For 19-year-old Bella Villarreal, playing professional baseball is no longer just a dream it's becoming reality.

Villarreal is among the first women now eligible to be drafted into the new Women's Professional Baseball League, which will make its debut in 2026. Out of hundreds of hopefuls around the world, she was the only Michigan player to make the cut.

The Women's Professional Baseball League will be the first of its kind in over 70 years. Of the 600 women worldwide who attended tryouts in August, only 150 were selected to be eligible for the upcoming draft.

"It's a dream," Villarreal said. "Just seeing everybody come together and fight for a spot in the women's professional draft, it's amazing."

Villarreal has been playing baseball not softball since she was 4 years old. Her father

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