Justine Siegal’s Dream of a Women’s Pro Baseball League Is Off to a Sizzling Start in Springfield

Three weeks into the inaugural season of the Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL), New York Heights catcher Denae Benites is batting .733.

Eight games into the Heights’ season, Benites has collected 22 hits and 24 RBIs in 30 at-bats. Impressed? Get this—the four-team league has 60 players, and 28 are hitting .333 or better.

Fans have plenty to cheer about at Robin Roberts Stadium at Lanphier Park in Springfield, Illinois, home field for all teams. Just as the stadium’s longtime tenant Springfield Lucky Horseshoes completed their collegiate summer league season on Aug. 1, the WPBL moved in, keeping the dugouts warm. Charter members this season are the San Francisco Firebells, Los Angeles Queens, Boston Hunters, and the Heights.

Playing all league games in one location saves money, but it was also a strategic call by WPBL cofounder and Commissioner Justine Siegal.

“I didn’t want to spread ourselves too thin the first year,” Siegal told The Epoch Times on Wednesday. “I know the general manager of the Lucky Horseshoes, and I know how he cares about the women players. He would do everything he could to make our season a success. Springfield quickly welcomed us.”

For a good many supporters of modern-day women’s baseball, their interest was sparked by the 1992 film “A League of Their Own” depicting the 1943 debut of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Eighty years later, Siegal has led the charge in reigniting women’s pro baseball.

For Siegal and cofounder Keith Stein, going from an idea written on paper in October 2024 to having actual games is nothing less than amazing.

“The fans are having a lot of fun. Opening Day was a sellout. I definitely think we stand on the shoulders of the [1943 league]. I know we’re riding the wave of women’s pro sports. Now, with lots and lots of media, now fans and viewers get to decide who’s important,” said Siegal, who was the first woman to throw batting practice to an MLB club (Cleveland Guardians, then Indians) during spring training in 2011.

Siegal and Stein have excited partners that have bought in on the WPBL launch from before a single pitch was thrown. Dick’s Sporting Goods and All-Star Diamond have supplied equipment and uniforms. All regular season and playoff games can be viewed on ESPN Select, and a number of games will be carried by Scripps Sports Network. Rawlings, Easton, Horace Mann, and New Era are among others lending their expertise or products to ensure that the WPBL presents the highest quality competition for its fans.

From back in March when Siegal was first named WPBL commissioner, and selected players descended on Fort Myers, Florida, for their first official practice at the Boston Red Sox spring training facility, there has been MLB-level coaching for the women.

Eric Young Sr., a 15-year MLB infield/outfield All-Star who has just as many years coaching on the major league level, including earning a World Series ring with the 2021 Atlanta Braves, manages the Queens. Matt Williams, who skippered the Washington Nationals for two seasons and one with the Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), is filling out the lineup cards for the Firebells. Boston has Jemile Weeks, a six-year MLB alumnus with more than 250 games played for four different clubs, at its helm.

The lone woman managing a WPBL club this season is Rachelle “Rocky” Henley. During the 1990s, Henley played third base for the all-female professional baseball Colorado Silver Bullets. The Bullets traveled America playing men’s all-star amateur and semi-pro teams.

Siegal said her role as commissioner keeps her on the go, but keeping to a schedule brings out her best.

“If it’s not raining, I like to cycle a couple of hours in the morning, then off to the coffeeshop. With baseball, there is always something popping up. I’m up by 6:30 a.m., starting working at 9 a.m., and I should be home by 11:30 p.m. Monday is an off-day. On Saturday, we have a doubleheader. I’ll make sure our staff has balls in the dugout, food in the locker rooms, and attend to whatever may come up.”

Each team plays a 15-game regular season schedule, then the first playoff game is Sept. 9. Odds are that even during the postseason, Siegal will be the busiest person at Robin Roberts Stadium, making sure the latest version of women’s baseball has what it needs to succeed.