In softball and baseball, girls are getting more visibility at the Little League World Series

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — Little League runs World Series tournaments for baseball and softball, and girls are attracting more attention at both this year. On the baseball side, Monica Arcuri from Australia became the 24th girl to play in baseball's Little League World Series and the 11th to get a hit in Williamsport. It's the sixth straight LLWS to include a female player. Meanwhile, the Little League Softball World Series in Greenville, North Carolina, set attendance and viewership records. The game averaged 1.44 million viewers on ABC, making it the most-watched Little League softball game ever. Patrick Wilson, who is in his first season as CEO for Little League International, emphasizes the importance of both programs. When it comes to girl players, "whether she chooses to play softball or baseball, we want her to have those choices, and if she switches at a certain point, that's OK too," Wilson said. "We just want her to participate." Girls have been allowed to play Little League baseball since 1974, when the Little League Federal Charter was amended from being boys only. That also created Little League Softball. The first girl to make it to the fields of Williamsport was Victoria Roche, who played for Brussels in 1984. Since then, a girl has been seen in the LLWS every few years. And, in 2004 and 2014, there were two, the most famous of which was Mo'ne Davis, a pitcher from Philadelphia who led her team to a win and wound up on the cover of Sports Illustrated. She was named The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 2014. Australian manager Keith Land said Monica often outperformed boys on other teams. "Not to be disrespectful, but you've been out hit by a girl," he said, after Monica's line drive single to center field against Panama. Australia also had a girl on its team last year, Emma Gainesford. Lester Gaunt managed the Pennsylvania team that won this year's Softball World Series and believes that increased viewership also means increased participation. There are over 25,000 Little League softball teams and more than 300,000 participants in more than 25 countries. "Numbers for West Suburban Little League should go up," Gaunt said. "Hopefully some younger players that were on the fence about playing will give it a try." The Softball World Series winners will be honored at Sunday's LLWS championship. Pennsylvania had an undefeated 5-0 record in the Softball World Series and beat Indiana 1-0 for the title. Winning pitcher Reagan Bills was in tears and at a loss for words in her postgame interview on ESPN. "I've been watching since I was 5, and I didn't think this was possible," she said. Growth in the Softball World Series isn't just limited to those watching. The tournament is taking on a larger world stage. Both Brazil and Japan were first-timers to Greenville this season. On the international side, the Softball World Series boasts four regions. In order to encourage female participation, Little League has launched both the Girls with Game Initiative and the Maria Pepe Little League Baseball Legacy Series. The Legacy Series was launched in 2024 as the first all-female baseball tournament in Williamsport. The female presence in baseball-softball also is expanding beyond the Little League level. The Athletes Unlimited Softball League launched in June and provides women an opportunity to play professional softball in the United States. The Women's Professional Baseball League is holding tryouts this weekend in Washington — Davis is among the participants — with plans to launch next summer. Australia is a country with a larger female presence than some. In 2024, Australia hosted its first all-female Little League Baseball national tournament. The girls who compete then get the opportunity to attend the Australia Women's Showcase, which brings together the country's best female baseball players. "I think it's a pretty worldwide trend," Land said, "that women in sports in general are going through the roof."