Chelsea Baker, a 13-year-old Floridian, has beat the boys with her killer 65 mph knuckle ball. Being the only girl on a boys-only sports team can’t be easy but Baker certainly makes it look that way. Her team has been undefeated the past four seasons, due to her perfect pitch (2 of her games were actually perfect, striking out every batter). You go, girl! However, I’m not surprised that she kicks ass at baseball, only that she has managed to make it this far. I always wanted to play baseball (and would frequently play it with my friends in our shared back yard), but like many girls I was informed that baseball is for boys and softball is for girls. After some googling, I couldn’t find any reason why girls can’t play baseball— probably because there’s no reason not to. There’s no rule against including girls on baseball teams, but they’re often met with opposition from coaches or players.
This Baker girl gives me some hope for the future of women in male-dominated sports, especially because she’s basically the best Little Leaguer and might even be one of the best baseball players of all-time one day (fingers crossed). So for now I’m going to be living vicariously through her baseball stardom. Don’t lose your sassy confidence Chelsea! We’ve got your back!
Check out this video of her story and her sweet skills in action!
Photo: Girls in Baseball
Video: Chelsea Baker
