Women’s Baseball Returns To Action

I'M JENNIFER CRAWFORD. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. SPRING TRAINING IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAS OFFICIALLY COME TO AN END THIS WEEK AS MAJOR LEAGUERS HEAD BACK NORTH TO BEGIN REGULAR SEASON PLAY. BUT FOR THIS SPRING TRAINING, IT WASN'T JUST THE MEN GETTING IN ON THE ACTION FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1954. WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL MADE A RETURN TO THE DIAMOND AND IS NOW BACK IN FULL SWING. WGCU’S BRYANT MONTEILH WAS AT THE MILESTONE TODAY EVENT HELD AT JETBLUE PARK AND HAS THIS REPORT. >> WITH THE CRACK OF THE BAT >> THE NEW WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE IS UNDER WAY RIGHT HERE IN FORT MYERS. IT'S BEEN YEARS IN THE MAKING ITS BEEN 70 YEARS SINCE THE LAST MAJOR WOMEN'S PRO BASEBALL LEAGUE, WHICH WAS THE ALL AMERICAN GIRLS PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE. >> JUSTINE SIEGAL IS A WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUES FIRST EVER. COMMISSIONER. SHE SHARES HOW SIGNIFICANT THIS OPPORTUNITY IS FOR PLAYERS. >> AND THE FANS SO MANY OF OUR PLAYERS HAVE DREAMED OF PLAYING IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL AND NOW THEY GET TO BE HERE. AND AS PART OF A PRO LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, THAT'S PRETTY SPECIAL. >> THE NEW WPB AL TOOK PART IN THE TWO-DAY EVENT AT JETBLUE PARK IN FORT MYERS. THAT'S WHERE THE BOSTON RED SOX TRAIN FOR THE UPCOMING SEASON. AND AFTER POLLS SINCE THE CALLED THIS ITS FIRST OFFICIAL SPRING TRAINING, THE FEMALE PLAYERS TRAINED ALONGSIDE FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYERS INCLUDING DOUG MIENTKIEWICZ AND KEY FAULK AND A NAME FROM THE WOMEN'S LEAGUE WHO MAY BE BETTER KNOWN THAN THOSE 2 FORMER PROS AS MONET DAVIS. SHE STARTED PLAYING BASEBALL AT A YOUNG AGE AND ROSE TO NATIONAL FAME AND 13 BY BECOMING THE FIRST GIRL TO PITCH A NO-HITTER. AND WHEN THE GAME IN THE LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES HER 70 MILE AN HOUR FASTBALL ELEVATED TO HURT HER CULTURAL ART. CURRENT STATUS. SHE SEES HOW BRIGHT THE FUTURE IS FOR WOMEN PLAYING PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL. >> WITH HOW IN HIS WORDS GO NOW I FEEL LIKE IT'S A STEPPING STONE ON SHOWING THE GROWTH THAT WOMEN'S SPORTS HAS HAS DONE ON THE SPORTS WORLD. AND I JUST THINK THAT IS GOING TO ALLOW MORE MORE GIRLS TO GO OUT AND DREAM BIG DREAMS, SOMETHING THAT THEY NEVER THOUGHT WOULD HAPPEN BECAUSE I KNOW THIS WOMAN OUT HERE WHO NEVER THOUGHT THAT THEY BE A PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER. >> STAR PITCHER KELSIE WHITMORE GROUP IN CALIFORNIA PLAYING BASEBALL. SHE PLAYED SOFTBALL IN COLLEGE. NOW SHE'S TAKING ON THE NEW LEAGUE MEANS EVERYTHING. >> IT'S IT'S. >> IT MEANS THAT NOW WE DON'T HAVE TO CREATE A PATH FOR OURSELVES. THERE'S ALREADY A PATH MEAN FOR US. IT MEANS THAT NOW THE GOALS IN THE DREAMS THAT WE HAD WERE LITTLE LAKE. WE NOW HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR IT. AND I MEAN, SO MUCH TO IT. IT MEANS I MEAN, THE ONLY GROW ANY MORE ON YOUR TEAM. >> SOME PLAYERS HAD ENCOURAGING WORDS FOR GIRLS WHO MAY ALSO WANT TO PLAY PRO BASEBALL ABILITY TO MARROW IS FROM QUEBEC, CANADA. IT'S NOT ALWAYS A STRAIGHT PATH, BUT YOU GOT TO KEEP PUSHING ON AND ON. >> AND BEING YOU AND HAVING SOME FUN. >> AND YOU'LL GET THERE ONE DAY. AMANDA GENTILONI IS FROM LOUISIANA. >> AND A NICKEL STATE UNIVERSITY HALL OF FAMER. ANYTHING THAT YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO YOU CAN ACHIEVE THE WORLD TRIES TO LIMIT YOU. EVERYONE IS GOING TO TRY TO LIMIT YOU LIKE YOU CAN'T DO SOMETHING OR YOU WON'T DO SOMETHING. DON'T LISTEN TO THEM. AND SO THE TIME IS NOW ESPECIALLY TO SET A GOAL AND TO REALLY WORK HARD EVERY DAY TOWARDS THAT GOAL AND THEN ACHIEVE IT. >> VETERAN JAPANESE PITCHER YUMMY IS CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE THE BEST FEMALE PITCHER IN THE WORLD. HERE IS WHAT SHE SHARED THROUGH HER TRANSLATOR. THEY'LL TAKE WITH US THAT THIS IS SO TO SEE HIM UP THERE. >> AND YOU MAIL, WHICH IS GOOD TO SEE TAX UNTIL SINCE DOSAGE. THEY PUT THOSE THAT THEY THIS. I WANT TO TELL TO THE GIRLS. >> WHO PLAY BASEBALL AND WHO WANT TO BE IN THE LEAGUE THAT LIKE JUST KEEP GOING WAS CONFIDENT IS LIKE BELIEVING ELSE HEALTH LIKE YOU CAN DO IT BECAUSE NOW YOU CAN JUST A TREE IN THE LEAGUE'S FIRST 4 TEAMS REPRESENT BOSTON. >> LOS ANGELES, NEW YORK AND SAN FRANCISCO PLAYERS AND FANS ARE EXCITED ABOUT WHAT'S IN STORE FOR WOMEN'S BASEBALL. I LOVE BASEBALL. LET'S GO THE WPBL HISTORIC INAUGURAL SEASON WILL LAUNCH ITS EIGHT-WEEK SEASON AUGUST 1ST FOR WGCU, I’M BRYANT MONTEILH.