On top of sharing a love for baseball, eight women competing for a spot on USA Baseball’s Women’s National Team share another connection: California.
From Northern California to Southern California, eight athletes call the Golden State home: Jillian Albayati (Anaheim), Jamie Baum (Los Altos), Kate Blunt (Ladera Ranch), Keira Izumi (San Diego), Kylee Lahners (Laguna Hills), Jamie Mackay (Laguna Beach), Maggie Paulovich (Albany), and Kelsie Whitmore (Temecula).
For many of the athletes at the 2026 Women’s National Team Training Camp, their baseball journey began as the only girl on a Little League team. Today, those same players have become part of a growing pipeline from California to the Women’s National Team, crediting the state’s competitive baseball culture, year-round opportunities, and increasing support for girls in the game for helping them reach the national stage.
One of the biggest advantages California players point to is opportunity. Whether through year-round weather, high-level competition, or strong community support, the state has created an environment where young athletes can continue developing their skills and pursuing baseball at an elite level.
“I think the weather helps a lot, being able to practice year-round,” three-time Women’s National Team member Jamie Baum said. “Me and my brothers and my family would go out to the fields all year long, even in the winter, and just practice.”
For Blunt (2019, 2022, & 2024 WNT), the level of competition in Southern California helped prepare her for opportunities like Training Camp.
“The competition was really good,” the Ladera Ranch native said. “Playing alongside kids who were really good or just as good as me was extremely helpful.”
Izumi echoed that sentiment, crediting California’s competitive landscape for pushing her to reach higher levels.
“Some of the guys I faced were already committed to Division I colleges like Stanford, and one of the guys I faced my senior year actually got drafted by the Royals,” Izumi said. “Facing competition like that regularly and having to be of such a high caliber was really great in setting the standard for myself and knowing that I’m able to compete at a high level. It did a lot for my development.”
While California’s competitive baseball environment helped shape their development on the field, many of the athletes also shared a common experience growing up: being the only girl on their team.
Baum said the last time she played alongside another girl was when she was five years old, while Izumi recalled believing she was the only girl playing baseball in her area.
“I thought growing up that I was the only girl ever to play baseball,” she said.
Today, that reality looks much different.
“It’s changed so much,” Izumi added. “There’s just an abundance of opportunities for girls in baseball these days.”
That growth is something Albayati (2022, 2023, & 2024 WNT) has witnessed firsthand in her hometown of Anaheim, where new opportunities now exist for young girls that were not available when she was growing up.
“They’ve now started a whole team for girls,” Albayati said of Anaheim Pony Baseball. “It’s really cool to see.”
While California has long been known as a baseball hotbed, the athletes pointed to the growth of opportunities for girls in the sport as one of the biggest changes they have witnessed. Increased visibility, stronger community support, and pathways created through organizations like USA Baseball have helped fuel that growth.
Thinking back to her youth baseball days, Blunt said she never imagined an all-girls baseball team could even exist.
“I never even thought about a whole girls baseball team,” she said. “That wasn’t even on my radar at all.”
Programs like USA Baseball’s women’s development program events and national team opportunities helped show what was possible for girls in the sport.
“It was my first time really being exposed to a bunch of women in baseball,” Albayati said of her first experience with USA Baseball.
“I think it’s super important,” she said of young girls seeing players from their communities represent Team USA.
For these athletes, the difference between their experiences growing up and what young girls see today is dramatic.
“Now they have role models to look up to,” Baum said. “It’s us, it’s Kelsie Whitmore, it’s everybody who’s blazing these trails.
As the athletes continue competing for a place on the 2026 Women’s National Team, they also recognize the impact their journeys can have on the next generation of players back home.
“There’s more opportunities than ever,” Baum said. “If you’re really motivated and work hard, there’s so many opportunities out there and they’re yours to take.”
From Los Altos and Albany in Northern California to Anaheim, Laguna Hills, Laguna Beach, Ladera Ranch, Temecula, and San Diego in the south, California’s pipeline to USA Baseball continues to grow. The eight athletes at Training Camp represent different communities, but their stories reflect a common trend: more opportunities, greater visibility, and a clearer pathway for girls who want to pursue baseball at the highest level.
For the young girls now stepping onto local fields across California, representing Team USA is no longer a dream without a roadmap. Thanks to athletes paving the way today, the next generation can see a path forward, and California remains one of the places helping lead the way.
