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Hundreds of women from around the world are in the nation’s capital this weekend to step up to the plate with the dream of earning a spot in the only professional women’s baseball league in the United States.
The Women’s Pro Baseball League was the brainchild of Keith Stein. The Toronto businessman asked Justine Siegal, who was the first woman to coach a male professional baseball team, to join him in the adventure.
“It was very easy for me to say yes,” Siegal said of the offer from Stein. “I’ve been playing baseball since tee-ball.”
When Siegal was 13, she was told to quit baseball because she was a girl.
“That’s when I knew I’d play forever,” she told WTOP with a smile.
With long, blonde hair, stylish sunglasses and a quick wit, some could compare Siegal to Penny Marshall, the director of the 1992 classic League of their Own. She said she doesn’t mind if anyone compares her efforts to the movie that taught us that there is “no crying in baseball.”
“It’s the highest grossing baseball movie of all time, and it features our history of the All-American girls’ professional baseball league,” Siegal said. “We stand on the shoulders of the women that came before us.”
Players give their all
Victoria Ruelas
For Victoria Ruelas, coming to D.C. meant more than standing on shoulders. The 48-year-old flew along with her husband from Honolulu, Hawaii, for the tryouts and has already earned a spot in the record books.
“I was the first girl to go to the Little League World Series for the United States,” Ruelas said. “I played for the San Pedro Eastview Little League in 1989.”
At the time, she was 12-year-old Victoria Brucker and the first American girl to get a hit and pitch in the Little League World Series.
Ruelas started playing at the age of 8 and said she wouldn’t have been playing baseball without the encouragement of her mom, who she said was all for breaking the glass ceiling.
“Don’t let guys tell you that you can’t do what you know you can,” Ruelas said of her mother’s advice.
Mo’ne Davis
Another person who is also trying out in the league went to the Little League World Series in 2014, and became the first girl to pitch a shutout, which earned Mo’ne Davis a spot on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
“I couldn’t hit off the tee. All I could do was just throw a ball,” Davis said of her first day of baseball practice.
The now 24-year-old said she would go to practice early and stay late to make sure she wasn’t the weak link on her team.
Maya Quezada
One of the players who also took a shot on Friday recently graduated from Wheaton High School and now is going to school to become a nurse.
Maya Quezada is only 17 and her braces couldn’t stop her from having one of the biggest smiles at Washington Nationals Youth Academy.
“I played seven sports for my high school, and none of them show the community that girls baseball brings together,” Quezada said. “A bunch of girls who always felt left out by their baseball teams can finally come together and be a part of a team all together.”
Quezada was joined at the tryouts by her father, who told WTOP that he knew she had talent at a very young age.
“I’m from Mexico … we would celebrate birthdays with a piñata,” said Marco Quezada. “The first time I put a stick in her hand to hit something, I knew she had what it took.”
Maya Quezada said it was scary when she started playing and was the only girl on the team. She credits her parents for giving her the confidence to stick it out.
“I was able to feel confident, and I knew my place,” Quezada said. “My place is on the field.”
Jacky Torres and MJ Cash
In some cases, there were multiple generations watching their loved one taking a swing at their dreams, like Jacky Torres, who was joined by her mother, uncle, aunt and son.
“This just seems just like a dream, a dream come true,” Torres said. “I just want to put my feet on like a major league baseball field and just get some reps.”
Torres, who started playing baseball when she was just 4 years old, is a varsity softball coach and has her own business, Jack Attack Coaching.
Another coach who is attempting a comeback is MJ Cash, who told WTOP that it was only two weeks ago that she decided to come to tryouts.
Cash, who played softball in college, drove from her home in Nashville along with her husband, who played baseball in college, and their three children.
“I thought, worst case scenario, I get a free T-shirt, and I get to tell my grandkids that I was at the first tryout,” Cash said. “We’re going to see what happens.”
‘Just start working harder’
Asked what message she had for the women that won’t be headed to the big leagues, Siegal said, “Find out where you can improve and just start working harder. There’s always next year. There’s always a chance at your dream.”
According to the WPBL, it will be the first women’s professional baseball tryouts to be held in over 80 years.
The top performers will play games for a final evaluation on Monday at Nationals Park.
The draft is coming up this October with the 150 top players from the tryout entered into the WPBL Draft pool.
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