For the first time in decades, women have a professional baseball league of their own in the United States.
The Women’s Pro Baseball League was created in 2024 to give female baseball players a direct path to the pros. The league launched with four teams — Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Boston — with players from around the world trying out and the first draft held last November.
Now, the league is playing its inaugural season, with games based in Springfield, Illinois.
Michigan is part of that history.
Bella Villarreal of Newport, Michigan, was drafted by Los Angeles.
Her team faces San Francisco tomorrow, August 12, but Villarreal will be watching from home as she rehabs an injury.
She says the energy around the league has been unforgettable — especially in front of crowds that showed up to support women’s baseball in a big way.
“Our first game I was there and walking out everyone was screaming,” Villarreal said. “It was my first big crowd, too. It was better than a travel ball game with just probably five people in the stands.”
Villarreal’s baseball story started early.
She first picked up the sport at four years old, born into what her family describes as a baseball household. Growing up, Villarreal played on all-boys teams, often the only girl on the field at tournaments across Michigan — and a player people remembered.
Villarreal says being part of the league’s first season feels bigger than any one game — and she hopes it sends a message to girls who have been told they don’t belong in the sport.
“No matter what, there’s going to be hate in the world, and it’s going to tear you down, and that’s okay because at the end of the day you belong,” she said. “Just keep going.”
As she works toward returning to the mound, Villarreal says she’s leaning into progress over perfection.
“Improvement is the best,” she said.
And she believes the league is only getting started.
“We’re here to stay; that’s for sure,” Villarreal said.