2024, move aside. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any bigger than an epic year, 2025 went into extra innings.

It was a year of doors opening. Of firsts. Of people doing things we’d talked about for years and finally seeing them happen. And honestly, it was just a lot of really bloody cool baseball along the way.

From Melbourne to Reno. From Williamsport to Japan and London. And just about every corner of Australia in between.

Here’s Amac’s moments of 2025 that kept us talking and listening when it came to women’s and girls’ baseball in 2025.

WPBL Draft – Nine Aussies make HerStory

History. Herstory. However you want to say it, this one mattered.

All nine eligible Australians were selected in the inaugural Women’s Professional Baseball League draft. Nine from nine. I’m still wrapping my head around it.

The build-up, Draft Day itself, the atmosphere. It was one of those moments where you didn’t need to be front and centre to feel it. Just being in the room, in any capacity, mattered because of everything it represented.

As a player, this was something my generation could only ever dream about. To see it finally exist, and to see Aussie women step straight into it, felt pretty special. Not just for those drafted, but for everyone who helped build the game to this point.

Girls Are Players Too – A message turned movement

When I launched the Girls Are Players Too campaign, I honestly had no idea what would unfold. And wow, did our community turn up.

Players, coaches, parents, umpires, scorers, broadcasters, fans. Seeing hundreds of GRP2 shirts around ballparks across the country is something I’ll never forget. I am very rarely speechless around baseball, but this absolutely got me.

Thousands of dollars were raised and given back every team. But this was never just about merch.

It was about belonging, visibility, and backing girls in a very real way.

Girls are players too. And in 2025, that message was loud and clear.

READ Thank you Girls Are Players Too

Legacy Girls Team – Taking Aussie baseball to the Biggest Little City in the World

Some weeks stick with you. This was one of those.

Being part of the coaching group for the first ever Team Legacy Girls squad was an absolute privilege. Working alongside Trent Oeltjen, Aaron Whitefield and Samantha Hamilton, and spending that time with this group of athletes, was something truly special.

Team Legacy Girls became the first All-Australian team to contest a BFA Nationals, bringing home Under 16 bronze against elite US competition in Reno. But the medal only tells a small part of the story.

Team Legacy is built on a wellness-first approach to high performance, and watching these athletes grow on and off the diamond was incredibly powerful.

And the best part? This is just the beginning for Legacy.

More about Team Legacy Girls

Alice Brown – A first we know won’t be the last

“First ever girl selected to a South Australian Youth men’s baseball team.”

That sentence still lands.

At just 15, Alice Brown was named in the 2026 SA Under 16 team, becoming the first girl to earn selection in a boys’ youth side for the state. And she’s not going there as a headline or a novelty.

Alice arrives as a two-time Youth Women’s national champion, dual Golden Arm winner, and 2024 Nationals MVP. She’s earned this.

What stood out just as much was the response from those who paved the way. The pride, excitement and genuine admiration from past trailblazers said everything about this community.

A huge moment for Alice, and another meaningful step forward for women and girls in Australian baseball.

Monica Arcuri – Writing her own chapter

“The first Australian.”

“The only female.”

These aren’t lines you expect to be writing about an 11-year-old. But that was the year Monica Arcuri had.

In July, the Queenslander became the 24th girl to play at the Little League World Series, and just the second Australian to do so, following Emma Gainsford in 2024. She also became only the 11th girl to record a hit on the sport’s biggest junior stage.

On a field watched by millions, she looked like she more than belonged.

And if you thought her 2025 was big, 2026 is already lining up to be even bigger, with Monica heading to Japan after signing with Kobe Koryo Gakuen High School, the top women’s baseball high school in the country.

LISTEN Monica Arcuri Podcast

The O’Sullivan sisters – An all-Aussie Japanese showdown

We all love seeing our Aussies shine. And when they do it in the strongest women’s baseball nation in the world, that hits a little different.

Claire and Elodie O’Sullivan faced off in the final of the Japanese Women’s Club Championship, playing for Zenko Beams and Tokai Nexus respectively, with a title on the line.

Claire’s Beams took the championship with a tight 5–4 win, with Claire playing a huge role across the tournament, both with the bat and in the circle.

Two Australians. Two sisters. One championship series in Japan.

A pretty special snapshot of just how global the game has become for Aussie women.

Nationals – State Pride is a booming business

A third straight year in Melbourne delivered another new Elite Women’s champion, with New South Wales taking gold in a thrilling final against Victoria.

A late two-RBI double from Isobel Lambert broke the deadlock, while Claire O’Sullivan’s all-round performance earned her Championship MVP honours. Caitlin Eynon (Golden Arm and Golden Glove) and Chloe Atkinson (Golden Bat) also picked up individual awards. PODCAST 2025 nationals rewind

And we have to mention the Straight Outta Youth Class of 2025, which was simply superb.

At the Youth Women’s Nationals, South Australia went back-to-back with an unbeaten run, led once again by Alice Brown, including a dominant complete-game win. Regan O’Reilly took MVP honours, with Ivy White and Aleigha Auld claiming the Golden Glove and Golden Bat.

NSW Composite claimed a spirited Little League Nationals in Brisbane in July, edging out the West Coast Rays.

While I am on the topic, I just wanna say how much I love Nationals. The competitiveness, the pride, and the spirit that comes with pulling on a state jersey is something pretty special. And it’s only getting better each year, a clear sign of just how much depth there now is right across the country.

Thirty years ago, there was no Women’s Nationals. Fifteen years ago, there was no Youth Women’s Nationals. The Little League Nationals are only two years old. At the same time, Baseball Australia is reporting growth not just in participation, but in retention.

Which brings us to an interesting moment for the women’s game.

As our Little League and Youth Women players begin to age out of junior events, the pathway ahead narrows quickly to Elite Women’s Nationals. And at the very top, opportunities narrow again, with the Emeralds contesting a World Cup on a four-year cycle.

If Australia is serious about retaining players at the national level, and continuing to feed the Emeralds program for years to come, it feels like the next evolution is already knocking.

Whether that looks like an Under 23s, Under 21s, Under 19s, or a composite-style Nationals, the appetite is there. The depth is there. And the opportunity is there.

The growth the sport is seeing now suggests it might be time to give that next group somewhere to land.

Barclay Cup – I just love everything about this event

Every year I think there’s no way I could love this event any more than I already do. And then September rolls around and it hits you again. Right in the heart.

A week that perfectly balances competition and connection, with players from all backgrounds sharing the same diamond. This year, nine teams, the most ever, with internationals, state reps and first-timers all part of the same story.

A story about opportunity, growth, and the simple joy of playing the game.

We’d seen three winners in the first three years, but never one lift the Cup on home soil. So there was something pretty special about seeing the Adelaide Seahorses do just that.

What South Australia continues to build, from the Seahorses to the Axolotls to their growing women’s league, made this feel like more than just a tournament win. It felt like a moment.

European Championships – GB off to the World Cup

Covering the European Championships through the podcast was one of my favourite memories of 2025.

Watching the underdogs, world No. 28 Great Britain, come from behind to beat Czechia 9–7 in the final and claim their first Women’s Baseball European Championship was pretty surreal.

In doing so, they locked in a historic spot in the 2026 Women’s Baseball World Cup Group Stage.

And it felt familiar in the best way. It took me straight back to the early days of the Australian women’s program. A team built by people juggling work, life and baseball, committed to a sport still growing in participation, development, results and profile.

Their win wasn’t just about a medal or a World Cup berth. It was proof that patience, belief and sustained investment can build something real.

Seeing that success up close was a timely reminder that women’s baseball is growing everywhere, not just at home.

PODCAST - Euro Trip 2025

GRASS ROOTS BALL - IT ALL startS somewHere

So much cool stuff came out of the states in 2025, with some of WBIP’s faves being:

WA Backing women’s baseball in a big way with a second straight Elite Series. Prime time. Under lights. Main stage at NSR Hire Ballpark. We love this event. Huge congrats to the Wanneroo Giants on taking the title.

NSW WBIP was proud to partner with Baseball NSW for the State Girls Little League Championships in January. Loved calling the games on the livestreams and getting prize packs out to every team. With talent like that coming through, it’s no surprise NSW went on to take the national title.

VIC A new high performance prospects program rolled out across winter for Women’s and Youth Women’s players, plus the inaugural Victorian Women’s All-Stars vs Japan University Women’s All-Stars series in November. Can’t wait to see this one grow year on year.

QLD An absolute honour to head to Brisbane as the official content partner for Baseball Queensland’s 2025 State Titles. Record numbers, 23 teams, four divisions, 50+ games across six days. Honestly, this might’ve been my favourite event of the year.

NT A second season of the Darwin Women’s League and the Northern Territory Buffaloes heading south for their Queensland State Titles debut, coming home with bronze. Massive.

SA Youth Women’s Nationals champions. Barclay Cup winners. Alice making history. The Axolotls entering the mix. Enough said. The future is bright.

WBIP – Four years, fifty episodes, 10,000 listeners

Four years. Fifty episodes. 10,000 listeners.

What started in 2021 after the first Australian Women’s Showcase has turned into a journey through club ball, Nationals, Showcases, Barclay Cups, World Cups, and everything in between.

I’ve had the privilege of sharing the stories of some incredible players, coaches, umpires, scorers and administrators. The highs, the heartbreaks, the laughs, and the stuff that rarely gets seen.

To everyone who’s come on the show, and everyone who’s listened along the way, thank you. This doesn’t exist without you.

Here’s to whatever comes next, and whatever comes after that.

Listen

2026 - BIGGER, Better, Brighter

2025 was epic. And I just have the feeling 2026 is going to be even bigger.

Starting off with Team Legacy Girls in Sydney. Aussie Nationals heads Melbourne. Little League to Brisbane.

Team Legacy Sports at Baseball for All Nationals followed by the World Cup and WPBL in the in the USA.

Plus moments none of us have even thought of yet.

The future is looking pretty bloody good.

I’m lucky to have a front row seat. :)

Photos

Supplied - Thanks Izzy Grace Media, Baseball Australia, WBSC, Little League, Claire / Elodie O’Sullivan, Brendan Beacom, Studio Honsa, Arcuri Family, BFA

2025 - What a year!