Madison Willan played professional baseball in New York this summer after an injury changed her plans to pursue professional hockey in Europe. The 25-year-old University of Alberta graduate joined the New York Heights for the inaugural season of the Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL), continuing a baseball career she had balanced with university hockey for years.

Willan graduated in 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. She had not expected her studies to lead to a professional baseball career. A triple-sport athlete, she played hockey and golf with the Alberta Pandas while continuing to play baseball in the summers. She has been part of Canada’s women’s national baseball team for the past decade.

An injury redirected her plans after she had been considering playing professional hockey in Europe. Rather than leave baseball behind, she moved from a stick and skates to a bat and glove. Her experience playing both sports at a high level gave her a route to the new professional league without having to choose between them earlier in her career.

“I love hockey, and I love baseball, and I’m grateful that I got to continue to play both throughout my career and can still compete at a high-level,” Willan said. She won two Canada West championships with the Pandas and credited former University of Alberta head coach Howie Draper with supporting her baseball commitments despite some overlap between the sports.

“Howie (Draper, former U of A head coach), was always so supportive with me playing baseball, because there was a little bit of overlap. It made things easier on my end just knowing that my coach had my back in that regard,” she said.

The WPBL announced in October 2024 that it would begin play in the summer of 2026. Its draft had six rounds and just over 120 eligible players from around the world. Four inaugural franchises could select players: the New York Heights, Boston Hunters, Los Angeles Queens and San Francisco Firebells. New York picked Willan in the second round, 35th overall.

The league’s first season consisted of 15 games, with all four teams playing at one stadium in Springfield, Illinois, a neutral location. Willan said fans travelled from New York, San Francisco, Boston and Los Angeles to support the teams. The stadium held about 5,000 people, and some games sold out.

“The experience was surreal… we had a lot of people come out. A lot of fans travelled from New York, San Francisco, Boston and LA to support us. Our stadium held around 5,000 fans, and we had games that were sold out,” she said. Willan described the crowds as meaningful support for women’s sports and baseball in particular.

“It felt so great to have so many people come out all that way and support women’s sports and especially baseball, because there’s this huge competition between women’s softball and women’s baseball. A lot of people think that softball is just for women, but we’re working hard to go against the notion that no, women can play baseball too,” Willan said.

She played shortstop, second base and third base for New York. In 12 games, she recorded 11 hits, including two doubles, drove in six runs and drew seven walks. She hit .458 and struck out once.

“I’m very proud of how I performed, and I’m very excited to see how next year looks. Hopefully, we’ll be able to play more games, because 15 games is such a small sample size,” she said. Willan is also set to represent Canada for a third time at the 2027 Women’s World Cup next summer.

The WPBL is launching as women’s sports have grown in recent years. The WNBA expanded with the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire joining the league this past season, and its players are earning much larger salaries as the league grows. The Professional Women’s Hockey League, launched in 2023, has provided a stable professional hockey league for women.

Willan said the new baseball league can create an opportunity for young girls who enjoy the sport and give them professional players to look up to. “I love that this league is now available for young girls so they can have something to look forward and dream about. Your favourite baseball player doesn’t have to be someone from the MLB anymore. It can be someone in the WPBL, and just having that as a possibility for a young kid, and to have that role model is so special,” she said.

She sees promise in the league following its first season and hopes it will continue to build momentum. “Hopefully over the next couple of years, as the league continues to grow… I don’t know how far away we are from seeing more growth, but the fact that this season went really well, and there’s good momentum into next year, I definitely see a bright future,” Willan said.

Based on reporting by Edmonton Journal.