Former Little League star Mo'ne Davis to try out for new women's pro baseball league
The former Little League phenom who at 13 became the first girl to pitch a victory — and a shutout — in the Little League World Series, will be one of more than 600 players to try out for the Women's Professional Baseball League set to launch next year, the league said.
Davis will join other women's baseball stars like Kelsie Whitmore, the first woman to sign a professional contract with an MLB-partnered league, at the tryouts, which will be held in Washington, D.C., from Aug. 22-25.
Davis will try out as a pitcher, as well as at second base, shortstop and center field, per the league. Her decision was first reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The WPBL is aiming to launch in the summer of 2026 with six teams and would be the first U.S. pro league for women since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League — depicted in the classic film 'A League of Their Own' — dissolved in 1954. Next month's tryouts will determine the 150 players who will be selected for the league's inaugural draft in October.
Davis' rise to stardom came swiftly in 2014 when she delivered 70 mph fastballs for Philadelphia's Taney Youth Baseball Association during that year's Little League World Series.
She became an instant inspiration for fans young and old. She appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, has her jersey displayed in baseball's Hall of Fame and was named Sports Kid of the Year by Sports Illustrated Kids.
Davis graduated from Hampton University in 2023 and has provided commentary on ESPN for Little League games.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Christian Walker's go-ahead HR in the 6th inning propels Astros past Mariners 11-3
SEATTLE (AP) — Christian Walker hit a go-ahead solo homer in the sixth inning as the Houston Astros rallied from an early three-run deficit and beat the Seattle Mariners 11-3 on Sunday to avoid a series sweep. Walker, who entered the game hitting .333 in July, hit his third homer of the month and 13th of the season to left field off Mariners All-Star Bryan Woo (8-5). Two batters later, Taylor Trammell added his second homer of the season to double the Astros' lead. Trammell added a two-run double in the seventh inning. The Astros were resilient after falling behind 3-0 after three innings. They tied the game in the fifth on a fielding error by J.P. Crawford and a two-run double by Cam Smith. Houston starter Hunter Brown allowed three runs on six hits with seven strikeouts in four innings. Four relievers worked five shutout innings with right-hander Kaleb Ort (2-1) earning the win. Key moment It briefly appeared the Mariners had cut their deficit to one run when J.P. Crawford doubled to left field in the sixth. Miles Mastrobuoni tried to score from first and was originally ruled safe on a close play at the plate, but the Astros challenged the call, which was overturned. Key stat The Astros have scored at least nine runs in a game 11 times this season. They are 11-0 in those games. Up next The Astros continue their road trip on Monday at Arizona with left-hander Colton Gordon (3-2, 4.67 ERA) starting. The Mariners will send RHP George Kirby (4-4, 4.50) in the opener of a three-game series against visiting Milwaukee. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Freddie Freeman injured as Dodgers are swept by the Milwaukee Brewers, again
When Clayton Kershaw signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers last February, it looked like it could have marked the start of a goodbye tour. The left-hander would take one more trip around the league, then settle into a rocking chair and wait for the Hall of Fame to call. Instead, Kershaw has shown flashes of the pitcher who won three Cy Young Awards in four seasons, though now he gets by on guile and guts more than curveballs and sliders. On Sunday, however, he was undone by his defense in a 6-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. It was the Dodgers' third loss in as many games since the All-Star break and 10th in a dozen games overall, the team's worst 12-game slump since 2018. Read more: Pitching injuries continue to be an issue in MLB. How it's impacting pitchers at all levels And the losses keep mounting in other ways as well, with first baseman Freddie Freeman sustaining a left wrist contusion after being hit by a José Quintana pitch in the sixth inning. Freeman is among the Dodgers' leaders in batting average (.292) and is third in runs (47) and hits (95). With the team already missing third baseman Max Muncy and utility player Kiké Hernández, the possibility of losing Freeman for any stretch would be a significant blow. The game ended with the slumping Mookie Betts lining out to center field with the bases loaded. The Dodgers' rotation has also been battered by injury, which is why Kershaw's performances have been so important. Despite missing the first seven weeks of the season, he ranks third on the team with 11 starts and has given up two or fewer earned runs in eight of them — including Sunday, when he scattered five hits over 4 1/3 innings, exiting the game with the score tied 3-3 in the fifth. Kershaw, who left without a decision, would have pitched longer had a throwing error by third baseman Tommy Edman and a misplayed fly ball by center fielder Andy Pages not extended the Brewers' fourth inning twice, forcing Kershaw to throw 29 pitches in the inning. And he battled to get that far, working with a fastball that rarely topped 90 mph and a curve he bounced to the plate more than once. 'It just speaks to the guy,' said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts before the game. 'Even when he doesn't have his best on that particular day, he does what's called of him each time out.' 'He has adjusted, as far as using his whole pitch mix more,' Roberts continued. 'He's incorporating a lot more pitches and trying to keep guys more off a particular set, attacking guys differently.' The Dodgers (58-42) gave Kershaw an early lead with a three-run third. Pages led with a double to left, then scored on a line-drive sacrifice fly by Dalton Rushing. After Betts followed with a single, Shohei Ohtani sliced a 2-0 sinker over the left-field wall for league-leading his 34th home run. The defense gave all three runs back in the fourth with a two-out throwing error by Edman letting in a run and Pages misplaying a ball that bounced off his glove near the warning track in center for a tying double. Esteury Ruiz's first home run for the Dodgers put them back in front in the fifth, but the Brewers (59-40) went in front to stay in sixth, scoring three times off relievers Alex Vesia and Lou Trivino (3-1) on a double, three singles and a walk. The Dodgers' bullpen earned-run average of 4.38 ranks 12th in the 15-team National League. The team hasn't gotten a scoreless game from its bullpen since July 3. Read more: Shaikin: Why the small-market Milwaukee Brewers might be America's team After Rushing's bases-loaded infield single pulled the Dodgers to within a run in the ninth, Betts, who was elevated to the leadoff spot in the order in an effort to end a slump that had seen him start July hitting .174 with as many strikeouts as hits, lined out to center. He finished one for five, dropping his average to .240. Notes: Pitchers Blake Snell and Blake Treinen made rehab appearances for triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday. Snell, who has been on the injured list since April 6 because of left shoulder inflammation, made 58 pitchers over four innings, giving up a run on four hits while striking out six. It was his third rehab appearance. Treinen, out since April 19 with a forearm strain, followed with a perfect fifth inning in which he struck out two. He could return to the Dodgers' roster this week. Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Associated Press
12 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Brewers edge Dodgers for 10th straight win, completing season sweep
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Abner Uribe retired Mookie Betts with the bases loaded for the final out, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5 on Sunday for their 10th straight victory. Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run homer for the Dodgers, but Isaac Collins snapped a sixth-inning tie with a two-run single as the Brewers finished 6-0 this season against the defending World Series champions. They extended their longest winning streak since 2021 by sweeping the NL West leaders for the second time in two weeks. Los Angeles has dropped 10 of 12 overall. Collins' two-out single to center field off reliever Lou Trivino (3-1) broke a 4-all tie and put Milwaukee ahead for good after a back-and-forth start. The Dodgers cut their deficit to a run in the ninth and loaded the bases with two outs, but Uribe got Betts to line out to center for his sixth major league save and second this year. Jose Quintana (7-3) allowed four runs over six innings for the win. Los Angeles starter Clayton Kershaw permitted five hits and three runs (two earned) in 4 1/3 innings. Ohtani launched his 34th homer of the season and Esteury Ruiz hit his first with the Dodgers. First baseman Freddie Freeman exited in the sixth after getting hit by a pitch on his left wrist. Key moments The Dodgers committed a trio of defensive miscues that helped the Brewers erase an early 3-0 deficit. Third baseman Tommy Edman airmailed a throw to first, Ruiz missed a cutoff man from left field and Andy Pages whiffed on a liner to center — all with two outs — to allow three Brewers runs to score. Key stat The Brewers are 34-12 since May 25, the best mark in the majors during that span. Up next Milwaukee RHP Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 2.61 ERA) starts Monday in Seattle. Ohtani (0-0, 1.00) pitches for the Dodgers against Minnesota. ___ AP MLB:
