Girls in Baseball: Paths Through Youth Ball
A practical history and guide for girls who want to play baseball: how Little League opened its doors, how the youth ladder works, when the baseball-or-softball choice arrives, and where girls-only and national-team options exist.
A girl who wants to play baseball can, in most of the United States, sign up for a youth baseball league and play, and for many families that is the whole answer. It was not always so. For much of the twentieth century, girls were turned away from organized youth baseball, and the arrangement was challenged in court only in the early 1970s. The result is a sport that is now open to girls at the youth level in principle but still offers fewer paths as the players get older, which makes the middle years the part worth planning for.
This guide is for parents, coaches and players. It covers the history that opened the door, the structure of the youth ladder, the point at which many girls choose between baseball and softball, what exists beyond youth ball, including high school, college and national teams, and the practical matters of finding a team and getting the right equipment. It does not try to steer a family toward one sport. Baseball and softball are different games, both are worth playing, and the right choice depends on the player.
The article uses general guidance on safety and on leagues. Rules, age cutoffs and programs change, so each section points to the governing body for the specifics, and anything about health or injury belongs with a doctor or a qualified coach.
Women who played before the doors opened
Girls and women have played baseball as long as the game has existed, but they were rarely given a formal place. A few stories are well documented. In 1931, a teenage pitcher named Jackie Mitchell pitched against the New York Yankees in an exhibition game and struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Accounts of what happened to her contract afterward differ, and the exhibition itself was a promotion, but the strikeouts are part of the record.
A larger chapter came in the 1940s. The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League operated from 1943 to 1954, with teams in midwestern cities and players recruited from across the United States and Canada. It was a real professional league with its own rules and a following, and a 1992 film made it familiar to a new generation. The league ended in the 1950s, and for a long time afterward there was no organized professional route for women who played baseball.
In the early 1950s, three women played for Negro League clubs, most of them with the Indianapolis Clowns: Toni Stone, Mamie Johnson and Connie Morgan. Their time falls after the years of Negro Leagues data in the historical record, which covers 1920 to 1948, so their statistics are not part of the tables on this site. They are part of the history, though, and the Hall of Fame and other official sources hold their stories.
Later, in the 1990s, Ila Borders pitched in men's college baseball and in independent professional baseball. She is one of a small number of women to do so. The pattern across these stories is that women played when a door was open for them and often had to prove themselves in settings built for men, and that the doors were opened one at a time.
1972 to 1974: Little League and the lawsuit
Youth baseball's biggest change came through a lawsuit. In 1972, a girl named Maria Pepe played for a team in Hoboken, New Jersey, and after a few games Little League Baseball told her team that its charter would be revoked if she stayed. She was removed from the roster. The National Organization for Women filed a complaint on her behalf, and the case went through the New Jersey courts.
A New Jersey appeals ruling in 1974 upheld an earlier decision that the league could not exclude girls, and that year Little League opened its baseball program to girls. It also created a separate softball program for girls, which grew into its own division. The two decisions, one opening baseball and one creating softball, set the pattern that families still face: baseball is open to everyone, and softball is a parallel program with its own divisions and structure.
The decision was part of a wider change in girls' sports in the 1970s, when federal law on sex discrimination in education and a wave of lawsuits and public pressure pushed schools and leagues to open their doors. The effects on softball in particular are covered in our coverage of the sport's growth, and the effects on baseball were slower, because most girls who wanted a team sport were steered toward softball by the programs that existed.
The key point for a family today is that a youth baseball league does not have a right to turn a girl away because she is a girl. Leagues set eligibility by age and by residence or school boundaries, and a girl who qualifies on those grounds can sign up. If you run into a league that tells you otherwise, ask for its written policy and contact its governing organization.
The youth ladder in baseball
Most American youth baseball follows a ladder by age. The details differ between organizations, so this is a general outline and not a rule for any one league. How Little League Baseball Is Organized: Divisions, Ages and Rules covers the largest program in more detail.
- Tee ball. The youngest players hit a ball off a tee, and the focus is on fundamentals and fun. Many leagues do not keep score.
- Coach pitch. The next step has an adult coach pitching to the batters. Players learn to hit moving balls and to field in a game setting.
- Player pitch, minor division. Players pitch to each other, and the games begin to resemble the version you see on television, with walks and strikeouts.
- Major division and beyond. The oldest age groups play on larger fields with longer base paths, and eventually on the full-size field with 90 feet between the bases. The size of the field for each age is laid out in Youth Baseball Field Dimensions by Age.
Along the way, there are all-star tournaments that lead to regional and national play, and in Little League's case to the world championship in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The history of that event and of the girls who have played in it is in The Little League World Series: History and Format. In 2014, a pitcher named Mo'ne Davis of Philadelphia threw a shutout in the tournament, and her performance made her a familiar name well outside baseball.
Other organizations, such as Babe Ruth League, Cal Ripken Baseball, PONY, Dixie and travel programs, run similar ladders with their own age cutoffs. A family should ask each about the age groups, the field sizes, the bat standards and the pitching rules for the season.
The fork in the road: baseball or softball
For many girls, the choice between baseball and softball arrives at about 12 or 13. Up to that age, a girl can play baseball on a mixed team in a recreational league without much difficulty. Around the move to a larger field, teams become more competitive, the skill gap grows, and the school system starts to matter. High schools generally offer softball for girls, and they generally offer baseball for boys, so a girl who wants to stay in baseball may face a choice: stay on a boys' team, play in a girls' or open program if one exists, or switch to softball.
The following table compares the two paths in broad terms. It is a general guide, and the right answer for a given player depends on her skills, her local options and what she enjoys.
| Question | Baseball | Softball |
|---|---|---|
| Ball and pitching | Smaller ball, overhand pitching | Larger ball, underhand pitching |
| School teams for girls | Usually a boys' team, with girls allowed in some places | A girls' team in most high schools |
| College teams | Few; some women try out for men's teams | A large number of programs, with scholarships |
| National and Olympic programs | Women's national teams and world cups | Olympic sport in some years, national teams |
| Professional options | Very limited | Limited, a small league |
Neither choice closes the other off. Skills transfer in both directions, especially hitting, fielding and throwing, and some girls play both in different seasons. A parent can help most by asking what the player wants, and by finding a coach who works with her on fundamentals and not on a fixed idea about which sport she should play. For the softball side of the decision, see How Fastpitch Softball Works in our softball coverage.
After youth ball: high school, college and beyond
The options for girls who stay in baseball narrow as the levels rise, and families should plan with open eyes.
High school. State high school associations set their own policies on whether girls may play on boys' baseball teams, and the policies differ from state to state. Some girls do play high school baseball. Check your state association's rules, which are published, and talk to the school's athletic director.
College. A small number of women have played on college baseball teams, most often at smaller programs. As a general matter, NCAA rules do not bar women from men's teams, but the roster spots are limited and the competition is for the same places as everyone else. Women's college athletics in the United States is built around softball, which has a large national championship and scholarship structure. A girl who wants a college team and a scholarship should look at both sports and talk with coaches.
National teams. The USA Baseball women's national team and the national teams of other countries play in the Women's Baseball World Cup, which has been held every few years under the world governing body of baseball and softball. Japan has been one of the leading programs. These teams select players through tryouts and showcases, and they draw from girls and women who play in a mix of settings.
Professional baseball. The professional route for women remains limited. A few women have played in independent professional leagues, and none had played in the major leagues through the 2025 season. Women have, however, moved into front-office and on-field staff roles: Kim Ng became a general manager in the major leagues, Alyssa Nakken became the first woman to coach on the field in a major-league game, and Rachel Balkovec became a minor-league manager. Check the official sources for the current state of any of these roles, since they change.
Girls-only programs and showcases
In response to the narrowing of options, a number of organizations have built programs specifically for girls who play baseball. They tend to follow a few forms.
- Girls-only tournaments. Some events bring together girls' teams from many places, so players can compete against peers.
- Showcases and camps. Programs run by baseball organizations offer instruction and exposure for older girls who want to continue.
- Development series. In recent years, Major League Baseball and USA Baseball have run girls' baseball events, including a series called the Trailblazer Series.
- Nonprofit groups. Organizations such as Baseball For All run tournaments and clinics.
The details change from year to year, and their eligibility rules differ. Look for current information from USA Baseball, Little League and the local leagues, and treat any program's claims about future opportunities with the caution you would apply to any recruiting service.
Practical advice for a family
A few points apply to most families.
- Start with the local league. Park and recreation departments and Little League chapters list their programs, and a girl who is new to the game can begin at the youngest age group and move up.
- Find a coach who teaches. A coach who explains fundamentals and who treats the players as players will do more for a child than a team with a better record.
- Fit the equipment. Helmets, gloves and protective gear must fit properly. Follow the league's equipment rules, and ask a coach or a store employee to check the fit. Bats must meet the league's standard, and the rules are published by the league.
- Mind the arm. Follow the pitch count and rest rules set by the league and the governing body, and take pain seriously. Questions about injury belong with a doctor.
- Practice at home. Short sessions of throwing, catching and hitting add up, and Baseball Drills You Can Do in the Backyard is a good place to start.
- Think about the long run. If your daughter loves the game and wants to continue, look at the adult options as well. Adult Recreational Baseball Leagues and Wood-Bat Leagues covers leagues that can last a lifetime.
The site's youth section lists programs and resources, and the youth and Little League topic page collects coverage.
Common questions
Can a girl play Little League Baseball? Yes. Little League opened its baseball program to girls in 1974, and it also runs a separate softball program. Check the local league for its age groups and sign-up dates.
Should a girl play baseball or softball? It depends on the player and on the options near her. Both are good games. Softball has a larger school and college structure for girls, and baseball has fewer paths after youth ball but offers opportunities of its own.
Do girls play baseball in high school? Some do, on boys' teams. State associations set the rules, so ask your state association and your school.
Has a woman played in the major leagues? Not through the 2025 season, according to what is published. Women have worked as coaches, executives and managers at several levels.
Where do I find a team? Start with your local Little League, parks department or travel organization, and ask about the age groups. The league's website will list the registration process.
Where to go next
For the history of the biggest youth event, read The Little League World Series, then How Little League Baseball Is Organized for the age divisions. Little League's own rules and registration information are at littleleague.org. The softball section of this site covers the sport that many girls take up at older ages.