If you’ve ever seen A League of Their Own, you may be familiar with the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), the league that inspired the movie. In 1943, during World War II, the AAGPBL was founded to keep baseball in the public eye while men were at war. Over the span of twelve seasons, the league recruited over six hundred women and changed the nation’s perception of baseball forever. More than seventy years after the AAGPBL disbanded, we’re on the cusp of an exciting new development in women’s sports: the 2026 Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) launch.
Last August, the WPBL hosted over six hundred players from ten different countries at tryouts in Washington, DC, and the top one hundred players advanced to the inaugural draft. The women in the draft range in age from seventeen to forty years old. They come from a wide variety of places, too; many live in the United States, while others are from the Dominican Republic, Australia, France, Japan, and more.
While all one hundred players on the list are undoubtedly talented, four names have stood out to fans so far. One is Kelsie Whitmore, a versatile player currently playing in the Banana Ball Championship League. Fellow Banana Ball player and standout shortstop Ashton Lansdell is another player to watch. A third is Mo’ne Davis, a former Little League World Series pitcher known for her impeccable work ethic. Finally, Ayami Sato, the first woman to play professional men’s baseball in Canada, is expected to shine in the WPBL.
The league will begin with teams in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and Boston. According to the WPBL, these locations were all hand-picked due to their fan support and rich baseball histories, but each city brings something unique to the table. Organizers were drawn to Los Angeles for its high energy, San Francisco for its spirit, New York City for its glamor, and Boston for its forward thinking. While the team locations are set in stone, the team names have not yet been revealed. Some fans hope the WPBL will upcycle old AAGPBL names such as the Bells, Comets, or Peaches; others speculate that they will create brand-new names.
Looking ahead, the official WPBL player draft will occur in November, with teams consisting of fifteen players each. In May, the league will begin its seven-week season. The first four weeks will be regular-season play, followed by a week of all-star play and two weeks of playoffs at a neutral venue.
To pay homage to the women who blazed the trail before them, the WPBL honored legendary AAGPBL player and queer activist Maybelle Blair by naming her an Honorary Chair of the WPBL Advisory Board. In 1948, Blair joined the Peoria Redwings as a pitcher and later went on to play professional softball in Chicago. She will throw the first pitch at the WPBL season opener next spring.