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ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Rockford asserted itself as the epicenter of women’s baseball this past week, hosting the Women’s Baseball World Cup and Baseball for All tournament. Thousands of people from across the globe visited the Rockford area for the international competition, influencing the growth of popularity in women’s baseball across the Stateline.
The city of Rockford embraced its role as a key destination for women’s baseball, showcasing its community support. Kat Williams, director for the International Women’s Baseball Center, emphasized the significance of the community’s engagement. “It’s inspirational for people to see what happens when a community comes together because Rockford shows up,” Williams said. “I’ve been saying it for ten years. I told the world, Rockford shows up, come to Rockford, come to the Rockford region and look what happened.”
Williams has observed the profound impact these tournaments have made within the Rockford community. She recounted the enthusiasm of younger participants. “Girls roughly under 16, 17 in the time between 10 and 17 went up, and they were beside themselves. It was like they were watching rock stars, you know, the teams would come into the field, and they’d make a mad dash to try to get autographs. They were hanging off the dugouts. They were so excited,” Williams said.
These baseball showcases are opening opportunities for the next generation of players to aspire to compete at the highest level women’s baseball offers. Lilly Newlin, a player in the Baseball for All tournament in Rockford, shared her perspective on the events’ influence. “I think it’s just really shown girls my age that, you know, you can do it. You can come out here, and you can play. You can be one of them. You don’t have to move to softball or change. You can be who you want to be,” Newlin said.
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