A notable example is the story of Lilyana "Lily" Mrozek, a young girl who was subjected to negative comments and harassment when she joined a boys' Little League team in Citrus County, Florida. Despite concerns raised by her mother, league officials dismissed the issue, citing the fact that Lily is a girl and that she should get used to being yelled at. Undeterred, Lily joined the Florida Bolts, a statewide all-girls baseball organization, which allowed her to play with other girls who shared her passion for the sport.
Under the leadership of her mother, Brooke Mrozek, the Bolts have grown to include over 40 players in four divisions, with a team that won its division championship at the Baseball For All tournament in Kentucky. While progress has been made, the numbers show that there is still a long way to go. According to the Florida High School Athletics Association... only 24 girls played baseball on high school teams in 2024, representing just 0. 001% of all baseball players.
Nationally, 1,561 girls out of 480,012 high schoolers played baseball between 2022 and 2023, representing only 0. 003%. This lack of representation is not limited to youth sports. No woman has ever played in Major League Baseball, "and even in collegiate baseball," "women are a rare breed." However, with notable achievements such as Olivia Pichardo becoming the first female player to compete in a NCAA Division I game in March 2023... there is hope that this trend may soon change.
Information for this article was obtained from WUFT | News and public media for north central Florida.
Lilyana "Lily" Mrozek expected growing pains when her Little League baseball team in Citrus County added players for the fall 2021 season. Then, the comments started. According to the mother, when she brought her concerns to the team's coach, nothing changed. The response by league officials: Lily's a girl. She's going to get yelled at. She should get used to it, and not let it get to her as much. Importantly, Lily wouldn't be able to switch teams.
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