The Women’s Pro Baseball League will kick off its inaugural season next summer, and Illinois’ capital will play host to that campaign.
According to a press release from the league, Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield will play host to the league beginning in August 2026, with the entire season, All-Star Game and playoffs all taking place at the venerable ballpark.
“In August 2026, the WPBL will take the field for its first season—an opportunity to watch the world’s top women’s baseball players compete at the highest level,” the league said in a press release. “Springfield will host every game of the season, turning the city into the summer home of the league and the center of a historic moment for women’s sports.”
The WPBL was launched in 2024, and according to its website is the first women’s baseball league to play since Ladies League Baseball in the 1990s.
There will be four teams competing, representing Boston, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, according to its website.
Games will last seven innings, and players will use aluminum bats.
The league’s draft is set for Thursday, November 20 at 7 p.m. Central time. Each team will have 15 players, with each team playing two games per week.
There will be four weeks’ worth of regular season games, with an All-Star Game in the middle. The league will then have a two-week playoff format.
Robin Roberts Stadium was built in 1928 and was renovated in 1977, with a capacity of over 6,000, according to its website.
The stadium is currently home to the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes, a team competing in the wood-bat Prospect League, which features collegiate players from across the U.S.
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