The Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL) is launching a new era for women’s baseball in America, marking the first organized professional play since 1954. The league, beginning its inaugural season in Springfield, Illinois, features 60 women aged 19 to 37 from 11 countries competing on four teams: Boston Hunters, San Francisco Firebells, New York Heights, and Los Angeles Queens. Over six weeks, they will play a 15-game season entirely at Robin Roberts Stadium, backed by strong social media presence, trading cards, and broadcast deals with ESPN and Scripps. The league held an open tryout last summer with over 600 participants and drafted players in November 2025.

Most of the WPBL players are American, many of whom grew up playing baseball with boys, reflecting the limited women’s baseball infrastructure historically. Justine Siegal, WPBL cofounder and commissioner, also founded Baseball For All, a nonprofit since 2015 that supports girls' baseball nationwide and has produced a significant portion of the league’s talent. The United States hosts around 100,000 women and girls in organized baseball, with some also playing on boys’ high school teams and men’s college teams. Several players come from other competitive backgrounds, including former Division III baseball and Banana Ball, a popular alternative baseball format.

Internationally, Japan, Australia, and Canada contribute many WPBL players, owing to better-established women’s baseball systems. Japan’s Venus League, founded in 2009, is the largest amateur women’s baseball league, and its star pitcher Ayami Sato leads the Queens’ pitching staff. Australia has a girls-only Little League national championship and 6,000 female baseball players, while Canada’s female participation is rapidly growing with approximately 200 girls-only teams. Many international players also compete in the Women’s Baseball World Cup, with Japan holding seven consecutive titles.

The WPBL operates under a $95,000 team salary cap, paying players per game along with living expenses during the six-week season, supported by sponsors such as Horace Mann, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and New Era. Many players balance baseball with other careers or education, including firefighting, coaching, and college studies. Some players also serve dual roles within the league, like Beth Greenwood, who plays and coaches. Without yet having a major league affiliation, the WPBL relies on high-profile athletes like Kelsie Whitmore and Mo’ne Davis to boost visibility and hopes to create a sustainable professional pathway for women baseball players, inspiring players like London Studer to pursue baseball full time if the league succeeds.