Women's baseball league prepares for '26 launch

The Women's Pro Baseball League is preparing to launch in the summer of 2026 as the only professional women's baseball league in the U.S. The WPBL will launch with six teams predominantly in the Northeast. It plans on securing a national broadcast deal for its inaugural season, which will consist of a regular season, playoffs and championship throughout the summer of 2026. The league is co-founded by Justine Siegal, the first woman to coach a professional men's baseball team and to pitch batting practice against an MLB team, and Keith Stein, a lawyer with a history in professional sports leagues and team ownership. Japanese professional baseball pitcher Ayami Sato and former MLB manager Cito Gaston will serve as special advisors to the league (Women's Pro Baseball League).