For the first time in more than 70 years, a women’s professional baseball league is making its debut in the United States and a local Cal Poly student-athlete is part of that historic moment.
Surrounded by friends and family at Milestone Tavern on Nov. 20, Arwen McCullough watched a live draft stream from a setup in the backroom. Then, the announcement came: she had been selected by San Francisco, one of four founding teams in the new Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL).
“My friends said I had a look of horror on my face at first,” McCullough recalled. “And the next moment, I had the utmost excitement and joy.”
KSBY first spoke with McCullough back in August, just before she left for WPBL tryouts in Washington, D.C. After competing there, she became eligible for the league’s inaugural draft. In November, she was chosen as one of 120 women from across the country to join the first generation of professional players.
“It solidified in my mind that this could be a reality for me,” McCullough said. “I could be a pro ballplayer.”
A women’s professional baseball league hasn’t existed since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, the league made famous by A League of Their Own, which folded in 1954. Now, McCullough, a Livermore native, has the chance to play professionally close to home while inspiring a new generation.
“It’ll be really nice to have a more mainstream option for young girls to see, watch, and strive for, just like I did when I was seven,” she said.
The WPBL’s inaugural season is slated to begin in August 2026 in Springfield, Illinois, where all four teams will play their first games. In the meantime, McCullough’s focus is on preparing for the season. She’ll train in Sacramento as she works to secure a spot on San Francisco’s final 15-woman roster.
