​Baseball fan Cathy Arnett of Ione, pictured at right, chats with Kaija Bazzano, a WPBL player warming up before a demonstration at Banner Island Ballpark in downtown Stockton on July 2, 2026. The fledgling Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) paused in Stockton as part of its Countdown Tour, promoting its upcoming inaugural season. This was a landmark moment in a city that has long celebrated baseball, and it came after more than seven decades since the last major professional women’s league left its mark on the sport.
Emma Sota has carried a dream since she was four: to play Major League Baseball. It isn’t enough for her to work in or around the game—she wants to play it. Yet for every question about her ambitions, there is the same barrier: Emma is a girl, and since MLB began in 1876, no woman has played in the league. Her mother, Theresa, recalls the frequent refrain Emma faces: why not switch to softball? “They tell her there isn’t a future for her in baseball,” Theresa says, “but Emma’s answer is unwavering: I don’t want to play softball. I want to play baseball. I’m a baseball player. That’s what I want to do for the rest of my life.” Emma’s sister, Isabella, adds that people often assume a girl can’t reach the major leagues, but seeing women pursue the sport at professional levels makes a difference: “Seeing it grow like this is awesome because everyone who said, ‘You can’t go pro,’ now it’s like, yes, you can. You can have a future in this.”
On July 2, Banner Island Ballpark again became a stage for that future. The WPBL’s Countdown Tour rolled into Stockton, signaling the return of professional women’s baseball to the national scene for the first time since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, immortalized in the film A League of Their Own, ceased operations in 1954. Emma’s questions about gender and opportunity were echoed in the stands as fans watched a demonstration featuring ten players from the New York Heights, Los Angeles Queens, and San Francisco Firebells, all under the leadership of seasoned baseball minds like Alex Hugo, Bree Nasti, Rocky Henley, and Tamara Holmes. After on-field warmups, the crowd of more than 150 folks was invited to participate in batting practice, catching fly balls, and a WPBL FanFest that offered autographs and photo opportunities with the athletes.
The day was not just about exhibition play; it was about rewriting a narrative. For years, girls who loved baseball faced the same query—why not softball? Stockton’s event offered a tangible answer: the sport can and will sustain a professional women’s league, opening doors for young players like Emma and her sister Isabella to dream bigger than ever before. The Countdown Tour highlighted the WPBL’s mission to establish a new, visible path for female players who aspire to compete at the highest levels of baseball, ensuring that a future in the sport is not limited by gender but defined by skill, dedication, and opportunity. With Emma and many others watching, Stockton witnessed the birth of a new era where girls who love baseball can imagine themselves in the major leagues—and see a league that believes in their potential every step of the way.