Stompers in national spotlight after adding female players

The Sonoma Stompers baseball team is getting national attention for adding two female players to the team.

Outfielder/pitcher Kelsie Whitmore, 17, and 25-year-old pitcher/infielder Stacy Piagno have been added to the roster and will be in the lineup tonight, July 1.

The Stompers, of the independent Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs, will be the first co-ed professional baseball team since the 1950s when Toni Stone, Mamie “Peanut” Johnson and Constance Morgan achieved the distinction of becoming the first women to play alongside men in the Negro Leagues.

Since the announcement Wednesday, the story has been picked up by ESPN, Sports Illustrated, MLB.com., The Washington Post, USA Today, Buzzfeed, NPR and many more media outlets around the country.

“We hope this sends a message to the rest of the baseball world that there is room for women and girls in this game – from Little League to the Major Leagues,” said Stompers GM Theo Fightmaster.

In September, Whitmore and Piagno are also slated to play for Team USA in the Women’s Baseball World Cup in South Korea.

Whitmore, who recently graduated from Temecula Valley High School, will attend Cal State Fullerton on a softball scholarship next season. Piagno, who threw a no-hitter for the United States team when they captured a gold medal at the 2015 Pan Am Games, played softball at the University of Tampa.

Tickets to this historic game are on sale now at StompersBaseball.com.