Good morning, baseball fans!
The Women’s Professional Baseball League draft took place last Thursday, with San Francisco receiving the first pick. With that first pick, San Francisco chose RHP Kelsie Whitmore! Whitmore has strong ties to California, as she’s from San Diego, played softball for Cal State Fullerton, and has played professionally with the Sonoma Stompers and Oakland Ballers. She played for the US women’s national baseball team from 2014-2019, and has also played with the Savannah Bananas.
Whitmore was just the first among a diverse draft class for San Francisco, with players ranging from 18-40 years old; from across the United States, as well as the Dominican Republic, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and Mexico. This first draft class features pitching depth as a clear priority for the team’s inaugural season.
Here’s the full draft class with position, age, and notes for players who are from Northern California:
- Kelsie Whitmore, RHP (27)
- Amanda Gianelloni, 2B (28)
- Joely Leguizamon, SS (26)
- Jill Albayati, RHP/UTL (21)
- Samantha Gutierrez, C (22)
- Ayaka Yamamoto, 3B (21)
- Niki Eckert, LHP (22)
- Andreanne Leblanc, 1B (24)
- Jua Park, SS (20)
- Alexia Jorge, C (22)
- Ela Day-Bedard, IF (20)
- Rosa Del Castillo, CF (26)
- Elizabeth Gilder, LHP (24)
- Skylar Kaplan, LF (24)
- Hinano Beppu, 2B (29)
- Jordan Eyster, CF (21)
- Katie Reynolds, RHP (24)
- Peyton Coria, RHP (19)
- Hanna Miura, 2B (22)
- Kaija Bazzano, SS (23) *from Sebastopol, CA
- Kaelei Kajitani, 1B (21) *from Madera, CA
- Kiley Ingram, RHP (18)
- Scrappy Hopkins, C (27)
- Flor Elena Valerio Montoya, RHP (23)
- Esthela Segovia, C (31)
- Bella Espinoza-Molina, RF (23)
- Arwen McCullough, RHP (21) *from Livermore, CA
- Allie Lacey, 2B (31)
- Micaela Minner, 1B (40)
- Kailyn Bearpaw, 1B (22)
I look forward to learning more about these newest Bay Area athletes as we get closer to the start of the 2026 season!
