WPBL Draft: Round Five Brings Long Shots, Legacy Picks, and Global Firsts
WPBL Women's Professional Baseball League

WPBL Draft: Round Five Brings Long Shots, Legacy Picks, and Global Firsts

Published on November 20, 2025 under Women's Professional Baseball League (WPBL) News Release


Picks 81-100 may be fighting for roster spots, but their stories are inseparable from what the WPBL represents.

By Round Five, the board was full of players who've spent years building this sport from the edges: late bloomers, pioneers from emerging markets, and athletes whose dreams didn't have a clear pro path-until now. Many of these players are underdogs. All of them helped make this inaugural draft what it is.

81. San Francisco - Kaelei Kajitani, 1B, Madera, California (USA)

Kajitani grew up in a baseball family so steeped in the game that a local high school field is named after her great-grandfather. She realized her childhood dream by playing on that field, then capped her high school career with a Central Section championship. A left-handed pitcher and first baseman, she sees the WPBL as both a personal milestone and a way to carry her family's legacy forward for the next generation of girls in the game.

82. Los Angeles - Isabella Villarreal, 2B, Newport, Michigan (USA)

Villarreal has played more than 650 travel games, become the first female player in multiple programs, and won a home run derby with 11 homers-yet still says it doesn't feel like she's done anything "special." From tee-ball to Detroit Bees and Indians Baseball Club, through high school and then into Baseball For All, she's followed a simple through-line: the game has always had her heart. Los Angeles gets a second baseman whose love for baseball is as enduring as her résumé.

83. New York - Zoe Falardeau, RHP, Welland, Ontario (Canada)

Falardeau joins New York as a young right-hander from Ontario. A product of Canada's growing women's baseball system, she'll be looking to convert regional success into a pro opportunity.

84. Boston - Emily Baxter, OF, Oakville, Ontario (Canada)

Baxter adds outfield depth for Boston. Coming out of Ontario, she brings experience patrolling the corners and the ability to compete for a role as a defensive and bench option.

85. Boston - Braidy Birdsall, 2B, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Canada)

Birdsall's path blends performance, psychology, and officiating. A former national and international martial arts champion, she pivoted into baseball and quickly made her mark: two Golden Gloves at third base, top-three finishes in home run derbies, and recognition as one of Canada's Top 40 female players. She's also a Level 3 umpire, a coach, and a sport psychology student intent on helping girls perform at their best. Boston gets a second baseman who understands the game from almost every angle.

86. New York - Adelaide Ziebart, RF, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Canada)

Ziebart grew up splitting time between baseball and figure skating before fully committing to the diamond at 13, when she made AAA and played alongside other girls for the first time. Since then she's represented Saskatchewan at nine national championships, earned Defensive Player of the Tournament at 19U, and cracked Canada's national team top-40 and development camp. Now finishing a marketing degree, she dreams of working in the sports industry. New York gains a right fielder who knows what it means to grind through long winters chasing a summer sport.

87. Los Angeles - Elodie O'Sullivan, OF, Perth (Australia)

O'Sullivan is a veteran outfielder and chartered civil engineer who's been competing at the highest levels for more than a decade. The first woman to play men's first grade in her Central Coast league, the first to represent Carine in men's WA State League, a multi-time Australian champion, and a 2024 women's showcase winner with Brisbane, she's also logged three stints in Japan and played at the 2018 World Cup. Los Angeles gets a high-IQ outfielder with proven contact skills and the versatility to play all three spots.

88. San Francisco - Kiley Ingram, RHP, Ontario, California (USA)

Ingram joins San Francisco as a teenage right-hander from Southern California. She'll have the chance to learn from one of the deepest, most diverse pitching staffs in the league as she competes for a role.

89. San Francisco - Scrappy Hopkins, C, Fort Walton Beach, Florida (USA)

Hopkins' journey might be one of the most unconventional in the draft. A former DII softball player who earned a presidential scholarship through science fair work, she walked onto her college club baseball team, then made history in the Atlantic League as the first woman drafted and signed since its inception-catching and DH-ing in an MLB partner league. Along the way she's played men's league ball, caught future pros, and even turned a hit off Doug Flutie into a tip-of-the-cap moment. Now a triathlete with a national invite, she brings grit, curiosity, and genuine star quality to San Francisco's catching competition.

90. Los Angeles - Genevieve Hastings, SS, Billings, Montana (USA)

Hastings is a young shortstop from Montana, a region not typically associated with baseball hotbeds. She'll enter as a developmental infield option with a chance to prove her tools can translate at the pro level.

91. New York - Edith De Leija, CF, Mexico (Adama)

De Leija gives New York another center field option from Mexico's growing women's baseball ecosystem. With speed and range, she'll compete to carve out a role in one of the most demanding positions on the field.

92. Boston - Meaghan Houk, IF, Ravena, New York (USA)

Houk arrives with recent pro experience on the softball side, having suited up for NY Rise in 2025 and earning Player of the Game honors-and a home run-in her first appearance. Boston adds an infielder used to making an immediate impact when given an opportunity.

93. Boston - Laura Hirai, RHP, London (United Kingdom)

Hirai may be one of the most important figures for European baseball in this draft. She fell in love with the sport while living in Japan as a child, then became the first-and still only-female athlete to represent Great Britain in U18 baseball, pitching at European Championships in 2015 and 2017. At the same time, she represented Great Britain in softball, eventually becoming the first athlete to actively play both sports for the national programs. This past summer she helped GB's women win baseball gold and softball bronze in Europe, qualifying both squads for World Cup stages. Boston gets a right-hander who has been a "first" nearly everywhere she's gone.

94. New York - Angela Valenzuela, RHP, Phoenix, Arizona (USA)

Valenzuela steps into New York's camp as a young right-hander from Arizona, adding another arm to a staff that has leaned into diversity of backgrounds and paths to the mound.

95. Los Angeles - Ayuri Shimano, RHP, Osaka (Japan)

Shimano is a right-hander from Osaka, a city where baseball is woven into daily life. She'll compete in a crowded Los Angeles pitching room, bringing another Japanese approach to sequencing and command.

96. San Francisco - Flor Elena Valerio Montoya, RHP, Tijuana (Mexico)

Valerio Montoya adds another Mexican arm to the WPBL. A right-hander from Tijuana, she gives San Francisco additional depth and another link into Mexico's fast-rising women's baseball scene.

97. San Francisco - Esthela Segovia, C, Tijuana (Mexico)

Segovia spent most of her life in softball until, at 24, she realized she had the tools for baseball and joined men's teams in her hometown because there were no women's options. Since 2019 she has been a national-team mainstay, becoming the first Mexican woman to hit a home run in the history of women's baseball in Mexico. She now plays professional softball with Bravas de León and sees the WPBL as a chance to prove that women can, in fact, "live from the game" so many told her would never provide a livelihood. For San Francisco, she's a late-round catcher with real power and an even bigger message.

98. Los Angeles - Luisa Hernandez, 3B, Lagos de Moreno, Mexico

Hernandez joins LA as a veteran third baseman from Mexico. With corner infield experience and maturity, she'll push for a role as a depth and clubhouse presence.

99. New York - Melissa Mayeux, SS, Louviers (France)

Mayeux is already a familiar name to many baseball fans. The French shortstop was the first woman ever added to MLB's international registration list as an amateur, and she's spent years as a fixture of France's national team setup. Now she joins New York as a late-round pick with significant international pedigree and the ability to stabilize the infield.

100. Boston - Olivia Bricker, LHP, Cincinnati, Ohio (USA)

Bricker closes out Round Five as a left-handed pitcher for Boston. A southpaw from Ohio, she'll come into 2026 with the opportunity to battle for bullpen innings and give Boston yet another different look from the left side.

What Round Five Means in the Bigger Picture

Round Five may not be where most Opening Day starters come from-but it's full of players who tell you why this league exists:

Legacy picks and hometown dreams (Kajitani on her family's field, Villarreal in Detroit, Hirai and Mayeux carrying national flags).

Builders and multi-role contributors (Birdsall as player/coach/umpire, Ziebart and Hernandez as regional anchors, Hopkins as a cross-sport, cross-discipline pioneer).

Global firsts and quiet history-makers (Hirai for Great Britain, Segovia and her home run milestone in Mexico, O'Sullivan and her barriers in Australian men's leagues).

Many of these players will arrive as long shots. But if the history of baseball has taught us anything, it's that late-round picks and overlooked names have a way of changing the story.

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Women's Professional Baseball League Stories from November 20, 2025


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