London Studer fulfilled a longtime dream while also being part of history Nov. 20.
A 2024 graduate of Gahanna Lincoln, Studer was selected by New York with the 19th pick in the first round of the Women’s Pro Baseball League draft.
The four-team league will begin play Aug. 1 and will run for seven weeks.
“I didn’t realize that when I was younger that when I said I wanted to be a Major League Baseball player that I would end up playing in an all-women’s professional baseball league,” Studer said.
Although the four teams in the league will be associated with city names, all games will be played in Springfield, Illinois. Other teams are Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The top 60 players drafted are expected to have spots on the teams’ 15-player active rosters, Studer said, adding that players are expected to be paid $300 to $500 a game.
The draft consisted of six rounds, with 20 picks per round and five per team.
“No. 19 is pretty exciting,” Studer said. “I thought I probably would go pretty early because I was one of the top prospects coming out. … Most of my family and friends were crying. I was pretty happy.”
A first baseman, Studer was introduced to the sport at 3 years old in the front yard of her Reynoldsburg home. The lone child of Scott and Mona Studer, the family moved to Blacklick prior to Studer entering seventh grade.
Instead of playing softball at Gahanna, Studer chose baseball. She competed on the junior varsity as a freshman and sophomore before making the varsity as a junior. She saw limited time and earned her first varsity letter.
She left the program her senior season while continuing to play travel baseball.
Her experiences in the sport have included playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Softball Confederation Women’s Baseball World Cup in August 2023 in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Studer, 19, briefly played softball for Miami University in the fall of last year before returning to travel baseball, leading to her special night Nov. 20.
Gahanna baseball coach Mike Shade is impressed with Studer’s dedication and resiliency.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity,” Shade said. “I know that she’s played baseball since she was young and that was her dream to get the opportunity to play with Team USA, which was tremendous. She’s always been a solid fielder and has a good swing. This is a great opportunity for London and she’s able to fulfill her dreams. This is great.”
Studer is in the cadet program to become a police officer with the City of Columbus.
High school sports reporter Frank DiRenna can be reached at fdirenna@dispatch.com and at @DispatchFrank on X.