Each of the first two females to ever play in the Atlantic League were selected on Thursday, November 20 by teams in the Women’s Pro Baseball League draft.
Kelsie Whitmore, who played for the Staten Island FerryHawks in 2022, was the first overall pick, going to San Francisco. Alexis “Scrappy” Hopkins was also drafted by San Francisco. She spent the 2022 season with the Kentucky Wild Health Genomes.
Whitmore became the first female to appear in a game on April 22, 2022 when she entered the game for the Staten Island FerryHawks. She became the first woman to start a game on May 1, 2022 when she drew the starting assignment in left field for the FerryHawks game at Gastonia. She earned her first base hit against the Long Island Ducks on Sept. 3.
Hopkins was drafted by Kentucky out of the ALPB Showcase in 2022 and spent most of the season as the Genomes bullpen catcher. She was activated later in the season and became the second woman to get a basehit in the Atlantic League, lining a base hit up the middle on Sept. 17.
On May 17, 2022, Hopkins and Wild Health Genomes assistant coach Lindsay Gardner served as base coaches, marking the first time two women had served in those roles in an ALPB game.
The two were among 120 players picked in the six-round draft. The WPBL will launch its 2026 season on August 1. All games will be played at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springville, Illinois.