Exciting news for baseball fans in Illinois and across the country! The Women’s Professional Baseball League plans to play its inaugural season in Springfield. Four teams from major cities across the U.S. – New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Boston – will be playing their 2026 season at Springfield’s very own Robin Roberts Stadium.

Illinois has played a central role in women’s baseball since the sport’s earliest days. Springfield’s connection goes back 150 years. In 1875, two women’s baseball clubs, the Blondes and the Brunettes, played a ticketed game, becoming one of the first women’s baseball events to have paying customers where players were paid.

The popularity of women’s baseball peaked in the 1940s and 1950s when Phillip Wrigley, an executive of the Chicago Cubs, created the most famous pro women’s baseball league in 1943 – the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Springfield was home to the Sallies, one of the professional teams that was part of the league. Other Illinois cities, including Rockford, Chicago and Peoria had their own professional teams as well. Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin had multiple professional teams as well. However, despite the league’s popularity, it shut down in 1954.

Now after a 70-year gap, women’s pro baseball returns making an extremely anticipated debut. The Women’s Professional Baseball League is stepping in to offer players a professional platform, televised competition and a new generation of role models for girls who dream of playing baseball at the highest level.

Springfield hosting the league’s first season is a continuation of the story Illinois helped start over a century ago. Stay up-to-date on the WPBL by visiting their website. WPBL games will start in August 2026 with the season running through September.