Centenary Will Host First Women's College Baseball Tourney

HACKETTSTOWN, NJ — For the first time, women can compete in an all-female college baseball invitational tournament – and Hackettstown will host it this weekend.

Baseball For All (BFA), a nonprofit that promotes gender equity in the sport, will host the BFA Women's College Baseball Invitational at Hackettstown's Centenary University on Saturday and Sunday. Players can register through the end of today, and registration costs $100.

The showcase and tournament will focus solely on the development of girls and women interested in playing college baseball, BFA said in a news release. In fact, four of the participants are already slated to play at colleges beginning in the spring 2022 season.

"Women have been playing baseball in college even before we had the right to vote," Baseball For All founder Dr. Justine Siegal, Ph.D., said in a statement."We are thrilled to introduce this program to demonstrate the immense amounts of talent we currently have at the high school and college levels – and show their love for the game and desire to play college baseball."

Scott Kushner, head baseball coach at Centenary University, said working on the event has been "an honor and a privilege."

"Not only does this signal progress for women and girls with baseball aspirations; it is also a major step forward for the game itself," Kushner said in a statement. "Baseball gets better when it is more inclusive. The more women on fields, in dugouts, in front offices, and in stands – the more the game grows."

The Invitational is part of a larger initiative from Baseball For All, which is working to establish women's baseball at the collegiate level, the news release said.

The organization will partner with 12 colleges across the country this fall to establish Women's Club College Baseball teams, which is a necessary step in the sport becoming NCAA-sanctioned.