Canadian talent is elbowing its way to the forefront of professional baseball. That much was clear at the inaugural Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL) draft on Nov. 20, where young Canucks turned heads.
The elite cohort includes 23-year-old Alli Schroder of Fruitvale, B.C., 20-year-old Raine Padgham of Abbotsford, 27-year-old Zoe Hicks of Boissevain, Man., and 19-year-old Jaida Lee from St. John’s.
The Canadians were selected with the fifth, 12th, 13th and 14th picks. The league’s founding teams —New York, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco — chose from 120 players.
Thirteen of the 20 draft-eligible Canadians were selected before 60th overall, with Boston taking Schroder, Padgham and Hicks all in the first round.
Twelve of the 20 draftees are 22 years old or younger.
It’s a group that has already made waves in the sport. Padgham threw 83 miles per hour as a teenager in 2020 —a pitch that far exceeded the listed Guinness women’s record, though it wasn’t officially verified as a world record — while Schroder and Lee trailblazed high-profile Canadian amateur circles.
“I think that it’s just in the Canadian nature that we support each other,” Schroder said. “I know from small town British Columbia, I was always supported to play baseball. I was never pushed to play softball and told that I couldn’t … Our hometowns, our communities always supported us doing that.”
Lee stressed how important this league is for her because, at 19, she had already reached the levels of men’s university ball and Team Canada — the highest she could aspire to reach.
“There was never a thought in my head that there would be a women’s pro league,” Lee said.
“I found I was almost plateauing in my development,” she added. “I was kind of at a point where I was like, ‘Well, I can’t really go much higher, so why push myself?’”
According to her, “95 out of 100” players drafted to the WPBL had previously competed in a professional or amateur men’s league.
Now, they have room to keep growing.
“Having these kinds of opportunities really just puts it into perspective,” Lee said. “I pushed myself so hard for so many years, and there was a reason for it … So just seeing that those [sacrifices] weren’t for nothing, and it actually makes it kind of worth it.”
Schroder shared a similar feeling.
“I can’t even make it up,” she said. “I was at a super firm plateau in which I was like, ‘Alright, maybe I got x amount of years left on the national team here, and then I’m going to go full force into firefighting and be done with baseball.’”
“But when the WPBL came out with their league and their design and model, I was immediately willing to place hope in that.”
Still, there are obstacles — including the sheer time commitment. Players like Lee and Schroder have school and work.
But their passion is unwavering. They believe it’s that drive that will ultimately make a bona fide professional women’s game a reality.
The first pitch will fly Aug. 1, 2026, in Springfield, Illinois, at the league’s neutral-site field, Robert Roberts Stadium.
Featured image by Darryl Gershman
