Women's Pro Baseball League Names Teams After Pioneering American Women

The Women's Pro Baseball League (WPBL) has announced its four inaugural teams: San Francisco Firebells, New York Heights, Los Angeles Queens, and Boston Hunters, each named after trailblazing American women. The league's first season begins next month, with the first game on August 1, 2026. Commissioner Justine Siegal stated that the teams honor women who forged new paths. The San Francisco Firebells are inspired by Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a 19th-century fire department volunteer. The New York Heights are named after Dorothy Height, a civil rights leader and former president of the National Council of Negro Women. The Boston Hunters honor Harriot Kezia Hunt, a pioneering female physician and suffragette. The Los Angeles Queens are named after Lizzie Murphy, known as the "Queen of the Diamond," who played against major league players in 1922. The WPBL is the first professional women's baseball league in the U.S. in over 70 years, following the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), which operated from 1943 to 1954. Unlike the AAGPBL, which emphasized femininity with skirted uniforms, WPBL players wear pants. The league held a scrimmage in Fort Myers, Florida, near the Boston Red Sox training camp. Coach Bree Nasti expressed optimism about the growing interest in women's sports.