More than a decade after reaching viral stardom in the Little League World Series, Mo'ne Davis about to start playing baseball again. Now 24 years old, Davis was the 10th overall pick of the Women's Pro Baseball League's inaugural player draft on Thursday, going to the Los Angeles team.
The first overall pick was another trailblazer in Kelsie Whitmore, who has made appearances in multiple independent baseball leagues and appeared with the Savannah Bananas this year.
In total, 120 players were selected across the four teams.
WPBL Draft 2025: Round 1 Recap (1/5)Round 1, Pick 1 | San Francisco | Kelsie WhitmoreRound 1, Pick 2 | Los Angeles | Ayami SatoRound 1, Pick 3 | New York | Kylee LahnersRound 1, Pick 4 | Boston | Hyeonah Kim
— Women's Pro Baseball League (@wpbl_official)November 21, 2025
Davis remains one of the biggest names in Little League history. At age 13, she became the first girl to win a game in LLWS history, posting an eight-strikeout, two-hit shutout against a Nashville team that included a future MLB player in Robert Hassell III.Davis and Hassell recently reunited for a first pitch at Nationals Park, where Hassell now plays.
Since then, Davis has released a memoir, played softball at Hampton University and graduated from Columbia University with a master's in sports management. But she's now making a return to baseballafter taking part in the WPBL's tryouts in August.
Rather than pitcher, however, Davis was selected as a center fielder.
Speaking to 6abc Philadelphia, she alluded to some arm issues that may impact her ability to stay on the field, but expressed gratitude for the emergence of a women's professional baseball league:
"It was a shock, I didn't think I was going to go that early, just because my arm is a little messed up ... It's the next chapter of my life. Especially over the years, focusing on school, not knowing what's next and then having this league come up at the perfect time. It feels great."
What is the Women's Pro Baseball League?
An awkward part of the modern baseball landscape is that while softball is often treated as the other side of the coin between genders, it is a different sport. And quite a few of the girls who grew up playing baseball would like to keep playing baseball rather than shift to softball, the sport sanctioned by the NCAA.
The WPBL is intended to offer those girls and women a chance to continue playing baseball. The leaguewas officially founded in 2024by Justine Siegal, the first woman to coach professional men's baseball in the U.S. when she joined the Oakland Athletics organization in 2015, and Keith Stein, the owner of the Intercounty Baseball League's Toronto Maple Leafs.
Siegal's founding statement:
"I am so excited that there will finally be a professional women's baseball league. It is a dream come true for all the girls and women who play America's pastime.
"The Women's Pro Baseball League is here for all the girls and women who dream of a place to showcase their talents and play the game they love. We have been waiting over 70 years for a professional baseball league we can call our own. Our time is now."
The league's structure breaks down into 15-player rosters for four teams:Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Boston. While geographically distant, those teams willmostly play in only one location at Robin Roberts Stadium at Springfield, Illinois, with some barnstorming games for the teams' namesakes still being organized.
PerFront Office Sports' Annie Costabile, the league drew nearly $3 million in Series A funding after initially planning to raise only $2 million.
Play will commence with a four-week regular season and two-week postseason in 2026, with two seven-inning games per week. Teams will have a $95,000 salary cap and will cover living costs for the players, who will reportedly receive a percentage of sponsor money as well.
The league also plans to expand to six teams in 2027.
