[Litty]

2019

An inaugural draft was made from a vetted list of interested players. The Richmond Storm won the lottery for the first draft pick and chose 26-year-old Canadian centrefielder Belle Leachy. Cape Cod used their first pick on 22-year-old third basewoman Denise Marechal from Vanderbilt, Salisbury opted for 27-year-old pitcher Maria Rodriguez and New York closed out the first round with the selection of 27-year-old shortstop Edith Fitzsimmons.

The first game of the inaugural WBLA saw the Richmond Storm host the Cape Cod Sirens. Andrea Maas took to the mound in the purple and gold of Richmond, facing Dawn Sancren of Cape Cod. After a quick 1-2-3 inning, Jacquelin ‘Jack’ Head took the mound for Cape Cod, facing Richmond’s leadoff hitter, Steph Bachelor. Bachelor became the first strikeout of the WBLA before Tonii Thomas recorded the league’s first hit driving a groundball into the 3-4 hole for a single. That was followed by a double from no. 1 draft pick Belle Leachy before a sacrifice hit from Meg Harrington and some clever hit & run brought Thomas home for the first run of the WBLA. Cape Cod’s Taylor DeVos would tie the game in the top of fourth with the league’s first home run (386ft to left). The game ended 6-4 in favour of the Storm after the Sirens failed to recover from a Leachy grand slam in the 7th. In the day’s other game, the Riveters beat the Valkyries 3-2 in Salisbury.

At the end of the first regular season, the Valkyries had claimed the top spot in the division with a record of 30-18. They had been a dominant team, especially at home. At the Alley Park Baseball Ground, they had gone 17-7. Their best run was a 5-game streak between July 7th and July 11th. Meanwhile, Richmond took 2nd with a 27-21 record. Despite two 5-game win streaks (July 11th-16th & August 7th-12th), their nine season losses to New York cost them the top spot. Cape Cod finished last, only managing 14 wins across the season. That included winning just six games in the month of August.

In the WBLA Cup, played between first and second in the regular season standings, the Valkyries swept the Storm 4-0. They outscored their opponents 37-13 and Valkyries centrefielder Tash Cole was named series MVP after a 10-for-16, 4 home run performance.

Salisbury dominated the individual player statistics for the inaugural season. Leftfielder Billie Eischens topped the league in batting average with .360 across 48 games. Meanwhile, third basewoman Jerri Thornton hit 17 home runs and 55 RBIs to league the lead in those categories. The 29-year-old Dallas native had a .290 average, which put her well outside contention for the triple crown. The best OPS in the league was that of no. 1 draft pick Belle Leachy with 1.061. On the mound, Maria Rodriguez was the ERA queen at 2.36 while Richmond’s Madeeha Baqri went 7-0 in 10 starts for the title of winningest pitcher. Baqri also recorded 62 Ks and finished second in ERA with 3.14.

At the 2019 WBLA awards, all three offensive first round draft picks received Best Offensive Player awards with Marechal and Leachy also receiving Defensive Player awards for their position. Baqri scooped up Pitcher of the Year while Leachy, with a .330 average and 10 home runs, was named MVP.

Overall, the league had proven popular and while the it would remain at four teams for the 2020 season, two expansion teams and an additional 24 games were planned for the 2021 season. The league also received a number of substantial financial donations, allowing them to expand the operation a little before the following season.