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HOME RUN LEADERBOARD
Denae Benitez
NY Heights
Tied for home run leader with 11 home runs including the first-ever home run in WPBL history against the LA Queens. Secured the WPBL's first triple crown, with a .552 batting average and 38 RBIs
Kelsie Whitmore
SF Firebells
Tied for home run leader with 11 home runs including 3 home runs in one game against the LA Queens on August 13, 2026. The next night she hit 2 more home runs including a grand slam.
Ashton Lansdell
Los Angeles Queens
Hit 2 home runs in the regular season, and 2 in the post-season including the first post-season home run in WPBL history on September 10, 2026
Sarah Edwards
Los Angeles Queens
Hit the first ever grand slam in WPBL history on August 5, 2026 against the Boston Hunters
Women's Professional Baseball League
LOS ANGELES QUEENS WIN WPBL INAUGURAL 2026 SEASON
Photo: MLB
The Los Angeles Queens won the inaugural 2026 season of the Womens Professional Baseball League (WPBL) by defeating the top-seeded San Francisco Firebells 2-0 in a winner-take-all game 5 on September 22, 2026.
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The Queens broke away early in the series with a 2-0 lead, but the Firebells battled back to win the next two games, resulting in an exciting game 5. Legendary Queens pitcher Ayami Sato threw the first complete game and first shutout in WPBL history. She threw 76 pitches for 5 hits, 0 walks, and 1 strikeout and won Championship Series MVP.
Photo: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
WPBL BACKGROUND
The Women's Professional Baseball League (WPBL) had its inaugural season in the summer of 2026.
The WPBL is the first professional league for women ​​since the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, which was the subject of the movie "A League of Their Own," and lasted from 1943 - 1954.
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Co-founded by WPBL Commissioner, Justine Siegal, the first woman to coach for an MLB team and founder of Baseball for All, and Keith Stein, the owner of the Inter-County Baseball League's Toronto Maple Leafs, the League's primary aim is to increase the visibility, growth and expansion of women's baseball. Because girls' baseball is not offered at the high school or college level, many girl baseball players transition to softball at a young age because they do not see a future for themselves in baseball. With the creation of the WPBL, girls now have a tangible goal to work towards.
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The WPBL started its inaugural season with four teams in Boston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. These cities were chosen because of their market size and potential large fan base. The League plans to expand to six to eight teams after the first season.
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The 2026 season ran for four weeks, from August 1 through mid-September, followed by two weeks of play-offs. The Los Angeles Queens defeated the San Francisco Firebells to become the 2026 season champions. The entire 2026 season was held at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois.​ Games are seven-innings and are played with aluminum bats. Each team has a roster of 15 players.​
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In 2025 over 600 players from 10 different countries attended open tryouts for the WPBL. The top 120 players were eligible to be drafted. Players from the USA, Canada, Japan, South Korea, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Curacao, Australia, France and England all made the top 120, with player ages ranging from 18 to 37. The first WPBL draft was conducted virtually in November 2025. Each team drafted 30 players. San Francisco had the first overall selection and chose Kelsie Whitmore, who has played for the USA Women's National Team and currently plays for the Savannah Bananas. For their first round pick, Los Angeles chose Japanese pitcher Ayami Sato who currently plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Canadian Baseball League and is the starting pitcher for the Japan women's national baseball team. Pitcher-outfielder Mo'ne Davis was the third round pick by Los Angeles. Mo'ne is well-known for competing in the Little League World Series at age 13, where she was the first girl to win a game and pitch a shut-out.
WPBL TEAMS
The Inaugural 2026 Season of the WPBL Launched with Four Teams Named for Inspiring Women Who Blazed a Trail for Those who Followed
BOSTON HUNTERS
Harriot Hunt
Boston Hunters was named for Harriot Hunt, a pioneering physician and abolitionist - she applied to Harvard Medical School nearly 100 years before Harvard accepted its first female medical students. Although she was rejected twice, that did not deter her from completing her medical education elsewhere and achieving her goal of becoming a physician.
Image: WPBL
LOS ANGELES QUEENS
Lizzie Murphy
"Queen of the Diamond"
LA Queens was named for Lizzie Murphy, nicknamed "Queen of the Diamond," who was the first person - man or woman - to play in the American League and National League, and also played in the Negro Leagues. Lizzie knew her worth as a draw for the crowds and demanded to be paid for playing baseball.
Image: WPBL
NEW YORK HEIGHTS
Dorothy Height
New York Heights was named for Dorothy Height, a tireless worker and activist for civil and women's rights. She was a leader in the civil rights movement and was instrumental in overseeing racial integration of the YMCA.
Image: WPBL
SAN FRANCISCO FIREBELLS
Lillie Hitchcock Coit "Firebell Lil"
San Francisco Firebells was named for Lillie Hitchcock Coit (the Coit Tower is named for her) who was a patron and benefactor of firefighters in San Francisco. At the age of 15 she assisted Engine Co. No. 5 respond to a firecall when they were shorthanded. After this, she was treated as a mascot of the firefighters and was made an honorary member of the engine company.
Image: WPBL