Women of all ages step up to the plate for the Eastern Women's Baseball Conference
Baseball isn't just for boys. One baseball league has women taking the field by storm.
The Eastern Women's Baseball Conference (EWBC) launched in 2000, but is rooted in the Washington Metropolitan Women's Baseball League, founded three years before the 1993 movie "A League of their Own."
The film became an eye-opener for those who never knew they existed.
"The Eastern women's baseball conference is a league that was created over 30 years ago by women for women, to give women the opportunity to play baseball in a competitive environment, but also have a lot of fun," said Jennifer Francis, the president of the Eastern Women's Baseball Conference.
Players come from all walks of life and levels, and their motto is to take the field.
Masi Seal is 14 years old and plays with the EWBC.
"My dad, our whole family, has been playing for like, years and years, so I keep it going," said Masi Seal.
"Half of all the girls I know can play better than all the boys I've played against. So I don't know what people [have] got to say that — I know all the girls that I've played with are better than thousands of people."
Seal explained how women like Bonnie Hoffman, EWBS's tournament director, inspire her to keep playing.
"They're just representing girls' baseball in general. They show that no matter how old you are, no matter what you look like or what you do, like, just do what you love," Seal explained.
"Baseball is a game for everybody," said Bonnie Hoffman, a coach and EWBC's tournament director. "Our players range from about 13 to players in their 70s, and it really is intended to be a space in which every woman who wants to play has an opportunity to play a game they care about."
From May until August, women come from all over the region to play on one of the league's five teams in Baltimore, D.C. and Virginia: Virginia Flames, Virginia Fury, Baltimore Blues, Charm City Lemon Sticks and the D.C. Thunder.
Players wishing to compete at a higher level began the all-star team – DC Thunder – to play in regional and national tournaments.
Every team plays by the same rules as the MLB.
"We are all competitive. We all want to win, but we want to have fun," said Jo Ann Kruger, the vice-president of the EWBC.
Jo Ann Kruger is their vice president and has played for nearly 25 years.
"Brooks Robinson, I've been number five my whole life because of Brooks," said Kruger. "I was going to replace Cal Ripken as a shortstop on the Orioles. But honestly, growing up, I realized I'm not THAT good. Here I am still playing, maybe not for the Orioles but I am still playing."
This is why all members of the EWBC make sure everyone feels welcome and empowered to play.
"People should have access to sports, and that includes, especially women, having access to baseball, to opportunities to play the game that they love, rather than to feel like they're directed or guided into one spot," Hoffman explained.
"I love everything about it, especially just being on a team. It's like one big family. And we all do things that we all play one sport that we all love and care about," said Seal.
The EWBC also participates in several benefit/charity events each year, such as 'Strikeout Cancer' and 'Give 10 for #10' and Coming Home for Fisher House.
The Eastern Women's Baseball Conference hosts several events, including:
- The Diamond Classic Women's Baseball Tournament from May 24 to 26, which features some of the top women's baseball players in the U.S. and Canada
- The MLB GRIT Girls Identification Tour, a multi-city tour that allows girls to showcase their baseball skills through a pro-style workout
- The DC Girls Baseball and Chesapeake Girls Baseball groups for girls between the ages of 9 and 18 who want to get into baseball.
