Cal Poly Pitcher Arwen McCullough Drafted into Women’s Professional Baseball League
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA – November โข21, 2025 – Cal Poly student Arwen McCullough has been drafted into โคthe Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL), set to launch its inaugural season in August 2026. McCullough, a right-handed pitcher, was selected to play for the san Francisco team, joining fellow Cal polyโข alum and co-founder of the โCal Poly SLO Women’sโข Club Baseball team, Kaija Bazzano.
McCullough โinitially played softball in high school for two years before returning to baseball upon arriving at Cal Poly. Inspired by similar clubs at universities likeโ Berkeley, Davis, and the University of Washington, she established the Cal Poly SLO Women’s Club Baseball team.
“I wanted to play inโข college, and I thought that making this club wouldโ be โคa great opportunity,” McCullough said. “The idea really โspoke to me when I sawโฃ people create club teams at Berkeley, Davis โฃand the University of Washington.”
The WPBL, co-founded by Justine Siegal and โขKeithโ Stein in October 2024, marks the first professional women’s baseball league in theโ United states in โover 70 โyears, following the All-American Girls Professional Baseball โLeague which concluded โin 1954.
McCullough was one โฃof over 600 applicants who tried out for the league, surviving two rounds of elimination to become one of approximately 130 athletes considered for โthe draft. Ultimately, 120 players wereโ selected on draft โnight.
“Its a huge full-circleโ moment, especially since I’m able to play for my home team with someone from Poly,” McCulloughโ said.โ “I โgrew up wanting to be a professional baseball player. Now I can say that I am.”
The inaugural season will begin on August 1, 2026, after the Women’s Baseballโข World Cup. All games will be played atโ Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois. โขThe seven-week season โขwill consist of four weeks of regular season play, โone all-star week, and twoโ weeks of postseason play, preceded by aโข four-day training period.
Teams will begin theโ season with approximately 15 active players, selected from the 30 players initially drafted. McCullough โคwill compete for a permanent roster spot โprior to the league โopener.
