota Twins” is set for June 11-12, 2022 at Dunning Sports Complex in St. Paul; registration is open now for girls ages 7-14 at twinsbaseball.com/invitational. (Registration will be on an individual basis and participants will then be divided into teams based on the 8-and-under, 10-and-under, 12-and-under and 14-and-under age groups; each team is guaranteed 3 games.)

“We are thrilled to partner with Baseball For All to deliver an opportunity for girls in the region – both baseball and softball players alike – to play in Minnesota’s first-ever girls baseball tournament,” said Nancy O’Brien, the Twins’ vice president, community engagement. “Providing girls with a chance to play and excel in the same game as their favorite Twins players is a wonderful way to continue the legacy of Toni Stone; to do so in the same month that Title IX turns 50 is truly inspirational for us and parallels our goal of removing barriers and providing equity in access.”

All tournaments affiliated with Baseball For All – a nonprofit aimed at increasing the presence and participation of women and girls in baseball – are named after famous women in baseball. The Twins’ event honors Stone, a St. Paul native and the first woman to play in the Negro Leagues, now recognized by Major League Baseball (MLB) as a major league on the same level as the American and National Leagues. Fittingly, one of the fields at Dunning Sports Complex that will be used for the tournament is also named after Stone.

“My Aunt Toni would be flattered and honored to support this girls’ baseball tournament,” said Maria Bartlow-Reed, the late Stone’s niece. “She used to say that regardless of how difficult the struggle might be, do it anyway, and after it is done, you’ll see what you’ve accomplished. Everything that my Aunt Toni fought for in the past is seen in this tournament today, with young girls having the opportunity to play baseball, while showing their strength and determination to succeed in the game.”

The June 11-12 tournament also coincides with MLB’s annual Play Ball Weekend. Launched in 2015, Play Ball is a collaboration between MLB, USA Baseball, USA Softball and other organizations that host and support youth sports, aimed at supporting and growing diamond sports across all areas of the amateur and grassroots levels.

About Baseball For All

Founded by Justine Siegal, PhD, Baseball For All is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that builds gender equity in baseball creating opportunities for girls to play, coach and lead in the sport. The organization began with one all-girls team playing against boys in Cooperstown, New York; it now has players from over 40 states and five countries competing on teams in Baseball For All Tournaments across the United States.