Brewster Alum Justine Siegal ’93 Named First Commissioner of the Women's Pro Baseball League
By Kara McDuffee
The game has changed. And she's the one changing it.
When Justine Siegal ’93 stepped onto Brewster Academy's campus last year to speak to the student body, she brought with her a career's worth of firsts. Now, she can add one more to the list.
Siegal, a Brewster alum and member of the school's Athletic Hall of Fame, has been named the first Commissioner of the Women's Pro Baseball League (WPBL), the country's first professional women's baseball league, set to open its inaugural season on August 1, 2026. The announcement, made on March 20, places Siegal at the helm of a historic organization she also co-founded, one that will feature four teams across New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco competing through mid-September at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois.
For anyone who has followed Siegal's career, the appointment feels less like a surprise and more like an inevitable next chapter. In 2009, she became the first woman to coach a professional men's baseball team, taking the field with the Brockton Rox. Two years later, she was the first woman to throw batting practice for Major League Baseball teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, the Athletics, and the Cardinals. In 2015, the Oakland Athletics brought her on as the first female coach in an MLB organization. Her jersey and hat from that stint are now on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 2010, she founded Baseball For All, the nation's largest girls' baseball organization, which has grown to serve players across the country. More than a third of the WPBL's drafted players came through the program, a testament to just how far her reach extends.
The week of her Commissioner announcement, Siegal was also featured on NPR's Morning Edition in a segment covering the WPBL's spring training launch. In the piece, she spoke about what this moment means for the sport, noting that the athletes have always been there and that women have always been playing well. The visibility, she said, is simply finally catching up.
Her words on the appointment itself carried the same mix of gratitude and drive that those who heard her speak at Brewster will recognize. "Being appointed Commissioner is beyond anything I've ever dreamt of," she said in the WPBL's official announcement, "and a humbling opportunity to help shape the League and the future of women's professional baseball."
When Brewster reached out to congratulate her, Siegal was candid about where her head was at. "Grateful. Humbled. And ready to help build Women's Pro Baseball League and opportunities for girls and women around the world," she said. She also made a point to look back at the foundation that helped get her here. "I'm thankful to the faculty and staff of Brewster, who helped hone my leadership capabilities through opportunity, support, and love."
It is exactly the kind of outcome Brewster strives toward. As a mission-driven boarding school in New Hampshire, Brewster has long emphasized leadership development and giving students the tools to pursue meaningful work in the world. Siegal's trajectory is a vivid example of what that can look like over a lifetime.
Beyond the diamond, Siegal holds a PhD in Sport and Exercise Psychology from Springfield College and served as Baseball Coordinator for Amazon Prime's A League of Their Own series. In 2017, USA Today named her one of the 100 Most Powerful People in MLB.
As the WPBL's Countdown Tour winds through fan events and exhibition games across the country this spring and summer, Siegal will be at the center of it, building something she once could only imagine. For the girls watching, and for every Brewster student who heard her speak, she is proof that the work you put in, the values you carry, and the mentors who believe in you can take you somewhere entirely your own.
Opening Day is August 1. We will be watching.
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To listen to Siegal speak on NPR, you can find the episode here. To learn more about the Women's Pro Baseball League (WPBL) and Siegal’s new role, you can read more here.
