WPBL Draft: Round Two Uncovers the League's Future Leaders
WPBL Women's Professional Baseball League

WPBL Draft: Round Two Uncovers the League's Future Leaders

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


From campus founders to global multi-sport stars, picks 21-40 show the depth and diversity of the WPBL talent pool.

If Round One built the foundation, Round Two started to reveal what this league will feel like day-to-day: young leaders, multi-sport standouts, and players who have already been quietly changing the game in their own corners of the baseball world.

Across these 20 selections, teams leaned into up-the-middle defense, international experience, and players who have been building women's baseball even before a pro league existed.

21. Boston - Kate Blunt, SS, Ladera Ranch, California (USA)

Boston opened Round Two with a proven winner. Blunt has been a three-time USA Baseball Women's National Team member since making the squad at just 16, and she's spent her college years patrolling the infield for two powerhouse softball programs-UCLA and now Utah-with three trips to the Women's College World Series. She's a steady, big-game shortstop who's been competing against the best for most of her life.

22. New York - Keira Izumi, SS, San Diego, California (USA)

New York added one of the clearest examples of what this league is about. Izumi grew up in baseball and never left it, playing both baseball and softball through high school and now founding and presiding over the USC Women's Baseball team. She's already traveled to Japan as part of the Baseball For All Ambassador Program and has coached girls' teams in California. Izumi brings infield skill and leadership that extends far beyond the box score.

23. Los Angeles - Jamie Mackay, C, Laguna Beach, California (USA)

Los Angeles continued to build its catching depth with Mackay, a California backstop with a strong defensive presence and familiarity with high-level competition. She slots into a staff that now features some of the most accomplished pitchers in the league and will be tasked with helping manage that group.

24. San Francisco - Ayaka Yamamoto, 3B, Fukuyama (Japan)

San Francisco went back to the international well with Yamamoto, a third baseman whose love for the game started in the backyard with her older brother and grew into a life's purpose. She has clear professional ambitions and a stated desire to inspire children around the world. On the field, she offers a solid glove at the hot corner and an approach built on precision and work ethic.

25. San Francisco - Niki Eckert, LHP, Tarrytown, New York (USA)

With Eckert, San Francisco added a valuable left-handed arm to its pitching mix. A LHP with East Coast roots, she gives the club matchup flexibility and another look to pair with its already deep rotation.

26. Los Angeles - Emi Saiki, SS, Kagawa (Japan)

Saiki strengthens Los Angeles through the middle of the diamond. A shortstop from Japan's deep baseball culture, she brings clean actions, range, and the kind of feel for the game that translates immediately to the pro level.

27. New York - Yonetani Natsuki, LF, Saitama (Japan)

New York dipped into the Japanese talent pool with Natsuki, an outfielder who traces her baseball journey back to playing with her older brother-and her highest joy to winning the Asian Games. She arrives in the WPBL already accustomed to pressure and success on international stages.

28. Boston - Denver Bryant, 2B, Albany, New York (USA)

Boston's infield continued to take shape with Bryant, a second baseman who complements the club's pitching-first approach. She offers steady defense and a competitive mindset that fits Boston's emerging identity.

29. Boston - Ticara Geldenhuis, OF, Waterfall (Australia)

Geldenhuis might be one of Round Two's most fascinating profiles. Born in South Africa and raised in Australia, she's played for her country at the Women's Baseball World Cup, homered against Korea, and dominated domestic competition with seven national championships for New South Wales. She's also played at the highest level in Japan, worked as a strength and conditioning coach-including time interning with the Arizona Diamondbacks-and has even broken into flag football at the national level. Boston gets an athletic, battle-tested outfielder who understands elite performance from multiple angles.

30. New York - Alyssa Zettlemoyer, C, Murrieta, California (USA)

Zettlemoyer gives New York a young catcher with years of baseball reps in Southern California's competitive environment. She adds depth behind the plate and long-term upside at a premium defensive position.

31. Los Angeles - Samaria Benitez, SS, Nayarit (Mexico)

Benitez adds another international thread to Los Angeles' roster. A shortstop from Mexico, she offers range, arm strength, and the kind of field leadership that can stabilize an infield.

32. San Francisco - Andreanne Leblanc, 1B, Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Québec (Canada)

San Francisco turned to the power positions with Leblanc, a first baseman from Québec. She brings a strong Canadian baseball pedigree and the kind of corner-infield presence that can anchor a lineup and infield alike.

33. San Francisco - Jua Park, SS, Hadong (South Korea)

Park adds yet another layer to San Francisco's international infield. A shortstop from South Korea, she brings advanced fundamentals, smooth defense, and the experience of coming through a highly competitive baseball culture.

34. Los Angeles - Maggie Foxx, C, Bedford, New Hampshire (USA)

Foxx arrives in the WPBL as one of the most accomplished multi-dimensional athletes in the entire draft. A Division I catcher at Brown and 2024 Ivy League softball champion, she's also a trailblazer in New Hampshire high school baseball, the first female catcher in Division I history there and a two-time all-star. Her résumé stretches across USA Baseball and MLB Develops events, five sports in high school, leadership roles in mental health advocacy, and an almost unmatched training ethic. For Los Angeles, she brings leadership, durability, and a deep understanding of high-performance environments.

35. New York - Madison Willan, IF, Edmonton, Alberta (Canada)

Willan is the definition of a multi-sport high performer. A member of Team Canada's Women's National Baseball Team since 2017, she made history with the program's first out-of-the-park home run in international play and has multiple World Cup bronze medals. In winter, she starred for the University of Alberta's women's hockey team, winning national awards, championships, and even a gold medal at the FISU Winter Games. She's also competed in university golf. New York gets a mature, competitive infielder who's used to carrying big roles across multiple sports.

36. Boston - Suzuka Yamamoto, SS, Setouchi City (Japan)

Yamamoto's story is one of persistence in a landscape that didn't always make space for women's baseball. Encouraged by her father, she chose baseball over more traditional softball paths and fought to keep playing, eventually earning a spot with the Hanshin Tigers Women as a founding member. Playing at storied Koshien Stadium and winning a national club championship are among her proudest achievements. Boston gets a shortstop with high-level experience and a clear personal mission to help grow the women's game.

37. Boston - Maika Dumais, RHP, Québec City, Québec (Canada)

Dumais, at just 17, brings one of the youngest arms in the draft to Boston. A right-hander from Québec, she represents the next wave of Canadian talent and will have time to develop under a staff already rich in experience.

38. New York - Claire Eccles, CF/LHP, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada)

Eccles offers New York something rare: a legitimate two-way profile. Capable of impacting the game as both a left-handed pitcher and a center fielder, she gives New York roster flexibility and another creative option in late-game situations.

39. Los Angeles - Michelle Roche, RHP, Burnaby, British Columbia (Canada)

Roche is a pitcher whose career has been defined by continually playing "up" and proving she belongs. From robbing a championship-winning home run as a young outfielder to starring in top boys' travel programs and the BCPBL, she's built a résumé full of innings, efficiency, and poise. She's already a key starter for the University of British Columbia and has been a mainstay on the mound for Team Canada. Los Angeles adds a durable, strike-throwing right-hander with a long track record against elite competition.

40. San Francisco - Alexia Jorge, C, Lyndhurst, New Jersey (USA)

San Francisco closed Round Two with Jorge, a catcher who has been breaking barriers since childhood. She was a three-year varsity starting catcher, the first woman to start for her college baseball program, and the youngest player on Team USA when she joined in 2019 and helped capture Pan American gold. She recently made history in the Coastal Plain League as its first female player and now runs a girls' catching academy while hosting a mindset-focused podcast. Jorge gives San Francisco a leader behind the plate and an ambassador for the sport off the field.

What Round Two Reveals About the WPBL

If Round One delivered the headliners, Round Two spotlighted the builders-players who:

Created teams where none existed (Izumi at USC, Jorge's catching academy).

Bridged sports and seasons at an elite level (Geldenhuis, Willan, Foxx).

Pushed through structural barriers in their home countries (Yamamoto, Natsuki, Roche).

For the teams, the pattern is clear:

Boston leaned hard into up-the-middle stability and international experience, especially from Japan and Canada.

New York continued to stockpile leaders and multi-sport competitors who have already represented their countries.

Los Angeles fortified its spine with catchers and shortstops who can guide a star-studded pitching staff.

San Francisco deepened its international infield and added more catching and left-handed pitching to balance its roster.

Round Two didn't just fill out depth charts. It added culture carriers-players whose stories will help define what the WPBL stands for in clubhouses and communities around the world.

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


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