Cal Poly club player drafted by new Women’s Pro Baseball League team
Cal Poly women’s baseball player Arwen McCullough was drafted Thursday in the sixth round of the new Women’s Pro Baseball League selection.
McCullough, a right-handed pitcher from Livermore who expects to graduate from Cal Poly in 2026, was drafted by the San Francisco organization, one of four cities with WPBL teams. The WPBL’s four founding teams are in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Boston.
“It has been my childhood dream to be a professional baseball player, and finally getting to live that out is something that I haven’t even processed it yet,” McCullough said. “But I’m so happy this is happening, and it gives young girls a chance to strive for something.”
The new league launches in 2026 with the first games scheduled for August.
The Women’s Pro Baseball League has announced that “Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield (Illinois) will serve as the official venue for the league’s inaugural 2026 season” before locations for games are held in the respective designated cities of organizations.
A women’s professional league hasn’t existed in the United States since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League ended in 1954.
Tryouts were held in August to scout for players, who were designated as draft eligible. McCullough, who starred on Cal Poly’s women’s club baseball team as a pitcher and outfielder, was among those who traveled to Washington, D.C., for the tryouts.
Cal Poly’s women’s club team won the fourth annual Baseball for All College Club Championship held in early April in Sonoma County.
USA baseball star Kelsey Whitmore was selected No. 1 overall by San Francisco, while Los Angeles selected Japanese star Ayami Sato as the No. 2 overall pick.
C.J. Silas, a familiar voice on the microphone at Cal Poly baseball games and on “The C.J. Silas Show” on ESPN Radio 1280, announced the WPBL draftees on Thursday on a livestream.
Each organization in the new WPBL drafted 30 players for 15 roster spots.
“I believe there will be cuts, so we will see how that happens,” said McCullough. “We don’t know a lot of things (until) last minute because it’s the first year of the operation.”
McCullough, a recreation, parks and tourism administration major at Cal Poly, has credited the launch of the club team and training with local coaches and mentors as helping her reach her goal.
“Ten-year-old me dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, and today I can officially tell her that one day she will be,” McCullough wrote on her Instagram page. “I’m so proud to represent my home in the Bay Area and inspire many young girls to work hard and never give up on their dreams. Go SF! Back to the grind!”
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