Watching the WPBL In Person & What Women’s Pro Ball Signifies
Updated: 5 days ago
Originally published on my Medium page; no longer used; on 9/2/26 at 5:01 p.m.
Kathryn Krase is a baseball fan. She roots for the New York Mets, has coached the sport for near 20 years, attends games, even New York Yankees games, and, yes, she will root for the Bronx Bombers while at Yankee Stadium despite her Met fandom.
However, Ms. Krase always felt a bit out of place at a ballpark until she entered Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois, to watch the Women’s Pro Baseball League.
“I was excited about a place where I could see women and girls at the center of the baseball experience and just feeling at home,” Ms. Krase commented days after returning from her four-day baseball weekend getaway. “Being at those games is the first time in my life that I have felt comfortable as a woman interested in baseball, and I know I’m not alone in that.”
The WPBL is in its inaugural season. It is the first women’s professional baseball league since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League played its final out in 1954. Ms. Krase attended four games during the second week of the WPBL season, Aug 7–9.
Referring to the game action, she said, “There’s just so much going on in every play.”
Ms. Krase did not go down the road of comparing the WPBL to MLB as some have. She didn’t fly from New York to Illinois for that reason. “I’m there for the (WPBL) game, and what I love about the WPBL is that we’re back to baseball.”
By using the phrase “back to baseball,” Ms. Krase means the WPBL is where all the elements of skillful baseball come to light, especially fielding and base-running. As a coach, the latter is dear to her heart. “I’ve always loved base running. It’s something I’ve always focused on with my players, and just kind of being thoughtful and intentional in your base running, not just individually but as a team.”
She dove deeper into WPBL game dynamics, stating that there is a lot of communication and support between the players. There aren’t many strikeouts, which leads to fantastic plays being made; checking the OPS leaders shows that bombs away is a thing for the league, and it all gets rolled into a quick-moving game.
Ms. Krase was excited about the league from the moment she heard about it. Word came from her connections within Baseball for All and through following players such as San Francisco Firebells pitcher-outfielder Kelsey Whitmore.
She immediately began talking up the league to everyone. Insisting that she would go to the neutral site field, Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois, to watch some games
“I’m gonna go,” Ms. Krase would tell friends and family. “I’m going to plan my life around it to make sure that I’m part of the inaugural season, because for so long I have felt so alone as a woman in baseball.”
A part of that planning is to attend the postseason. In a follow-up text, Ms. Krase wrote, “I’ll be heading back to Springfield for game 3 (and maybe game 4) of the championship series later this month.”
The WPBL postseason begins Sept.9. All four teams qualify for round one, aka the semi-finals. That round will feature the first-place team playing the fourth-place team, leaving the second- and third-place squads to square off. The semi-finals are the best of three.
As it stands now, the San Francisco Firebells (8–4) would play the Boston Hunters (4–8) while the Los Angeles Queens (7–6) would face the New Your Heights (6–7).
The winners of the semifinals will play in the five-game championship series beginning Sept. 16.
No matter which team walks off the diamond with the distinction of being the first WPBL champions, all four teams can buy into the phrase “wait till next year.” Because in 2027, the league intends to play in each franchise’s home city.
Ms. Krase will most certainly catch a game or two (or three or more!) of the Heights in New York in ’27.
What she experienced at the games in Illinois, fans will hopefully feel when they attend games in their respective cities; as Ms. Krase explained, “everybody’s happy to be there watching these women play baseball; it’s a super atmosphere. So really thankful that the WPBL is here. I am all in.”
Charles I. Guarria is an author, reporter and former show host based in the state of Florida, USA, covering any topic, anywhere in the world. His career began in 2009. Mr. Guarria is a three-time winner of Emerald Group Publishing’s Highly Commended Award and was host of The Opinion Guy Fun Friendly Informative. He is available for hire to write, research, or beta-read.
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Photos— Jay Anthony, Kathryn Krase
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