August 27, 2015
In the spring, Abby Roe became is the first girl to play baseball for the Laguna Hills High freshman team.COURTESY OF THE ROE FAMILY
Laguna Hills’ Abby Roe will take a flight next week to Seoul, South Korea to compete with the USA All-Star Women’s Baseball team at the annual LG International Cup, Aug. 28-31.
Organized by LG Electronics in partnership with the International Baseball Federation and the Women’s Baseball Association of Korea, the tournament brings together teams from Japan, Australia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, India, the U.S. and others.
“LG is proud and honored to be able to provide an opportunity for women to participate at such a high level in a sport that should be open to every player who loves the game,” said LG CEO Bon-joon Koo in a press release.
Roe, a Laguna Hills High sophomore, is no stranger to baseball. She’s been playing the sport since she was 4-years-old when her parents signed her up for T-ball through the city’s recreational program. Last season, she became the first girl to play for the Laguna Hills High freshmen baseball team.
“Our high school coach said she was his favorite player,” said fellow Hawks teammate and longtime friend Parker Hemboldt.
Roe also played for various PONY, Laguna Hills Little League and travel ball teams, and played for the OC Sliders at a tournament in Cooperstown, N.Y., in 2013. She was a 5-time All-Star in Little League.
It was following a Little League Junior Division All-Star game this past spring when Roe was approached by a representative of Baseball for All, an organization that provides opportunities for girls to participate in baseball. Baseball For All recently organized America’s first national girls baseball tournament for ages 10-13.
Impressed with Roe’s pitch speed, Baseball for All invited her to play for a USA All-Star team. Roe, 15, was hesitant; she thought it had to be softball or some “watered down” version of baseball. On the contrary, she discovered that the rules are unchanged and that the girls play just as hard, or harder.
Next week’s tournament will not be the first international event Roe has participated in. This past June, she played baseball on a women’s team for the first time as she represented the U.S. in the Friendship Tournament against an Australia female team in Anaheim. It was the first time Roe became aware of other females who shared her same passion.
The shirt Roe will wear for Baseball For All has the organization’s website on the back, while the front dons bright yellow neon block letters that read ‘GIRLS PLAY BASEBALL.’
In Abby’s case, based on almost 12 years of her life, it is clear — yes, they do.
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