Ex-little League Star Mo'ne Davis Joins Women's Pro Baseball League With Focus On Fun

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — For nan past fewer years, Mo’ne Davis has enjoyed her anonymity.

It had been 11 years since Davis was nan first woman to transportation a shutout astatine nan Little League World Series erstwhile she decided to springiness pro women’s shot a changeable contempt having ne'er played shot pinch women before.

It had been 5 years since she played competitory baseball, and astatine property 24, she wasn’t judge if a comeback was successful nan cards.

Then, she decided, why not? After playing emblem shot past summer, she felt nan competitory juices commencement to travel again, truthful she entered her sanction successful nan Women’s Pro Baseball League draught and became 1 of nan first members of nan Los Angeles Queens.

Mo’ne Davis hits during a Women’s Pro Baseball League accumulation crippled successful Fort Myers, Fla.

(Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press)

“I conscionable wanted to effort it out,” she said from nan informing way astatine Robin Roberts Field successful Springfield, Ill., wherever nan convention was group to play its first games this weekend. “I don’t for illustration to spell done life regretting anything. I want to make judge I tin look backmost and beryllium like, ‘Hey, I tried it out.’”

Davis won’t beryllium looking to rediscover what made her a sensation each those years ago.

“No matter really galore times anyone asks, nan reply is gonna enactment nan same: I’m not pitching,” she said. “I americium doing what I want to do. I’m not doing what everyone other wants maine to do. So whether you for illustration it aliases not, I’m still gonna unrecorded my life, but I conscionable want to show people, like, I’m gonna spell retired location and person fun.”

In nan 2014 Little League World Series, Davis fired a 70-mph fastball and became nan first female pitcher to triumph a crippled successful nan tourney erstwhile she tossed a shutout pinch 8 strikeouts successful Philadelphia’s opening crippled against Nashville.

Philadelphia’s Mo’ne Davis pitches against Nashville astatine nan Little League World Series connected Aug. 15, 2014.

(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

She played halfway section for nan Hampton University softball squad and wherever she posted a profession batting mean of .225 pinch 34 hits, 24 runs and 16 RBIs complete 2 seasons.

Baseball hadn’t been connected her radar since she started playing softball successful college, but nan WPBL changed everything. She said she was “still mad” that she didn’t deed good successful nan Little League World Series and wants to show disconnected her skills successful nan batter’s box.

“If I did spell transportation more, I would get compared to my younger aforesaid more,” she said. “My extremity is to do what I want to do, not to beryllium compared to my 13-year-old self, and fto group cognize that I’ve grown. I’m an big female now, truthful you person to abstracted nan two.”

That Little League tally led to her being connected nan screen of Wheaties boxes and Sports Illustrated and becoming 1 of nan astir well-known female athletes of her era. She grew up wanting to play hoops and dabbling successful football, but she has been nan de facto look of women who play shot without picking a bat up for a half-decade.

Mo’ne Davis throws retired nan ceremonial first transportation anterior to a Dodgers crippled connected Nov. 17, 2014.

(Mark J. Terrill/AP)

Though immoderate of nan attraction connected her is “annoying,” channeling her competitiveness into a master athletics was an opportunity she wouldn’t miss.

“She’s been successful nan spotlight astir of her life,” Queens 3rd baseman Ashton Lansdell said. “People benignant of expect her to beryllium this personage person, and she’s honestly conscionable specified a chill girl. Like she conscionable wants to beryllium a normal person. It takes her a small spot to lukewarm up to people, I deliberation because she’s been successful nan spotlight her full life, truthful possibly she tin beryllium a small awkward astatine times. But erstwhile she starts breaking retired of her shell, she’s awesome.”

The Queens selected Davis pinch nan 10th prime successful December’s draught aft she participated successful nan league’s tryout past August.

In April, Davis signed pinch nan Indianapolis Clowns of nan Banana Ball League, wherever she sewage successful immoderate innings arsenic a alleviation pitcher. The Clowns are a revival of a 1940s and 1950s barnstorming Negro League squad that included Toni Stone, nan first female to play successful a master men’s shot league.

Former MLB halfway fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. has been a mentor for Davis, and she said moving pinch him and different Banana Ball players helped her create her “baseball IQ.”

“It’s specified an grant to beryllium capable to study and soak up really she carries herself and, like, what she’s learned from her careers,” Queens outfielder Brittany Apagar said. “The vulnerability she’s gotten exposes america arsenic well.”

Davis, who has degrees from Hampton and Columbia, became nan 3rd personification from that Little League squad to beryllium drafted professionally, joining Scott Bandura (San Francisco Giants, now successful triple A) and Jared Sprague-Lott (Athletics, now successful people A).

But erstwhile again, Davis finds herself successful nan mediate of history. This time, she’s not unsocial successful making it.

“I effort to protect my peace,” she said. “I don’t want my teammates to look astatine maine immoderate differently. ... I don’t want them to look astatine maine arsenic like, ‘Oh, she’s only present for this.’ ... I want them to cognize I’m present for you guys. I’m present to, you know, triumph games pinch you guys, and I’m present for nan team.”