When/Where

On August 1st, the first game of the newly established Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL) will take place in Springfield, IL.

Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield will be the home of every WPBL game during their inaugural season. One location will give the league a chance to build up their presence while providing the women with accommodations and meals along with an even share of revenue in addition to their regular salaries.

A regular season schedule with postseason playoffs will run from August through mid-September. Each team will play two to three games a week with those games being played from Wednesday through Sunday.

While there was talk of the league trying to strike a national broadcasting deal, as of now it appears as though every single game of the 2026 regular season will stream live and free on the WPBL YouTube Channel.

Backstory

The league, which has no ties to Major League Baseball, has been in the works for the last several years. Co-founded by Justine Siegal and Keith Stein in 2024, the league aims to elevate visibility and expand women’s baseball in the United States and beyond by offering a professional pathway to the sport.

Siegal previously founded Baseball for All, an organization focused on promoting girls’ participation in baseball. She was also the first female coach of a professional men’s baseball team back in 2009 when she coached for the Broxton Rox in the Can-Am League. Since then, she has left her mark on professional baseball in many facets, including throwing BP for MLB teams and holding various coaching roles both nationally and internationally.

Teams

For the 2026 season, the WPBL will consist of four teams that are all named after an important woman in history.

The official WPBL site has listed descriptions for each team and their namesake:

The Boston Hunters

The Hunters are inspired by Harriot Hunt who had set her mind on a goal and made it happen. A trailblazing physician, she was one of the first women to practice medicine professionally in the USA, despite being denied admission to Harvard twice because of her gender.

Los Angeles Queens

The Queens are inspired by Lizzie Murphy – nicknamed the “Queen of the diamond.” Lizzie broke barriers at a time when opportunities for women in pro sports were extremely limited, showing the world how true talent rises to the top.

New York Heights

The Heights are inspired by Dorothy Height. One of the most influential leaders of the civil and women’s rights movements, Dorothy dedicated her life to advancing equality for all.

San Francisco Fireballs

The Fireballs are inspired by Firebelle Lil. As a teenager, Lillie “Firebelle Lil” Hitchcock Coit famously leapt into action to help San Francisco volunteer firefighters. She became an icon for the firefighters, known for her rebellious attitude and open defiance of the gender norms.

Rules

Since this is a baseball league, the WPBL will have much more in common with the MLB than softball when it comes to rules and regulations.

Similarities

The baseball is… baseball.

The dimensions of the field are the same as any baseball field.

The base paths are 90 feet. The mound is 60 feet 6 inches away from home plate.

There is a pitcher’s mound, and pitchers will use an overhand pitching motion.

Defensive positions are the same.

There are 3 strikes, 4 balls, 3 outs. Stolen bases, pickoffs, bunting, balks, force plays, tag plays, double plays and sacrifice flies are all fair game.

Key Differences

There will be a few key differences that will impact how the overall gameplay will transpire.

There will only be 7 innings.

A big part of the 7-inning rule will be based on the fact that each roster will only consist of 15 to 25 players.

With only 15 players, that means there will be a lot of two-way and versatile players. The league is being built around the expectation that the players can do more than one thing on the baseball diamond.

The DH is an option, but more than likely a two-way player will pitch and also still hit in the lineup unlike in the MLB.

Another huge difference is that the WPBL will be using aluminum bats. This should lead to a lot of hard-hit balls.

In general, the WPBL will be using more of an international-style rulebook, but the core of the game will be baseball.

All four teams will be in action for their first weekend.

Saturday, Aug. 1

Los Angeles Queens at New York Heights, 5 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 2

San Francisco Firebells at Boston Hunters, 6:30 p.m.

While you wait… Here is a look at the Rosters for each team.
^{_{(Rosters courtesy of The State Journal-Register)}}

Boston Hunters Roster

(Manager Keith Foulke)

Emily Baxter

Age: 26
Position: OF
Hometown: Oakville, Ontario

Allie Bebbere

Age: 31
Position: RHP
Hometown: Montmorency, Australia

Paloma Benach

Age: 23
Position: LHP
Hometown: Washington, District of Columbia

Braidy Birdsall

Age: 20
Position: 2B
Hometown: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Kate Blunt

Age: 23
Position: SS
Hometown: Ladera Ranch, California

Olivia Bricker

Age: 25
Position: LHP
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio

Denver Bryant

Age: 23
Position: 2B
Hometown: Albany, Georgia

Edith De Leija

Age: 22
Position: 3B
Hometown: Aldama, Mexico

Nadia Diaz

Age: 26
Position: 3B
Hometown: Cicero, New York

Maïka Dumais

Age: 18
Position: RHP
Hometown: Quebec City, Quebec

Stephanie Everett

Age: 29
Position: LF
Hometown: Silver Spring, Maryland

Ticara Geldenhuis

Age: 24
Position: OF
Hometown: Waterfall, Australia

Beth Greenwood

Age: 26
Position: C
Hometown: Amherst, New Hampshire

Gabrielle Haas

Age: 24
Position: SS
Hometown: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Lexi Hastings

Age: 23
Position: LF
Hometown: Holly Springs, North Carolina

Laura Hirai

Age: 26
Position: RHP
Hometown: London, United Kingdom

Meaghan Houk

Age: 23
Position: IF
Hometown: Ravena, New York

Hyeonah Kim

Age: 26
Position: C
Hometown: Seoul, South Korea

Luciana Moreno

Age: Not listed
Position: IF
Hometown: Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

Mary Grace O’Neill

Age: 22
Position: CF
Hometown: Pleasantville, New York

Molly Paddison

Age: 19
Position: CF
Hometown: Pullenvale, Australia

Raine Padgham

Age: 21
Position: RHP
Hometown: Abbotsford, British Columbia

Nylah Ramirez

Age: 29
Position: RHP
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York

Clara Rice

Age: 21
Position: C
Hometown: USA

Sabrina Robinson

Age: 23
Position: 1B
Hometown: Morristown, New Jersey

Gigi Schiano

Age: 19
Position: RHP
Hometown: Berrysburg, Pennsylvania

Alli Schroder

Age: 24
Position: RHP
Hometown: Fruitvale, British Columbia

Maria José Valenzuela

Age: 28
Position: IF
Hometown: Hermosillo, Mexico

Suzuka Yamamoto

Age: 27
Position: SS
Hometown: Setouchi City, Japan

Sadie Zion

Age: 20
Position: 1B
Hometown: Danbury, Connecticut

San Francisco Firebells Roster

(Manager Matt Williams)

Jill Albayati

Age: 22
Position: RHP, UTL
Hometown: Anaheim, California

Kaija Bazzano

Age: 24
Position: SS
Hometown: Sebastopol, California

Kailyn Bearpaw

Age: 23
Position: 1B
Hometown: Sapulpa, Oklahoma

Hinano Beppu

Age: 30
Position: 2B
Hometown: Nakagawa City, Japan

Peyton Coria

Age: 19
Position: RHP
Hometown: Perris, California

Rosi del Castillo

Age: 28
Position: CF
Hometown: Puebla, Mexico

Ela Day-Bédard

Age: 21
Position: IF
Hometown: Gatineau, Quebec

Niki Eckert

Age: 23
Position: LHP
Hometown: Englewood, New Jersey

Bella Espinoza-Molina

Age: 23
Position: RF
Hometown: Ladera Ranch, California

Jordan Eyster

Age: 21
Position: CF
Hometown: Royal Oak, Michigan

Amanda Gianelloni

Age: 29
Position: 2B
Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana

Liz Gilder

Age: 25
Position: LHP
Hometown: Port Moody, British Columbia

Samantha Gutierrez

Age: 23
Position: C
Hometown: San Diego, California

Scrappy Hopkins

Age: 27
Position: C
Hometown: Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Kiley Ingram

Age: 19
Position: RHP
Hometown: Ontario, California

Alexia Jorge

Age: 22
Position: C
Hometown: Lyndhurst, New Jersey

Kaelei Kajitani

Age: 22
Position: 1B
Hometown: Madera, California

Skylar Kaplan

Age: 24
Position: LF
Hometown: Glen Burnie, Maryland

Allie Lacey

Age: 32
Position: 2B
Hometown: La Crescenta, California

Andréanne Leblanc

Age: 24
Position: 1B
Hometown: Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec

Joely Leguizamon

Age: 27
Position: SS
Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida

Arwen McCullough

Age: 22
Position: RHP
Hometown: Livermore, California

Micaela Minner

Age: 40
Position: 1B
Hometown: Akron, Ohio

Jua Park

Age: 21
Position: SS
Hometown: Hadong, South Korea

Katie Reynolds

Age: 24
Position: RHP
Hometown: Watertown, Massachusetts

Estheoa Segovia

Age: 32
Position: C
Hometown: Tijuana, Mexico

Flor Elena Valerio Montoya

Age: 24
Position: RHP
Hometown: Tijuana, Mexico

Kelsie Whitmore

Age: 28
Position: RHP
Hometown: San Diego, California

Ayaka Yamamoto

Age: 22
Position: 3B
Hometown: Fukuyama, Japan

Los Angeles Queens Roster

(Manager Eric Young Sr)

Brittany Apgar

Age: 22
Position: CF
Hometown: Greensboro, North Carolina

Addisyn Baird

Age: 18
Position: SS
Hometown: Granger, Indiana

Sydney Barry

Age: 19
Position: RHP
Hometown: Fort Mcmurray, Alberta

Samaria Benítez

Age: 23
Position: SS
Hometown: Nayarit, Mexico

Leah Cornish

Age: 19
Position: C
Hometown: Perth, Australia

Trinity Curtis

Age: 25
Position: RHP
Hometown: Oakhurst, California

Mo’ne Davis

Age: 25
Position: CF
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Sarah Edwards

Age: 30
Position: 1B
Hometown: Bay Shore, New York

Caitlin Eynon

Age: 23
Position: SS
Hometown: Perth, Australia

Adelaide Frank

Age: 18
Position: 1B
Hometown: Oakville, Missouri

Maggie Foxx

Age: 20
Position: C
Hometown: Bedford, New Hampshire

Genevieve Hastings

Age: 20
Position: SS
Hometown: Billings, Montana

Luisa Hernandez

Age: 35
Position: 1B
Hometown: Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco, Mexico

Amira Hondras

Age: 18
Position: 2B
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Juliette Kladko

Age: 22
Position: LHP
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia

Ashton Lansdell

Age: 25
Position: 3B
Hometown: Marietta, Georgia

Jamie Mackay

Age: 23
Position: C
Hometown: Laguna Beach, California

Thaima Maximiliana

Age: 19
Position: SS
Hometown: Curacao

Meggie Meidlinger

Age: 38
Position: RHP
Hometown: Sterling, Virginia

Suzu Narasaki

Age: 27
Position: CF
Hometown: Setouchi City, Japan

Rio Obitsu

Age: 24
Position: 2B
Hometown: Saitama City, Japan

Elodie O’Sullivan

Age: 32
Position: OF
Hometown: Perth, Australia

Michelle Roche

Age: 20
Position: RHP
Hometown: Burnaby, British Columbia

Emi Saiki

Age: 24
Position: SS
Hometown: Kagawa, Japan

Ayami Sato

Age: 36
Position: RHP
Hometown: Tokorozawa, Japan

Ayuri Shimano

Age: 22
Position: RHP
Hometown: Osaka, Japan

Isabella Villarreal

Age: 19
Position: 2B
Hometown: Newport, Michigan

Celicia Wilken

Age: 34
Position: 1B
Hometown: Austin, Texas

Brittany Womack

Age: 38
Position: RF
Hometown: San Diego, California

New York Heights Roster

(Manager Rachelle “Rocky” Henley)

Chloe Atkinson

Age: 19
Position: Not listed
Hometown: Perth, Australia

Rocio Barajas

Age: 28
Position: RHP
Hometown: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Sarah Beaulieu

Age: 22
Position: RHP
Hometown: Rivière-Du-Loup, Québec

Denae Benites

Age: 24
Position: C
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Elodie Ciamarro

Age: 19
Position: C
Hometown: Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec

Milanyela Cortez

Age: 28
Position: RHP
Hometown: Barquisimeto, Venezuela

Claire Eccles

Age: 28
Position: CF
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia

Maddison Erwin

Age: 24
Position: RHP
Hometown: Canberra, Australia

Zoe Falardeau

Age: 18
Position: RHP
Hometown: Welland, Ontario

McKenna Huff

Age: 20
Position: SS
Hometown: Fairfax, Virginia

Diana Ibarra

Age: 26
Position: CF
Hometown: Tepatitlan, Mexico

Keira Izumi

Age: 19
Position: SS
Hometown: San Diego, California

Rakyung Kim

Age: 26
Position: RHP
Hometown: Seoul, South Korea

Kylee Lahners

Age: 33
Position: 3B
Hometown: Pinehurst, North Carolina

Jaida Lee

Age: 20
Position: RHP
Hometown: St. John’s, Newfoundland

Melissa Mayeux

Age: 27
Position: SS
Hometown: Louviers, France

Abigail Moore

Age: 18
Position: C
Hometown: Arglington, Texas

Katherine Murphy

Age: 19
Position: LF
Hometown: Belmont, Massachusetts

Claire O’Sullivan

Age: 31
Position: RHP
Hometown: Maroubra, Australia

Minseo Park

Age: Not listed
Position: Not listed
Hometown: Seoul, South Korea

Valerie Perez

Age: 34
Position: SS
Hometown: Corpus Christi, Texas

Jacqui Reynolds

Age: 31
Position: RHP
Hometown: Woburn, Massachusetts

Angelis Rivera

Age: 26
Position: RHP
Hometown: Juncos, Puerto Rico

Nicole Rivera-Moats

Age: 37
Position: 2B
Hometown: USA

London Studer

Age: 19
Position: 1B
Hometown: Gahanna, Ohio

Angela Valenzuela

Age: 19
Position: RHP
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona

Madison Willan

Age: 25
Position: IF
Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta

Natsuki Yonetani

Age: 24
Position: LF
Hometown: Saitama, Japan

Alyssa Zettlemoyer

Age: 19
Position: C
Hometown: Murrieta, California

Adelaide Ziebart

Age: 22
Position: RF
Hometown: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 2026

Frontier League Set to Become the National Association of Professional Baseball (NAPB) Beginning in the 2027 Season.

The Longest Running MLB Partner League in North America Adopts Historic Moniker to Signal a New Era of Community Impact and Growth

Avon, Ohio – The Frontier League, a Professional Partner League of Major League Baseball and the longest-running independent baseball organization in North America, announced today a comprehensive brand transformation.

Beginning in the 2027 baseball season, the league will compete as the National Association of Professional Baseball (NAPB). The rebranding process began in the fall of 2024 when Frontier League’s Board of Directors formed a Strategic Planning Committee to evaluate their current position and future opportunities in the professional baseball structure.

The Committee was composed of team owners with a variety of professional sports experience, ranging from people with more than 20 years in the Frontier League to those new to the league but with an extensive background in the sports and entertainment industry.

“With the tremendous growth over the past five years, highlighted by our expansion into Canada along with the Northeast and Southeast in the United States, our Board felt that it was the appropriate time for a detailed study of both our current role and future opportunities,” commented league commissioner Steve Tahsler.

“Working with an outside facilitator, the Strategic Planning Committee determined that we had outgrown the Frontier League brand, and that National Association of Professional Baseball better identified our current structure and future goals.”

The strategic visioning and rebranding process are both being led by BLDG, a consultancy firm out of Covington, Kentucky. BLDG previously oversaw the 2020 rebranding of the Florence Y’alls team along with the 2025 brand refresh of the Windy City ThunderBolts. The transition follows a landmark 2025 season where the league set its fourth consecutive attendance record and led the four Partner Leagues in player contracts transferred to MLB organizations.

The league’s 34-year history, statistics, and records, along with those of the individual teams, will still remain. “It is important that we continue to recognize the efforts, passion, and achievements of the thousands of players, staff, employees, and supporters whose dedication has allowed us to be an integral part of our communities for over three decades,” continued Tahsler.

“A key factor throughout the visioning and rebranding process was to balance retaining our history while planning for the future.”

“North America’s Home Teams” The NAPB brand strategy centers on the concept of being “North America’s Home Teams,” positioning each of the 18 clubs as a vital community asset. The league and individual teams have a unique ability to balance the fun of an entertainment venue, the ability to create unique marketing platforms for businesses, and the seriousness of professional baseball. Visual Identity & Heritage The new visual identity bridges the gap between baseball’s rich 1901 heritage and a clean, modern aesthetic.

The new “NA” monogram, adorned with a signature pennant flag, will be featured prominently on all team uniforms, digital platforms, and league broadcasts beginning in the 2027 season. The visual identity also includes French versions, driving the inclusion of our teams in Canada. “While our branding is being updated, our core mission will remain the same,” added Tahsler.

“We strive to be a positive, contributing member to each of our communities while providing players and staff the opportunity to launch or continue a career in professional baseball.”

The full set of marks will be unveiled during the 2026 Home Run Derby, being held on Tuesday, July 14 at Florence’s Thomas More Stadium.

Fans can stay up to date on the 2026 season of the Frontier League and the transition to the National Association of Professional Baseball by visiting https://www.frontierleague.com/.

About the National Association of Professional Baseball (NAPB) The NAPB (currently the Frontier League) is an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. Founded in 1993, it is the oldest and largest independent professional baseball league in North America, featuring 18 teams across the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada.

About BLDG Founded in 2012, BLDG has helped revive legacy businesses, stand up startups, improve recruitment at hallowed universities, sell regional tourism value propositions, used placemaking to galvanize communities, helped pass anti-smoking legislation, and even created fun minorleague baseball identities.