Rosa Naranjo first picked up a bat in the third grade after overhearing a classmate talk about baseball. Marissa Trevino was five-years-old when her dad signed her up for T-ball, despite her protests.
Decades apart in age, raised in different cities of San Joaquin County, the two women are now heading to the same field with the same goal: a shot at making history in the first-ever tryouts for the Women’s Professional Baseball League.
They’ll join more than 600 women at the WPBL tryouts, beginning today through Aug. 25 at the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy and Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The event marks the league’s first official step toward launching what would be the first organized professional women’s baseball league in the United States in almost 30 years.
“Just bring the passion that they have for baseball, this is what this league is all about,” baseball player and WPBL special advisor Alex Hugo told CBS Mornings.
Naranjo, who is from Linden, never played organized baseball, but that’s not stopping her from dreaming. She played softball every year until she graduated high school, and then continued one more season at Delta College under Coach Bucky Layland. But after that, the path forward disappeared.
“I remember being disappointed that it was the end of playing,” said Naranjo, now 42. “At that time, women were not allowed to play baseball.”
For years, baseball became something she watched from the sidelines. Cheering on her partner’s children whom she calls her “bonus sons,” taking them to practices and games, playing with them when she could. Slowly, it brought something back.
“Playing with them, practicing with them, watching them play — it brought back memories,” she said.
Stockton’s Trevino, now 18, made her high school varsity team, a moment she describes as a passing of the torch from her father, who also played baseball in high school.
“As I got older, I didn’t want to stop at 18 and give up on the sport so quickly,” she said.
She trains twice a week, focusing on her swing and fielding, and recently competed at the Baseball For All Nationals, which gave her a sense of the competitive landscape in girls’ baseball.
“I think that prepared me,” Trevino said.
Unlike Naranjo, who leans on her partner and kids to work through the mental side, Trevino takes a simpler approach, saying “I don’t really prepare myself mentally. I kind of just do what I do.”
Naranjo is training with family at local fields, hitting at batting cages, using practice equipment, and doing burst running drills.
“I’m not sure how this will look moving forward,” she said. “But I’m more ready now than ever. No matter what happens, I participated in a part of history.”
Both women have faced barriers as athletes — not just on the field, but in gaining access to it. For Trevino, gender and body image have been her two biggest obstacles.
“With my weight, I’ve been hitting the gym and trying to cut my food intake,” she said. “Overcoming the challenge of my gender is really by not giving too much thought on what guys think and just playing ball.”
Naranjo believes “Women’s history has evolved to prove we can be equals, and yet this game is primarily enjoyed and played by men.” She sees the WPBL as a major shift.
“I believe the future of women’s baseball is growing,” she said. “My contribution is my story. My hopes and my dream to use my skills to play with one of the teams that drafts me.”
The WPBL will be the fifth women’s baseball league in the United States, following the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1943–1954), National Girls Baseball League (1944–1955), International Girls Baseball League (1952–1953), and Ladies League Baseball (1997–1998). The most famous of the past leagues was the AAGPBL, which was the basis of the 1992 hit movie “A League of Their Own.”
It is scheduled to begin play in 2026 with six teams. Host cities have yet to be determined.
The athletes are ready to become a part of that legacy and stated that their communities have shaped them.
“I feel that my hometown was a unique environment,” Naranjo said. “It influenced me to respect social values and how to interact with different people. The community was very involved in athletics, and coaches offered positive support in academics.”
Trevino said: “I think it’s surreal. It’s a great honor and privilege to be able to represent my county.”
When asked what they’re most proud of in their baseball journeys, Naranjo pointed to something internal.
“That I have inspiration and drive for the game, and thrive in the atmosphere with a team again.”
For Trevino, it was the day she made varsity, saying “that moment for me was very important.”
No matter what happens in D.C. over the next few days, both women will walk away with more than they arrived with.
“I continue to learn more about myself every day,” Naranjo said. “I’m grateful I have the opportunity to make history in women’s baseball and not forget where I came from.”
“This will be the first tryouts ever,” Trevino said. “I hope the knowledge I leave with will be extended. To go against girls who are way older than me and more experienced — I have to remind myself of who I’m trying to outperform.”
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