CHESTNUT HILL, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 5, 2022 / Baseball history continues to be made as 28 women will have the opportunity to participate in the BFA Women's College Baseball Invitational, an all-women's college baseball event. This two-day event is the only one of its kind in the country, focused on the development and support of girls and women who are seeking opportunities to play college baseball. Both college coaches and women playing college baseball will be in attendance to help foster the development of these players. This event will be hosted by Baseball For All at Boston College.
"This elite college event gives high school girls the opportunity to learn what's possible and receive the instruction and support to realize their dreams of playing college baseball are possible. We are thrilled to have the support of Boston College and their baseball coaching staff to host this year's event as we continue to provide access and opportunities for girls to compete at increasingly higher levels of baseball," says Dr. Justine Siegal, PhD, founder of Baseball For All.
Of the 28 women who will be attending, four are current or former Varsity college baseball players: Kelliann Jenkins (Chatham University, 2022), Alexia Jorge (Saint Elizabeth University, 2025), Skylar Kaplan (St. Mary's of Maryland, 2024), and Marika Lyszczyk (Sonoma State University, 2025). Jorge, Kaplan, and Lyszczyk are part of a new record-breaking group representing the largest number of women rostered to play on men's college baseball teams, with eight women slated to suit up for the 2023 season.
"We are really excited to host Baseball for All and support the growth of women in baseball," says Mike Gambino, Head Baseball Coach at Boston College. "The opportunity that Baseball for All gives young women to play and improve in baseball is next to none and we are really excited to play a small part in their mission."
This Women's College Baseball Invitational is part of a larger initiative from Baseball For All, as it works toward establishing women's baseball at the collegiate level. In the Spring of 2021, the national nonprofit hosted the first BFA Women's College Club Baseball Championships at the MLB Youth Academy in Compton, CA - the first time in the modern history that women's collegiate baseball teams had an opportunity to compete against other women's teams in over 100 years. This year, Baseball For All is working with over a dozen college students to create Women's College Club Baseball teams at universities across the country, as the organization seeks to help establish Women's College Baseball an NCAA sport.
Dr. Siegal's own baseball experience in college helped to lay the groundwork of this program. Instead of choosing a soccer scholarship at a D1 school, she chose a smaller D3 school with a no-cut policy in order to play baseball but was denied a spot because of a "lack of jerseys." Instead of giving up, she worked hard to become the first woman to coach professional men's baseball (Brockton Rox, 2009), the first female to coach for a Major League Baseball Organization (Oakland A's, 2015, Fall Instructional League) - and now is committed to providing more opportunities for girls to play at all levels of the sport.
Follow the weekend's events on Instagram (@baseballforall) and donate to help support this groundbreaking collegiate initiative today to help open more doors for women in baseball.
For press inquiries, please contact Lena Park at [email protected]
###
About Baseball for All:
Baseball For All is a 501(c)3 national nonprofit building gender equity in baseball by providing girls across America opportunities to play, coach, and lead. Featured in hundreds of media outlets including Newsweek, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, MLB.com, and the New York Times, Baseball for All is the definitive resource for media looking for answers and thoughts on girls and women playing baseball.
CONTACT:
Lena Park
415.385.1528
[email protected]
www.baseballforall.com
SOURCE: Baseball for All