My whole life has been about baseball.
I've been playing baseball for six years.
I've been playing baseball for about ten years now.
I was three years old when I started playing baseball.
My name is Kaimani.
I've been playing baseball for...
...ever.
My name is Haley and I've been playing baseball for ten years.
My name is Giselle.
I'm 12 years old and I play every position but catcher
and first base.
One of the things we love about baseball is...
It makes us stronger and we learn sportsmanship.
Baseball makes me brave.
A lot of people say girls
don't belong in baseball and I'm here to prove them wrong.
All I ever knew was baseball.
I eat and breathe and dream about baseball.
In the year 1948, I was a pitcher for the Peoria Red Wings,
in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League.
The most wonderful memory I had of playing was putting on my uniform
because after I got my uniform on
and I got my spikes on,
then I knew I became a professional baseball player,
something that I'd always wanted to do.
But being a girl, I didn't think there was any chance.
We were pioneers and we played
and we played hard because we loved it.
I started playing baseball...
I don't know, maybe when I was seven
and I've been playing the game ever since.
But when I was 13, I was told I should quit baseball because I'm a girl.
And I decided I would play forever because that just seemed wrong.
Well, I started with soccer.
Didn't like that.
Went to volleyball. Didn't like that either.
And I tried baseball. And it really caught my eye,
and I just stuck with it.
And it was really fun.
I wanted to start playing baseball because
it felt like a sport
that would make me happy and make friends a lot.
It's probably about three years old when I saw a field of all boys
playing baseball.
Then this one girl came out of nowhere and she was on the team.
It kind of inspired me to be like her.
I've been playing baseball since I was six years old.
It's everything to me.
But it's also something that is bigger than just the game, you know?
It's the impacts you make on people.
To me, if you tell a girl
she can't play baseball, what else will she think she can't do?
That's a social justice issue.
And so I'm very passionate every day wondering how can I make this world
just a little bit better for those girls who want to come and play this great game.
Some days I think about, like, what my future will be.
Some days I would want to be a professional baseball player.
But sometimes I think about what would happen if I try to become one.
I hope to play professional ball.
Like Kelsie Whitmore, she's one of the people I look up to.
It's extremely important to create opportunities for women in baseball.
Our passions are extremely important.
It's what makes us who we are.
We matter.
One thing I'm really proud of
is that I am the first woman to coach for a Major League Baseball organization.
And now, there's over a dozen women coaching in professional baseball.
My proudest moment in baseball
was when I tried out with the older boys who were 16 and 17.
I hit a Grand Slam and not only did we win the game, but we won championship.
It was probably when I hit my first inside the park home run.
A lot of people, like, compliment me on how fast I am.
I ended up being the only girl on the team.
I just swung the bat as hard as I could and I ended up hitting a triple at the age of five.
Probably playing second base and the game was tied up
bases loaded, line drive hit between me and first base and I made a diving play
that saved the game.
My message to young girls that want to play baseball...
You got to look yourself in the mirror.
You got to ask yourself how badly you want it,
despite how hard it's going to be.
Despite the negative comments.
If you want to bad enough, you'll do anything you can to make it happen.
I believe if you follow your dreams, good things happen.
If you want to play baseball, go for it.
You got it.
Don't give up hope and go out there and give 110% and show these people
how wonderful ballplayers you are today.
This event is a celebration of women in baseball.
It's honoring the past while looking forward, empowering girls
to pursue their dreams.
Hundreds of volunteers
have come together to write individual messages on baseballs and then
placing them on the field to create this massive letter to the future.
All these little messages coming together
to form a greater message for the future of girls in baseball.
I want to thank all of you for coming out today.
I've never been so thrilled!
The film brings out so much
about what I was like when I when I was playing baseball.
All of these baseballs behind me mark a very important letter.
This message is a a powerful reminder
that the future is brighter than ever for female athletes.
Dear Future,
This letter, written by us, the new generation of girls in baseball,
is a promise
that we will create a future where baseball is for everyone.
While honoring the pioneers that came before us, we promise to build
a better future where women are lifted up and celebrated for playing the game.
Our passion will drive us to break through barriers,
and the sweat on our dusty jerseys will be proof
of the effort we put in every game.
Every homerun we hit, every strikeout we throw, will get us closer to the ceiling
you know we'll shatter one day.
These baseballs are more than just balls.
They represent our hard work and dreams
transformed into this letter to you.
The Girls
This is what a professional athlete looks like.
Baseball is for everyone.
We are the future.
I am the future!