The Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL) has unveiled the identities of its first four franchises, each bearing a name that celebrates a historic figure who championed women’s rights in America.
Team Names That Echo History
Boston Hunters takes its moniker from Dr. Harriot K. Hunt, the first woman to apply to Harvard Medical School and later to establish a successful medical practice in the United States, symbolizing a relentless pursuit of professional equality.
New York Heights honors Dorothy Irene Height, a towering civil‑rights and women’s‑rights leader whose decades of activism helped reshape the nation’s social landscape.
Los Angeles Queens pays tribute to Lizzie Murphy, nicknamed the “Queen of the Diamond,” who broke baseball’s gender barrier by becoming the first woman to play against major‑league opponents.
San Francisco Firebells celebrates Lillie Hitchcock Coit, known as “Firebelle,” who championed the city’s volunteer firefighters and left a lasting imprint on San Francisco’s cultural heritage.
The league’s co‑founder, Justine Siegal, brings a personal legacy of breaking new ground in baseball; she was the first woman to coach a men’s professional team with the Brockton Rox, later serving as an MLB instructional‑league coach for the Cleveland Indians and the Oakland A’s.
A Home Field With History
All inaugural games are slated for Springfield, Illinois, at the historic Robin Roberts Stadium, a venue that will host the league’s opening series on August 1, 2026.
The choice of Springfield underscores the league’s ambition to blend tradition with progress, offering a symbolic setting where the past and future of women’s baseball intersect.
With branding rooted in real women who reshaped American history, the WPBL aims to inspire a new generation of fans and athletes while reinforcing the sport’s evolving inclusivity.