Inaugural season of Women's Pro Baseball League scheduled in Illinois.

In Springfield, Illinois, the Women's Pro Baseball League is set to kick off its first season at Robin Roberts Stadium.

Scheduled for an August 1 start, the league's opening coincides with the Women's Baseball World Cup taking place in nearby Rockford from July 22-26.

Comprising teams from Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Boston, the 2026 WPBL season will commence with a draft, where San Francisco has the first pick in a snake-style selection on Thursday. The draft will span six rounds, with each team adding five players per round.

Among the top prospects anticipated to be chosen in the draft are former Little League standout Mo'ne Davis, USA Baseball talent Kelsie Whitmore, and Japanese pitcher Ayami Sato.

Emphasizing the historical significance, the WPBL highlighted Robin Roberts Stadium's central location among its founding clubs. Springfield holds a rich baseball history, having hosted one of the early paid women's games back in 1875.

With a seating capacity of 5,200, Robin Roberts Stadium has recently incorporated an LED videoboard, adding to the modern fan experience.

Co-founded by trailblazer Justine Siegal, the first female coach in MLB for the Oakland Athletics in 2015, the WPBL marks a significant milestone as the first professional women's baseball league since the iconic All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, made famous by the movie "A League of Their Own," disbanded in 1954.