The 2026 Little League Baseball World Series is poised to make history as two young girls from opposite ends of the country will compete together on the same U.S. team, a first in the tournament’s annals.
A milestone for girls in baseball
The Girls with Game® initiative, launched in 2019, has been dedicated to celebrating and promoting female participation in Little League Baseball and Softball, creating pathways for girls to pursue the sport at every level.
Kinley Rasmus, a 12‑year‑old from Phenix City, Alabama, carries a baseball pedigree that stretches through her father and uncle, both former Major League players, and even further back to her grandfather and other relatives who competed in the minor leagues.
Carsynn Meyer, also 12, hails from Henderson, Nevada, becoming the first player from her state to earn a spot in the World Series, a feat that underscores the growing geographic diversity of female participants.
Beyond the diamond, Kinley cites Caitlin Clark as her favorite athlete and harbors ambitions of becoming an orthodontist, while Carsynn admires Andrew Benintendi, follows the Kansas City Royals, and dreams of forging a professional career in sports, inspired in part by basketball star Kelsey Plum.
Their participation reflects a broader trend of increased female representation in Little League Baseball, a development that the Girls with Game initiative hopes will inspire countless young athletes to pick up a bat and envision a future in the sport.