Softball alumna strikes deal with MLB affiliate
David Goodkind wrote this article for Cal State Fullerton’s Daily Titan. It is available for republication or reference. If you think their work is important, you can support it here.
Former Cal State Fullerton softball star and Big West Conference Player of the Year Kelsie Whitmore made history on April 8 as she signed with the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League, an official partner of Major League Baseball.
The Atlantic League is one of four independent leagues that are partnered with the MLB. While comprised of 10 teams, it also serves a testing ground for potential new rules that can be implemented in the MLB.
The 23-year-old is one of the first women to sign with a league affiliated with MLB and her status as a trailblazer immediately brands her as a major face of women in baseball.
Although Whitmore played softball at Fullerton, where she hit .395/.507/.824 and won Big West Field Player of the Year in 2021, her background has mostly been in baseball. A two-way player in the vein of Los Angeles Angels’ dual threat Shohei Ohtani, Whitmore is a prolific hitter and pitcher, pitching a fantastic 1.35 ERA for the U.S. Women’s National Baseball Team from 2014-19 and hitting .348 during the 2019 Pan American Games.
The San Diego native and Temecula Valley High School graduate started playing baseball at six years old and participated in her local little league and baseball tournaments. She only turned to softball because baseball was not offered to female collegiate athletes.
Whitmore’s stint with the FerryHawks isn’t her first with professional baseball. She also played for independent teams, the Sonoma Stompers and Portland Pickles. While the pressure on her to succeed at a professional level isn’t new, participating at this level presents new challenges.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Whitmore took a realistic approach and said, “I’m going to make mistakes; I'm going to fail. And that’s all part of it. And my biggest goal was to come here to develop, and gain knowledge to be the best version of myself.”
Whitmore’s first step towards development began on the right note in New York with the team, as she struck out the first batter she faced during an invitation-only tryout on April 9.
The FerryHawks, new to the Atlantic League, will begin their season on April 21.