The Women’s Pro Baseball League will play its inaugural 2026 season at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Ill., the league announced Monday.
In a statement, the WPBL said it wanted a neutral venue in the middle of the U.S. between its four teams from New York, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
“Robin Roberts Stadium not only offers a central, strategic location with convenient access to Chicago O’Hare and St. Louis international airports, but is a first-rate venue where WPBL teams will be the only baseball played during our season,” the league said. “This will provide the kind of exclusivity that we wanted for our players.”
Robin Roberts Stadium has a seating capacity of 5,200 and recently underwent upgrades, including the addition of an LED video board beyond the outfield wall. The WPBL said additional stadium renovations are planned ahead of its 2026 season.
The stadium is named after Baseball Hall of Famer Robin Roberts, a Springfield, Ill., native who spent 14 of his 19-year MLB career with the Philadelphia Phillies. The right-hander earned seven All-Star selections and led the National League in games started six times and complete games five times.
Roberts also played for the Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs. He retired after the 1966 season with a career 3.41 ERA and 2,357 strikeouts and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.
The WPBL was announced in October 2024. In August, more than 600 players participated in tryouts at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., including former Little League World Series star Mo’ne Davis and Kelsie Whitmore, a former USA baseball player and current Savannah Bananas pitcher and outfielder.
On Nov. 20, 130 players will be eligible to take part in the WPBL draft, which will be held virtually. Each team will have 15 players on its initial roster.
The WPBL said its inaugural season will follow the completion of the Women’s Baseball World Cup in nearby Rockford, Ill., which runs from July 22–26.