Former UMPI Baseball Player Oz Sailors will play in tournament honoring The All American Girls Baseball League of the 1940′s and 50′s

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) - One of the first women to play College Baseball will be putting on a uniform again this weekend. Former University of Maine Presque Isle player Oz Sailors is one of 48 women who will suit up in a four team tournament that pays tribute to the trailblazers in Women’s baseball.

Oz Sailors:” Go to Florida and play as the original four teams in the All American Girls Baseball League of the 1940′s and 50′s.”

This will be the second year in a row that some of the top women’s players in the world will suit up. The idea for the tournament came from some of the original players in the All American Girls Baseball League

Sailors:” A lot of those women were 15,16,17 years old kids when they were playing. The one who are still alive are in their 80′s and 90′s and they wanted to make sure there was some sort of professional opportunity for women to play.”

Sailors was a trailblazer in her own right. She traveled across the country from California because the University of Maine Presque Isle gave her the opportunity to play baseball for the Owls. She then played professionally for four years. Sailors says being able to take part in this event is very exciting.

Sailors:” The tournament is set up to honor the women of the league. The four teams are the original four teams of the All American Girls Baseball league. The Rockford Peaches are probably the most well known team. The Racine Belles, the Kenosha Comets, and the South Bend Blue Sox. We wear their jerseys ,but thankfully, we don’t have to wear a skirt when we are playing. That is the only difference.”

The games are played at the Baltimore Orioles Spring Training facility in Sarasota Florida.

Sailors is still very involved in the sport of baseball as Director of Player Development for Baseball for All. Sailors says that this tournament gives younger girls hope that they too can continue to play the game they love.

Sailors:” There are so many little girls who are part of Baseball for All. They and their families fly down to watch the event. You really have the three generations of women’s baseball there. For me personally, as someone who has played in a professional stadium and played professional leagues and the World Cup. I think this is one of the coolest things I have done on the baseball field.”

Copyright 2023 WAGM. All rights reserved.