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Girls in the Little League World Series timeline, from Mo’ne Davis to Kinley Rasmus | Sporting News

The Sporting News · Daniel Mader · 2026-08-25T20:05:27+00:00 · nguồn gốc

In 1974, Little League opened its doors, allowing girls to join the premiere stage of youth baseball: the Little League World Series. Over 50 years later, it's not quite every year that a girl participates in the famed tournament in Williamsport, Pennsylvania — but among the now-25 girls who have stepped onto the LLWS stage, there have been some stars. With two girls playing in the 2026 Little League World Series, Kinley Rasmus of Phenix City and Carsyyn Meyer of Paseo Verde, the history of girls etching their names into the record books has continued. Here's a look at the history of girls competing at the Little League World Series. MORE: Where Kinley Rasmus ranks all-time in strikeouts by a girl at LLWS First girl to play in Little League World Series It was in 1974 that Little League amended its Federal Charter, allowing girls to compete in Little League Baseball, with Little League Softball also being introduced the same year. Since then, girls were eligible to compete in the Little League World Series. But it took a few years for a trailblazer to step forward. The first girl to play in Williamsport was Victoria Roche, who competed with her squad from Brussells, Belgium, in the 1984 international bracket. Roche helped open the door for dozens more girls to play on the LLWS stage. MORE: Meet Kinley Rasmus' family of baseball players, including former MLB stars Girls to play in Little League World Series As of 2026, there have now been 26 girls to participate in the Little League World Series. There have been four different instances of two girls participating in the same LLWS: 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2026. Here's the full list of girls to play in the LLWS: | Year | Player | Team | | 1984 | Victoria Roche | Brussels Little League (Belgium) | | 1989 | Victoria Brucker | Eastview Little League (San Pedro, CA) | | 1990 | Kelly Craig | Trail Little League (Canada) | | 1991 | Giselle Hardy | Arabian American Little League (Saudi Arabia) | | 1994 | Krissy Wendell | Brooklyn Center American Little League (MN) | | 1998 | Sayaka Tsushima | Kashima Little League (Japan) | | 1999 | Alicia Hunolt | Ramstein Little League (Germany) | | 2001 | Tatiana Maltseva | Khovrino Little League (Russia) | | 2002 | Sanoe Aina | Waipio Little League (Waipahu, HI) | | 2003 | Merced Flores | Central Little League (Guam) | | 2004 | Meghan Sims | Owensboro Southern Little League (KY) | | 2004 | Alexandra Bellini | East Nepean Little League (Canada) | | 2008 | Brielle Meno | Southern Guam Little League (Guam) | | 2009 | Katie Reyes | Hastings Community Little League (Canada) | | 2009 | Bryn Stonehouse | Arabian American Little League (Saudi Arabia) | | 2013 | Eliska Stejsklova | South Moravia Little League (Czech Republic) | | 2014 | Emma March | South Vancouver Little League (Canada) | | 2014 | Mo'ne Davis | Taney Youth Baseball Association Little League (Philadelphia, PA) | | 2019 | Maddy Freking | Coon Rapids Andover Little League (MN) | | 2021 | Ella Bruning | Wylie Little League (Albilene, TX) | | 2022 | Falynn Randall | Snow Canyon Little League (Santa Clara, UT) | | 2023 | Stella Weaver | Nolensville Little League (TN) | | 2024 | Emma Gainsford | Hills Little League (Australia) | | 2025 | Monica Arcruri | Brisbane North Region Little League (Australia) | | 2026 | Kinley Rasmus | Phenix City Youth Baseball Little League (AL) | | 2026 | Carysnn Meyer | Paseo Verde Little League (NV) | Here's a look at some of the notable performers from the bunch. Victoria Brucker, 1989 Five years after Roche made history as the first girl to appear in the tournament, a different Victoria took it a step further. In 1989, Eastview's Victoria Brucker became the first girl to pitch in the Little League World Series and the first to record a hit. Over three tournament games, Brucker had three runs scored. Kelly Craig, 1990 The second girl pitcher in LLWS was Kelly Craig, who stepped onto the mound for Canada's Trail Little League in the 1990 event. Krissy Wendell, 1994 Now by the name of Krissy Wendell-Pohl, you may recognize for other athletic achievements. Wendell was a standout athlete in multiple sports — she became the first girl to play catcher in the Little League World Series in 1994 for Brooklyn Center American Little League out of Minnesota. However, Wendell was also a hockey star. She led her Parks Center Senior High School girls' hockey team to a state championship, and by the time she finished her high school career, she was the state of Minnesota's all-time leading girls' scorer. Wendell went on to become a co-captain of Minnesota Golden Gophers women's hockey, setting an NCAA record for most short-handed goals in one season with seven in 2004-05. She remains in the top-10 all-time in NCAA career scoring with her 237 collegiate points. Wendell, who also played for Team USA in the 2006 Winter Olympics and was a captain for the national women's hockey squad, was enshrined in the Little League Hall of Excellence in 2004. Meghan Sims, 2004 In 2004, Meghan Sims became the next name to join the list of girls to make a LLWS appearance as a pitcher, doing so for Kentucky's Owensboro Southern Little League. Sims also went 1-for-5 with an RBI in the tournament. Eliska Stejskalova, 2013 In 2013, Eliska Stejskalova competed with the Czech Republic's South Moravia Little League in Williamsport. The next year, she made history. By appearing in the 2014 Little League Intermediate (50/70) Baseball World Series in Livermore, California, Stejskalova became the first girl to compete in two baseball World Series. Mo'ne Davis, 2014 Mo'ne Davis took the sports world by storm in August 2014, not just by taking the mound for Philadelphia in the Little League World Series, but owning it. Davis pitched a complete-game shutout in her team's tournament-opener, thrilling sports fans everywhere and becoming an instant star. Over the entire series, Davis totaled 14 strikeouts and allowed three earned runs in 8.1 innings. While her team fell in the semifinals, there may be no player in Little League history who amplified their fame as much as Davis did in 2014. Emma March, 2014 Davis was not the only girl playing at the 2014 Little League World Series. Emma March was also a standout for the South Vancouver Little League team from British Columbia. March was also a pitcher, making relief appearances and playing first base for South Vancouver. Maddie Freking, 2019 Prior to 2026, the most recent girl to pitch in the LLWS was Maddie Freking, who did so for Minnesota's Coon Rapids Andover Little League in 2019. Kinley Rasmus, 2026 This year, Rasmus is making some significant noise as one of two girls playing in the international tournament. Alabama has advanced in the Little League World Series after beating Pennsylvania in an elimination game. — ABC News (@ABC) August 25, 2026 Kinley Rasmus, 12, led her team to victory and tied the record for the most strikeouts by a girl in Little League World Series history. pic.twitter.com/cb3O83R7kF Rasmus isn't just a dominant pitcher, totaling eight strikeouts in her LLWS opener. She's also a member of a huge baseball family, with plenty of relatives who were drafted, played in MLB and more. Kinley Rasmus vs. Cory Rasmus (her dad), Curveballs. pic.twitter.com/4U9C0a9OzM — Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 25, 2026 MORE: Meet Kinley Rasmus' family of baseball players, including former MLB stars