Women's Pro Baseball: A new path emerges for area girls

The first professional season for women's baseball is over. The league that launched in August has left a mark on how local youth organizations approach player development.

The Women’s Pro Baseball League, or WPBL, began play on Aug. 1 and concluded on Sept. 22. The Los Angeles Queens defeated the San Francisco Firebells with a 2-0 score to claim the inaugural championship. Mo'ne Davis, a Philadelphia native known for her Little League World Series performance, was part of the winning roster.

Sabrina Robinson, a native of northern New Jersey who started playing baseball at age 5, now plays for the Boston Hunters. She is one of the athletes who competed during this first season. Robinson noted that her father encouraged her to play baseball rather than softball because he saw no difference in their abilities.

Robinson now coaches for Philly Girls Baseball, a nonprofit founded in 2019. The organization accepts girls as young as 8 years old from Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. They play on all-girls teams. Cooper, the founder and a coach, said the new league has increased interest in the sport.

Erin Nunes Cooper expects a trickle effect as the league expands. She stated that the main shift is how the players visualize their future in baseball. Joey Eckstein, another coach, said the league changes conversations with parents.

In the past, parents often suggested their daughters switch to soccer or basketball for better college prospects. Eckstein said she can now point to the WPBL as a viable option. She noted that the league is growing, which creates new opportunities for players who are currently in the 12U age group.

In July, Philly Girls Baseball sent five teams to the Baseball For All national tournament in Rockford, Ill. That city serves as the base for the WPBL. Cooper rotated coaches to ensure every team learned under Robinson. This allowed the young players to build relationships with a professional coach.

Cooper said that when players traveled to watch WPBL games in person, they recognized the athletes on the field. The players and coaches welcomed the young spectators and signed autographs. Cooper described the interaction as special because the professionals were gracious with their time.

Robinson focuses on mindset rather than technical skills when coaching young girls. She explained that she is not super focused on the baseball because a weekend does not allow for major technical changes. She works to help players manage their thoughts, a struggle she understands from her own experience.

Robinson said the biggest benefit is giving the girls a role model in their specific sport. Previously, young female athletes looked to WNBA players or golfers for inspiration. Now, Robinson serves as the example she wished she had. She stated that the girls can now see it and believe it when they are told they can continue in the sport.