After two years of hosting an all-girls baseball game at the end of the season, Rachel Gansner, volunteer coach and local league board member, was ready to take it to the next level. Motivated by her own years as a young female athlete on a baseball field, Ms. Gansner worked with the community to develop the Warren Park Youth Baseball Little League all-girls fall baseball league in Chicago, Illinois.  

“As I became more involved with Warren Park, it became evident to me that I needed to help support the girls who I saw leaving the program by helping them break down the barriers they faced,” said Ms. Gansner. “We started with an all-girls game to end the season. That developed into us starting this fall season, which ended up being a success. It was a huge event, not just for the girls but also for the community. The amount of support that we got from the families, some who didn’t even have daughters playing on the teams, was amazing.” 

At the start of the season, 23 female athletes, all between the ages of eight and 10, were split into four teams – the Comets, Peaches, Belles, and Blue Sox – with five to six girls on a team. Each week, two of the teams paired up to play against the two other teams on Sunday night, drawing a crowd of supporters to the field.   

“One of the main goals was for the girls to develop their own community and get to know other girls. They got to know all of the girls in the league really well with this model, but they still had the commitment and connection with their own teams when they competed,” said Ms. Gansner. “We had full crowds every Sunday – people from our league, people who have left the league because their kids have gone on to different levels of play, and community members. My son was there every week announcing the games… it was a great way to spend time at a baseball field.”  

In addition to the games, the girls participated in a series of sessions focused on different skills, including batting, hitting, catching, and pitching. The sessions were led by the volunteer coaches, local female high school baseball players, and even some female players Ms. Gansner played with in her early 20s. At the end of the season, the girls participated in a final series of drills showcasing the skills.  

The 2024 fall ball season ran from early September to late October, a fitting tribute to cap off the end of Little League’s Girls with Game® 50 Celebration, honoring 50 years of female inclusion in the program and inspiring the next generation to keep stepping up to the plate.    

“Being on a beautifully groomed diamond brings tears to my eyes, you know,” said Ms. Gansner. “So, to have a year like this, where it didn’t feel like a fight to get the season approved and started, that just shows you how far we have come in the last 50 years.” 

Ms. Gansner plans to host the all-girls fall season again in future years, continuing to create a space where athletes of all skill levels feel like they can lace up their cleats and step onto the diamond to play the sport they love.  

“I don’t want any girls to feel like they don’t belong on the baseball diamond. I don’t want any women to feel like they don’t belong as a baseball coach. I don’t want the sport to only be available to the girls and women who are willing to fight to break down the barriers,” said Ms. Gansner. “I want every girl to feel like this is their place. That’s why I started this league – to show the girls that they had a community and to give them extra experience to develop as players, and to help them create their own baseball culture.”  

To learn more about the Little League® program, and find a league in your community, visit PlayLittleLeague.org. 

For more information about the Girls with Game 50 Celebration and Little League’s commitment to furthering its female inclusion efforts, visit LittleLeague.org/GWG50. The #GWG50 celebration is proudly supported by DICK’S Sporting Goods, a long-time Little League partner that is committed to creating opportunities for girls and women in sports and will be activating around key events and milestones this year.

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A native of Puerto Rico, Roberto Clemente spent 18 seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was named a 15-time All-Star and earned two World Series championship titles. More than just an outstanding baseball player, who would go on to become the first player from the Caribbean and Latin America to be named to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Mr. Clemente was also heavily focused on supporting communities in need.  

Unfortunately, in December 1972, Mr. Clemente tragically died in a plane crash while taking emergency relief goods to earthquake survivors in Nicaragua, but today his inspiring story can be felt in communities all around the world – including Azalea Park Little League in Orlando, Florida.  

In 2014, a mural honoring Clemente was vandalized at the local league’s park, devastating the Little Leaguers® and their community. However, the loss of the mural did not last for long and the meaning behind it stood stronger than ever before.  

One morning, Earl Lugo, who had just stepped down from serving as the League President in hopes of continuing his education, received a call.  

“I got a phone call from one of the coaches and he was crying. That is how much that first Roberto Clemente mural meant to us,” said Mr. Lugo. “He called me and said, ‘you’re not going to believe this, but Roberto’s gone.’ Someone painted over the entire mural in black. Kids were sad, the neighborhood was furious and wanted answers. So, I looked at the situation and I saw it as an opportunity. Hey, we did this once, we can do it again.”  

After weeks of the community coming together to rally resources and funds, the Azalea Park LL Board of Directors was able to commission New York artists Hector “Nicer” Nazario and Wilfredo Felciano to fly down and paint the new mural. A plan was in place, the muralists were ready to paint, and it was time to bring the community together to celebrate everyone’s efforts.  

“We threw a party,” said Mr. Lugo “People are still talking about that party, which brought about 300 to 400 people to the park. There was a salsa band playing music, people dancing, parents grilling food, and a famous DJ from Brooklyn came down and surprised all of us. The radio station was there, the news was there, the mayor and commissioners were there. Everyone was taking pictures with the artists as they painted. It was a great time.”  

On March 15, the work was complete, and Mr. Lugo, who received a proclamation from former Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs for his efforts, and the Azalea Park community welcomed the new mural honoring the late Roberto Clemente at the Azalea Park Little League field, bringing happiness and hope back to the neighborhood.  

“With both the original and the new mural, my friends and I sat around just trying to think of ways to make the park better and give it a makeover without paying too much money. We had this black wall at the park that we kept staring at and we finally realized that if we painted something special there, it would get everyone’s attention,” said Mr. Lugo. “We wanted to give the kids pride and show them that they can follow their dreams and make it beyond Azalea Park. The mural was our way of giving back to the entire community, not just the kids. We wanted to give hope and inspiration to everyone in the community. The kids see it as their good luck charm.”  

Today, 10 years later, the mural remains and continues to act as a reminder to all who see it of the importance of community.  

“We have some kids in our league and community who might not be growing up in the best scenarios. They might not have a childhood full of support and love. But, at the Little League fields, they do have that love and they have not only their coaches to mentor them, but the story of Roberto Clemente, too, which gives them that sense of hope they might be looking for,” said Mr. Lugo. “The league and the community go together so perfectly because we all want that feeling of hope, so we all look out for each other. Our league makes a difference in the community and the community makes a difference in us and looks after us. Just the other day, I was cutting the grass at the fields early in the morning and I had a woman who lived near the field offer me a glass of cold water. That is what community is all about.” 

Seeing the impact the mural had, Mr. Lugo, now back in his role as League President, decided the Little Leaguers and Azalea Park community could use a little more inspiration. Now at the Azalea Park LL field is a mural of MLB Hall of Famer Derek Jeter. Beyond the field, Mr. Lugo raised money and recruited Azalea Park LL parent Neysa Milan Santiago to paint a giant mural of Roberto Clemente at a nearby middle school with hopes that it would inspire kids outside of the Little League program, too.  

For Mr. Lugo, the murals are more than just a form of art to spruce up a space, they are a way to teach life lessons to everyone within the community. 

“I believe in everything Roberto Clemente used to say,” said Mr. Lugo. “One of his most famous sayings is, ‘anytime you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth.’ In the Azalea Park neighborhood, we need to help each other and give each other hope.”  

Founded in 1960, Azalea Park Little League is celebrating its 64th anniversary as a program in 2024. In celebration of Roberto Clemente Day, celebrated nationally on September 15, Mr. Earl, with the help of the Roberto Clemente Foundation and volunteers of Azalea Park Little League, will be handing out 50 free bicycles to Little Leaguers at the end of the month.  

Today, Mr. Clemente’s legacy can be felt in communities around the world and each year a Major League Baseball player is presented with the Roberto Clemente Award (previously the Commissioner’s Award) based on someone who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and the individual’s contribution to his team. Over the years, a number of former Little Leaguers have gone on to receive the award, including: 

• 2023: Aaron Judge – Linden (Calif.) LL 
• 2017: Anthony Rizzo – Parkland (Fla.) LL 
• 2016: Curtis Granderson – Lynwood (Ill.) LL 
• 2014: Paul Konerko – Norwich (Conn.) LL 
• 2013: Carlos Beltrán – Jose Maria Rodriguez LL (Manatí, P.R.) 
• 2010: Tim Wakefield – Eau Gallie South LL (Melbourne, Fla.) 
• 2009: Derek Jeter – Kalamazoo (Mich.) LL 
• 2006: Carlos Delgado – Aquadilla (P.R.) Municipal LL 
• 2004: Edgar Martinez – Dorado (P.R.) LL 
• 1992: Cal Ripken Jr. – Havre de Grace (Md.) LL 
• 1989: Gary Carter – West Fullerton (Calif.) LL 
• 1988: Dale Murphy – Tualatin LL (Portland, Ore.) 
• 1985: Don Baylor – Western Hills LL (Austin, Texas) 
• 1982: Ken Singleton – Mt. Vernon (N.Y.) LL 
• 1981: Steve Garvey – Drew Park LL (Tampa, Fla.) 
• 1978: Greg Luzinski – Prospect Heights (Ill.) LL 
• 1977: Rod Carew – Panama City (Panama) 

SEE MORE ALUMNI

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A chartered Little League^® program since 1991, Silver Lakes/Helendale (Calif.) Little League has been named the recipient of the 2024 Carl E. Stotz Little League Community of the Year Award.

“For more than 80 years, Little League has been a program focused on community and strengthening those within it through the game of baseball and softball,” said Stephen D. Keener, Little League President and CEO. “This award helps us honor those programs who go above and beyond to bring the values of Little League to life within their communities and we are pleased to be able to present this year’s award to Silver Lakes/Helendale Little League and all the dedicated volunteers who support it.”

Located just along the famed Route 66 in Helendale, California, this league has been a staple for the community for more than two decades and has brought a sense of teamwork and fun for children of all ages. Led by League President Brenda Benitez since 2013, the league has provided opportunities in both baseball and softball from Tee Ball all the way through the teenage divisions of play and has been active in both local and regional discussions about the organization.

This year, following Mrs. Benitez’s attendance at the West Region Roundtables where she learned about the launch of Little League’s Organizational Identity, the league found a way to bring that to life and incorporate the importance of the program’s mission, vision, purpose, and values into the league’s everyday activities.

Focused on Little League’s five core values – Community, Integrity, Teamwork, Fun, and Inclusion – the league launched a “Snack Shack Buck” initiative, empowering team managers and volunteers to recognize players and youth who exemplify those values on and off the field. As part of this effort, volunteers were asked to identify deserving players, share directly with them how they embody a specific value, and commend them for their actions with a $1 voucher that is redeemable at the snack bar.

Through this program, not only is the Silver Lakes/Helendale Little League program living out the Organizational Identity of the Little League program as a whole, but is also helping to foster a stronger community while positively empowering its children every step of the way.

Named after the founder of the Little League program, the Carl E. Stotz Little League Community of the Year Award is given annually to a league that creates a player-centric culture and is aligned with the goals of the Little League International Strategic Plan.

As part of this award, Little League International also provided the league with a $5,000 grant and honored the program as part of a pregame ceremony during the 2024 Little League Baseball^® Region Tournament in San Bernardino, California, on August 9.

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