French Baseball Star Mélissa Mayeux Selected in Inaugural Women’s Pro Baseball League Draft
SPRINGFIELD, IL – November 21, 2025 – Mélissa Mayeux, a French athlete excelling in both softball and baseball, has been selected in the 5th round of the draft for the Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL), set to launch in August 2026. This historic selection marks Mayeux as the frist French player to compete in professional baseball and the first athlete to achieve professional status in both baseball and softball.
Mayeux’s journey to the WPBL demonstrates a rare versatility in two demanding sports. She earned a European championship title with the French national team in 2019 and signed a professional contract with the Vipers softball team in 2022. While coaching teams since 2023, Mayeux sought to revitalize her playing career by entering the WPBL draft, pursuing what she calls her “American dream.”
The WPBL represents a new attempt to establish a sustainable professional baseball league for women in the United States. Previous leagues have struggled to survive, with no iteration lasting more than 11 years despite four prior attempts. This latest venture will begin in Springfield, Illinois, with four franchises located on both coasts, aiming to provide players with a viable career path and improved financial stability.
Mayeux will begin the inaugural season with a team based in New York, contingent upon a successful training camp. The news is particularly significant for French baseball, currently ranked 16th in the world, as it arrives two years before the 2028 los Angeles Olympic Games.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="fr">Mélissa Mayeux selected in the 5th round of the draft <a href="https://twitter.com/wpbl_official?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wpbl_official</a>a new league which will begin in 2026.After being the 2nd french pro in softball (WPF 2022), she will become the first French player in baseball.And the first to achieve it in both sports. <a href="https://t.co/oyMXaIndyq">pic.twitter.com/oyMXaIndyq</a></p>
<p>- Gaétan Alibert ⚾🏏📚✊ (@GaetanAlibert) <a href="https://twitter.com/GaetanAlibert/status/1991935042055270523?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2025</a></p></blockquote>