Three NSW baseballers – Ticara Geldenhuis, Claire O’Sullivan, and Elodie O’Sullivan – are making history as they qualify for the inaugural draft of the Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL) in the USA.
These ladies fill out the group of seven Australians who have made the cut for the draft scheduled in November. Over 600 players had flown to the US to try out for the draft, which the committee had to significantly cut down! The first-ever WPBL draft will select players from a pool of 150 baseballers from around the world.
Ticara and Claire were part of the NSW Women’s Team that won gold at the 2025 Australian Women’s Championship.
At this tournament, Claire also received the MVP honours with a commanding .727 average prior to the gold medal game. She collected 16 hits, 6 extra base hits, and 12 RBI as she posted a sub-3.000ERA.
Her passion to excel as an athlete was the ultimate driving force behind her decision to trial, saying “being part of the start [which is] giving more girls a pathway to play more baseball at the highest level made me want to be part of it. You only get to be an athlete for so long in your lifetime, so I want to take every opportunity I can get my hands on”
Additionally, Geldenhuis’ hitting and base-stealing helped lead the Blacktown Workers Women’s 1st Grade squad to the gold medal of the 2025 Women’s League earlier this year.
As a strength and conditioning coach when she isn’t competing herself, Ticara mentioned that “opportunity presented itself to me at a really unique point in my life.”
She realised she currently has the flexibility to chase her dreams, saying “I can drop and leave or pickup and go chase something if my heart feels like it’s the right thing to do. It’s been a dream since a little girl to be a professional baseball player and obviously it’s never been attainable until now”
Elodie and Claire O’Sullivan, sisters who hail from NSW Country as juniors, also competed against each other in the final of the Japanese Women’s Club Championship last August.
Elodie played for the Tokai Nexus whilst her sister Claire played for the Zenko Beams, which ultimately won gold. Claire’s stellar two-way play of hitting and pitching helped the Beams take the gold in a 5-4 game that came down to the final inning.
Meanwhile, Elodie is also a decorated baseballer, having won several national championships with New South Wales and Western Australia. She has also represented in various Australian Women’s Showcases, winning a championship with the Brisbane Bandits at the Australian Women’s Showcase in 2024.
Elodie pursued the draft selection with the intent to “make the most of having the opportunity to play in other parts of the world and the opportunity to play with and against some of the best in the world.”
The strength across local, national and international levels that all three of these women exhibit, is what has earned their selection in upcoming WPBL draft pool.
When asked about what the League could mean for women’s baseball moving forward, Claire said “hopefully [the implementation of the WPBL] means that young girls can see a pathway to grow and develop in this sport.”
She continued, saying “there are other opportunities to play baseball at the highest level. This sport can take you all around the world, you’ll make friendships to last a lifetime while getting experiences like no other.”
On a more personal note, Elodie said it would be a highlight in both her and her sister Claire’s careers if they both get selected in the Draft.
“It will be really cool if we both get drafted and will be another cool milestone to achieve together,” she said. “Fingers crossed for the same team if it does happen!”
Likewise, she expressed hope that the Draft would open doors for future Aussie women dreaming of making it to pro baseball and keeping some of the best athletes in the game.
“Hopefully as many Aussies as possible get drafted,” she added. “It is a great step for the sport internationally and most importantly another pathway for women in Australia.”
She continued, “Hopefully it can continue to help grow the game at the grassroots level. With young girls and boys seeing the games on TV, it can inspire more people to get into the game and stay in the game.”
Ticara backed this sentiment in saying young girls “don’t have to grow up thinking it’s not feasible to be a professional baseball player just because they are born women.
They get to train, play and love the game just as much as those before me, but get to chase opportunities that never existed.”
Additionally, she expressed gratitude to those who “women who paved the way before us”. Whilst they may not get these opportunities themselves, the work they did to push this forward doesn’t go unnoticed.
The WPBL hopes to begin its first season in 2026 with six teams. It is also the first women’s pro baseball league since 1954, and the WPBL co-founder, Justine Siegal, is also the first female head coach in Major League Baseball (MLB).
We wish these players the best of luck as they progress through the next stages!
Click here to visit the WPBL Announcement for the full list of players in the draft:
