The directive was simple: Stay ready for a last-minute opportunity. Belmont resident Katherine Murphy didn’t think it would work out the way it did.
In need of an outfielder ahead of the Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) inaugural opening weekend, the New York Heights phoned the 19-year-old with an urgent message.
“Get to Springfield, Illinois, as fast as you can.”
“I kind of just dropped everything,” said Murphy, a member of Belmont High School’s Class of 2025.
A flight from Boston to St. Louis, Missouri, and a 90 minute drive landed her in Springfield in time for a few practices and bonding time with her new teammates ahead of the Aug. 1 opening day. While many of Murphy’s University of Maryland classmates are home scooping ice cream, working at camps, or in retail stores, she’s playing professional baseball.
“It’s surreal,” Murphy said. “I don’t even know if it’s sunk in for me yet. It’s crazy. My friends have been following this whole thing with me, and to see it pan out the way it is has been pretty awesome. I love playing baseball and would do it in any capacity, but to be able to say I’m a professional is insane.”
Before the first game, an eventual 10-8 loss to the Los Angeles Queens, Murphy walked to the dugout at Robin Roberts stadium to drop off her equipment. More than 5,000 fans packed the sold-out stands.
“They’re here to watch us play baseball… That’s just crazy,” Murphy thought. “That’s when it hit me.”
In December, both Murphy and Katie Reynolds, Belmont High School Class of 2020, heard their name called in the WPBL draft. Reynolds, a right-handed pitcher, went No. 68 overall to San Francisco. Murphy, a left fielder, was the No. 78 overall pick by New York. At that time, the league had yet to announce team names. San Francisco is the Firebells, New York the Heights.
Reynolds, 24, did not get signed, and she’s still hoping for a call. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte alum, and the first woman to suit up for the school’s club baseball team, is living in Belmont and working with the Belmont After School Enrichment Collaborative (BASEC). She’s watching all the games from afar and is throwing every other day, both long toss and on the mound alongside strength training.
“It’s a little frustrating because it does seem like the team that drafted me really needs some pitching,” Reynolds said. “I kind of just want my shot, even if I just go for a game.”
Of the 120 players drafted, only about half were put on rosters. Reynolds imagines playing a role as a bullpen arm in the middle innings.
“Crafty, for sure, is how I’d describe myself over the years,” Reynolds said. “I don’t throw very hard, so I try to mess up the timing of the batter I’m going against.”
Murphy’s situation can offer Reynolds hope. Drafted but not signed by New York, she was told to stay ready in case an opportunity arose. A few days before the first game, Murphy got a call from manager Rachelle “Rocky” Henley asking her to play for at least the inaugural weekend. Two weeks later, Murphy’s still in Illinois.
“When I signed it, it was for the full season, but that doesn’t mean it’s all guaranteed,” Murphy said. “It’s kind of a week-by-week thing. My approach is to stay ready until they tell me otherwise.”
Murphy is paid. The WPBL provides housing in a hotel – all the players from across the league stay in the same one – and some meals. Murphy’s parents, Cammie and Steve, are spending as much time as they can in Springfield this summer. They’re staying at a hotel 10 minutes down the road. Some of Murphy’s extended family made it out the first two weekends, and she’s hoping more of her circle can make the trip.
This year, every WPBL game takes place at the 5,200-seat Robin Roberts Stadium. The league expects to move teams to their home markets next year. Regular season play began Aug. 1 and runs through Labor Day Weekend, followed by a two-week playoff tournament. Each team plays three games per week. Mondays are days off. Tuesdays and other non-game days are practices.
A business major at Maryland, Murphy will return to school for her sophomore year in the next few weeks. Until then, she’s playing the outfield and coming to bat to the tune of “The Chain,” by Fleetwood Mac, living out her dream summer.
“I always say that I feel like when I play women’s baseball there’s a different passion and energy,” Murphy said. “We never know as female baseball players when our next opportunity to play is. No one’s taking it for granted and everyone’s leaving it all out there.”