NEWPORT, Mich. (WXYZ) — For 19-year-old Bella Villarreal, playing professional baseball is no longer just a dream — it's becoming reality.
Watch Carli Petrus's video report:
Villarreal is among the first women now eligible to be drafted into the new Women's Professional Baseball League, which will make its debut in 2026. Out of hundreds of hopefuls around the world, she was the only Michigan player to make the cut.
The Women's Professional Baseball League will be the first of its kind in over 70 years. Of the 600 women worldwide who attended tryouts in August, only 150 were selected to be eligible for the upcoming draft.
"It's a dream," Villarreal said. "Just seeing everybody come together and fight for a spot in the women's professional draft, it's amazing."
A lifelong love for baseball
Villarreal has been playing baseball — not softball — since she was 4 years old. Her father, Michael Villarreal, introduced her to the sport.
"It's just what I put in her hand was a baseball, day one. That's what we threw around the house, played around the yard, and that's all we know. We don't know softball," Michael Villarreal said.
When asked if she ever considered switching to softball, Bella was clear in her response.
"I've always been asked: When are you going to transfer to softball, are you ever going to play softball, and I've always said no, like I don't want to do that, I don't want to hold that yellow ball," she said.
With no girls' baseball teams around while growing up, Villarreal played with boys most of her life. She didn't play with other young women until she was around 16, when she was introduced to the national organization "Baseball for All," founded by Justine Siegal — the first female coach in Major League Baseball.
"Really amazing when we found out about the 'Baseball for All.' Our first tournament, got there and put chills on me because I felt like I was the only dad with a girl baseball player, but when we go there, there were over 400 girls," Michael Villarreal said.
For Bella, discovering other women who shared her passion was eye-opening.
"I kind of was astonished because I'm like there's more of me, like it was amazing," she said.
Making history and inspiring others
Now, Villarreal is a step closer to the big leagues, hoping to be drafted into the new Women's Professional Baseball League — also founded by Siegal.
"I feel even more motivated doing it. It kind of sucks that most women weren't able to do this, but now me being part of it is amazing," she said.
WEB EXTRA: 19-year-old Bella Villarreal talks about playing baseball professionally
For the Newport native, it's not just about making a roster, but also inspiring other girls.
"Not only do I do it for me and my family, I do it for the little girls and the older women that have the dream to do this and had the dream to do it. It feels good to be able to be the one to be their shoes sometimes so that if they couldn't play, I can play and they can just see us and they'll feel good about it," Villarreal said.
With the draft set for next month, Villarreal says she's ready for whatever comes next.
—————————————————
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.