Who run the world? Girls! And this little league baseball star proves just that.
Pitcher Mo’Ne Davis, 13, struck out six batters and allowed just three hits on Sunday, leading Philadelphia’s Taney Youth Baseball Association to the Little League World Series — and that’s just half the story.
The reason why Davis is making waves this week in little league baseball is because she’s a girl. But to us, she’s just awesome.
With a 70 mph fastball and a game-ending double-play last weekend, Davis outshone all of her competitors in the male-dominated sport. And not only is Davis excelling on the field, but she’s going above and beyond in the classroom as an honor roll student.
Davis will become just the 18th girl to play in the Little League World Series since it started to allow girls to participate back in 1974. She will join two other outstanding female athletes: Emma March of South Vancouver and Kayla Roncin of Toms River, NJ.
New York Times contributor Emma Spa reports that although there are no official rules that keep girls out of baseball, the pressure to play softball instead discourages them to even try.
“Even where no official rules keep them out of baseball, girls face enormous pressure to switch to softball. They get chased right out of middle-school baseball. When a girl persists in playing, you can’t count on it being a good experience, because you have to explain why you’re even there,” Span writes.
But these girls are making it clear they can hang with the guys. Davis and March will make their first World Series appearance on Friday, when Davis takes on South Nashville Little League and March faces Mexico. Both games will be televised on ESPN.
SOURCE: ThinkProgress | VIDEO SOURCE: YouTube
