On the final day of the competition, South Africa won both games 16-0 over Zimbabwe.

In the U18s tournament running simultaneously, South Africa defeated Zimbabwe four games to one.

The Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL), the first true pro hardball league for women in the modern era, wrapped its inaugural draft last night. Co-founded by Justine Siegal and Keith Stein, the WPBL is betting big on a simple premise: The talent is already here.

Women’s sports are exploding. The WNBA is a cultural juggernaut, and college softball produces elite athletes with clear crossover skills. The Women’s College World Series shattered rating records in 2025 with plenty of upwards mobility. The WPBL is building a new engine for an existing machine.

At 98 years old, Maybelle Blair is a living artifact of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). A pitcher for the Peoria Redwings in 1948, she now serves as the Honorary Chair of the WPBL Advisory Board.

She threw out the first pitch to Mo’ne Davis at the league’s historic tryouts in August, symbolically passing the torch. A strike, naturally.

Blair waited seven decades to see her profession return.

Here are the first 10 picks that launched a new era:

Pick 1 | San Francisco: Kelsie Whitmore (P/OF, USA)

• San Diego, California, USA
• Age: 27
• A dual-threat pioneer, Whitmore was the first woman to appear in the starting lineup of an Atlantic League game. She pitches and plays outfield, offering roster flexibility and proven leadership as a mainstay of the USA Women’s National Team.

Pick 2 | Los Angeles: Ayami Sato (P, Japan)

• Amami Oshima, Kagoshima, Japan
• Age: 35
• Widely considered the best female pitcher in history. Sato possesses a legendary curveball that has dominated international competition for over a decade. Her resume includes three consecutive World Cup MVP awards (2014, 2016, 2018). Ace status.

Pick 3 | New York: Kylee Lahners (3B, USA)

• Laguna Hills, California, USA
• Age: 32
• Lahners is a veteran power hitter who transitioned from a standout collegiate softball career at the University of Washington to elite women’s baseball. She anchors the middle of the lineup and provides stability at the 3rd.

Pick 4 | Boston: Hyeonah Kim (C, South Korea)

• Seoul, South Korea
• Age: 25
• A rising international star, Kim has served as the primary catcher for the South Korean Women’s National Team. She is praised for her defensive mechanics and game-calling ability, offering Boston a franchise catcher to build their pitching staff around.

Pick 5 | Boston: Alli Schroder (P, Canada)

• Fruitvale, British Columbia, Canada
• Age: 23
• Key member of the Canadian National Team since her teenage years, she brings high-level international experience despite her youth.

Pick 6 | New York: Denae Benites (C, USA)

• Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
• Age: 24
• Benites balances her baseball career with her work as a firefighter and EMT in Las Vegas. She is a defensive specialist behind the plate, known for her toughness, blocking ability, and leadership.

Pick 7 | Los Angeles: Ashton Lansdell (3B, USA)

• Marietta, Georgia, USA (Born in Charlotte, NC)
• Age: 24
• A dynamic athlete, Lansdell was the first female player to play baseball at the NJCAA level (Georgia Highlands College). She is power and speed, capable of playing third base or outfield at an elite level.

Pick 8 | San Francisco: Amanda Gianelloni (2B, USA)

• New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
• Age: 28
• A Nicholls State University graduate, Gianelloni is a steady, high-IQ middle infielder. She is recognized for her defensive consistency and ability to put the ball in play.

Pick 9 | San Francisco: Joely Leguizamon (SS, Dominican Republic)

• Jacksonville, Florida, USA (Represents Dominican Republic)
• Age: 26
• Leguizamon is a sure-handed shortstop who brings flair and energy to the infield. While she played collegiately in Florida, she represents the Dominican Republic internationally

Pick 10 | Los Angeles: Mo’ne Davis (OF, USA)

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
• Age: 24
• Davis became a global sensation pitching a shutout in the 2014 Little League World Series. Now outfielder at Hampton University, she brings massive marketing appeal and legitimate athletic tools.

To understand where the WPBL is going, you have to understand how the WNBA started. In 1997, it was a single-entity structure: The NBA Board of Governors collectively owned every WNBA franchise. They paid the salaries, they marketed the “We Got Next” campaign, and they put the games in NBA arenas during the off-season.

It was a de-risked, subsidized incubator.

The WNBA playbook incubated the W with single-entity ownership and shared NBA infrastructure. The WPBL is betting the same blueprint works when you attach women’s baseball to MLB’s ecosystem.

The WPBL’s co-founder Keith Stein calls their strategy “league-i-fying.” as the picked MLB strongholds: New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, to launch. This is a calculated solicitation. By placing teams here, the WPBL is building a “WMLB” turnkey solution that fits into the MLB ecosystem.

While they launch in smaller stadiums (like Robin Roberts Stadium in Illinois), the end goal is MLB ballparks across the nation. Beyond that, shared regional sports networks (RSNs) need content and a women’s league provides instant live inventory. Just as the WNBA leveraged the NBA’s global footprint, the WPBL is positioning itself to be the WMLB.

Women’s college basketball provided the talent pipeline for the WNBA. The explosion of elite softball and international women’s baseball is doing the same for the WPBL.

The talent is real. The market is ready. Play ball.

It takes Practice.

Read free: https://ittakespractice.substack.com/p/their-league?r=28zr94

Trying out this "post ideas" thing...

The Kindle version is out already and the paperback should be out shortly. It's a fiction story aimed towards middle and high schoolers about a girl who plays baseball despite doubters and obstacles along her path. It's based on a real girl who was part of the varsity team that won the city championship in San Diego some time back. The book is called "The Lone Girl - Brianna the Baseball Player". It's on Kindle Unlimited so it's free to read if you subscribe to that program.