Marti Sementelli

Marti Sementelli

During Birmingham High School of Lake Balboa Vs West Ranch High School in the Valley Invitational Baseball League weekend of January 30-31, 2010

As remarked by her father, Gary Sementelli:

This was a Winter league game. Marti plays for the Birmingham High School Varsity team. They played West Ranch High School, Saturday, January 30th, 2010, at Birmingham High School in Lake Balboa, California. The Spring season starts up the first week in March. Marti threw three innings in relief giving up one run, two hits, while striking out 4 and walking one. Her team lost the contest by a score of 9-2.

Birmingham Community Charter High School Patriot Baseball – Roster

Birmingham Community Charter High School Patriot Baseball – MaxPreps

Marti Sementelli

Marti Sementelli

Teen is MVP of women’s tourney – Leads team to American Women’s Baseball Federation national championship – By Greg Eckerle – Monday, October 12, 2009 – courierpress.com

Teen is MVP of women’s tourney – Leads team to American Women’s Baseball Federation national championship – By Greg Eckerle – Monday, October 12, 2009 – courierpress.com

HUNTINGBURG, Ind. — At 5-foot-2 and 115 pounds, 16-year-old Marti Sementelli was the youngest and smallest of the five-time defending champion New England Red Sox trying to win another title Monday at the American Women’s Baseball Federation national tournament.

But she cut an imposing veteran presence on the mound, as she hurled the Red Sox to their sixth straight championship, a 2-1 squeaker over the Washington, D.C., Thunder, and was named tourney MVP.

Such achievements aren’t new to Sementelli — her pitching exploits, against either boys or the world’s best women players, have landed her on the “CBS Evening News,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” a Nike TV commercial and in a New York Times article…

Rosters – The 2009 American Women’s Baseball Federation National Championship

Team		Residence		Position		Jersey Number
Chicago Pioneers
Greg Stegeman		Skokie, IL		Manager
Victor Martinez		Chicago, IL		Coach
Gary Horwitz		Gurnee, IL		Coach
Alyssa De Chene		Alsip, IL		P, OF		52
Anna Hoppe		North Hero,VT		C, IF		82
Anna Schueler		Chicago, IL		P, IF		25
Ashley Sujkowski		Rossford, OH		P, IF, OF		9
Christie Spisak		Berwyn, IL		IF, OF		15
Danielle Pauly		Chicago, IL		C, P, IF		23
Eleanor Worley		Bellevue, WA		P, C, U		55
Hannah Accardy		Buford, GA		IF, OF, P		71
Jaymee Hannan		Louisville, TN		P, IF		51
Lauren Boden		Atlanta, GA		P, IF		5
Lindsay Horwitz		Gurnee, IL		P, IF		14
Madison Hanten		Alpine, CA		C, IF		77
MJ Lawson		Tucson, AZ		P, OF, IF		91
Natalie Martinez		Chicago, IL		OF, P		13
Sarah Jakubowski		Detroit, MI		P, C, U		95
Stephanie Boden		Atlanta, GA		P, IF		4
Susanne Boden		Atlanta, GA		P, OF		11
New England Red Sox
Kevin Marden				Manager
Alex Hebert				C, IF		1
Ashley Cook				IF		2
Donna Mills				IF, P		14
Janet Miller				OF		11
Kira Wagar				IF		22
Lilly Jacobson				OF, P		21
Malaika Underwood				IF		6
Marti Sementelli				P		3
Megan Borgaard				OF		10
Melanie Taylor				OF, P		8
Sarah Gascon				IF, OF		4
Tara Harbert				OF		7
Veronica Alvarez				C		18
Washington DC Thunder
Dave Fyfe		Alexandria, VA		Head Coach
Renee Hudson		Silver Springs, MD		Assist. Coach
Alex Voegele		Reston, VA		C, IF		12
Bonnie Hoffman		Reston, VA		P, IF		2
Carmen Dominquez		Falls Church, VA		IF		10
Codi Dudley		Manassas, VA		IF		27
Della Romano		Washington, DC		P, IF		14
Gaby Richeimer		Washington, DC		C, OF		9
Jennifer Hammond		Alexandria, VA		IF		1
Jennifer OíKeefe		Falls Church, VA		P, OF		24
Jennifer Robinson		Asheville, NC		P, OF		22
Jo Ann Kruger		Catonsville, MD		C, IF, OF		5
Kem Patteson		Baltimore, MD		IF		15
Mary Zajac		Alexandria, VA		OF		4
Rosie Anderson		Arlington, VA		P, IF		13
Shelby ìRedî Rhodes		Falls Church, VA		OF		18
Stephanie Ciulla		Arlington, VA		P, IF, OF		7
San Francisco Bay Sox
Melanie Laspina				Manager, U
AJ Antoni				OF
Anna Fotianos				OF, IF
Ashley Rameriz				IF
Courtney Zobac				IF, P
Heather Bauduin				P, C
Karen Hunger				C, P
Kitt Allenser				IF, P
Loni Alley				IF, OF
Rhonda Staton				OF, C
Terri Martin				U
Theresa MacGregor				OF
Victoria Rueles				P, IF
Chicago Stealth
Lisa Lovitsch				Manager, Coach, U		1
Amanda Jensen				IF, OF, P		3
Ashley Pirani				P, IF		31
Brenda Mendoza				Manager, IF, OF		7
Charlotte Leblang				IF, OF		21
Jen Liu				Manager, P, IF		32
Jenn Zielke				C, P, IF		2
Jill Bianco				IF, OF		17
Megan Oswald				IF, OF		11
Savannah Schultze				C, P, U		8
Sofia Sianez				IF, OF		23
Tina Trahan				IF		13
Valerie Morse				IF, OF		30
Yumi Muso				OF		5
Zoe Magid				C, IF		14

Girls Baseball Scores Home Run – CBS Evening News with Katie Couric – May 5, 2009 4:59 PM – cbsnews.com

Girls Baseball Scores Home Run – CBS Evening News with Katie Couric – May 5, 2009 4:59 PM – cbsnews.com

Female athletes have played Little League baseball for the past 35 years, as Sandra Hughes reports. And, during this time, girls of all ages have been able to swing some big hits alongside the boys….

From In the News

Click, here, to Watch at CBS Videos Online

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Female Ace: I Don’t Play Softball – May 5, 2009 4:59 PM – cbsnews.com

CBS Evening News: California High School Pitcher, Marti Sementelli, Changing Some Minds About Girls And Sports…

From In the News

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Female Ace: I Don’t Play Softball
CBS Evening News: California High School Pitcher Changing Some Minds About Girls And Sports – includes text transcript of video story, above.

After watching her daughter fight to play, Jennifer Ring wrote a book about why girls are kept out of the national pastime.

“It’s not the boys who are the problem. It’s the adults. Parents and coaches just can’t handle it,” said Ring, whose book “Stolen Bases: Why American Girls Don’t Play Baseball” was published last month..

From Books

Click, here, to listen to a radio interview with Jennifer Ring.

IBAF Senior Executive Blog Post Supporting Girls Baseball Matching Men’s Game

Posted to the International Baseball Federation blogspot blog site:

sunday, march 1, 2009

BASEBALL UPDATE
Today’s New York Times had an article on girls playing high school baseball. In fact, one player, 16 year old Marti Sementelli pitched in the 2008 Women’s World Cup. There are more than 1,000 girls playing high school baseball in the United States! As the article states, ” the sport offered girls at most high schools, softball, is played with a larger ball on a smaller diamond.” Sementelli said: “It’s like Ping-Pong and tennis are the same sport.” A new book, “Stolen Bases: Why American Girls Don’t Play Baseball” by Jennifer Ring, a professor who believes, “Most people just are incapable of seeing beyond what’s easy.” It’s time for our organization to move quickly to grow our women’s game globally and to start a movement to include women’s baseball as an NCAA sport. Why not? Our Women’s World Championship was a complete success. Ten’s of thousands of young girls, my 5 year-old granddaughter included, start with t-ball, continue through other developmental organizations and should have the opportunity to continue their baseball playing days through their education and beyond. Facilities are available, there is no lack of coaching expertise, and it would grow gender equity. We can work to match our men’s game in Pan Am competition and future Olympic Games!

Posted by Harvey Schiller at 1:42 PM

Challenges for Girls Playing High School Baseball By MARK HYMAN – Published: February 28, 2009 – nytimes.com

Challenges for Girls Playing High School Baseball By MARK HYMAN – Published: February 28, 2009 – nytimes.com

Gary Sementelli was bracing for a fight. His daughter Marti had been a baseball player before she was a kindergartner, tossing plastic balls and swinging a tiny wood bat from the time she was 3. She had been a solid player at every youth level, and sometimes a star. In 2007, Nike even featured her in a television commercial in which she wore a baseball cap backward and mused about playing for the Boston Red Sox.

From Girls Making it in High School Baseball

The 5-foot-2 Sementelli pitched in the Women’s World Cup. “And I’m really dedicated to the game — nothing gets in my way,” she said.

Yet Sementelli was beginning to doubt whether he would find a high school that would allow Marti to go out for the boys baseball team. Two parochial schools near their home in North Hollywood, Calif., rejected the idea. At a couple of public schools, Sementelli said, he was told to investigate whether the rules permitted girls to play on the boys team, then get back in touch.

From Girls Making it in High School Baseball

Finally, Sementelli located a school as happy to have his daughter as she is with her toe on the pitching rubber. At Burbank High School, Marti, a 16-year-old sophomore, is on the junior varsity squad…

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About Mark Hyman, the author

More about Marti Sementelli

More about Stacy Piagno

More about the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS)

More about the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and rules regarding women playing Baseball including changes to rules interpretations accepting that women playing Baseball are indeed playing a different sport entirely from Softball

More information on legal precedence that persuaded the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) and the NCAA

For a list of State member organizations to the NFHS and their positions on girls playing Baseball in High School (As we hear back from each member organization we update with the response and any follow up correspondence. We are still contacting a number of the organizations to begin with – others, we have contacted, have not responded to our original inquiry or our message was caught by their Spam protection… We do follow up by phone when the message via email is not clear.)

Official USA Baseball Women’s Team web site

International Baseball Federation (IBAF) Tournament Archive – including previously held Women’s Baseball World Cups

America’s elite young players compete for Team USA roster spots – awbf.org

America’s elite young players compete for Team USA roster spots – awbf.org:

Alex Hebert

Anna Kimbrell

Ashleigh Vargas

Ashley Sujkowski

Clarisa Navarro

Gabby Sanchez

Jen Hunter

Lindsay Horwitz

Marti Sementelli

Stacy Piagno

New England Sox Women’s Baseball Team – newenglandredsox.com

New England Red Sox – 2008 Women’s National Champions – Winners of Inaugural Roy Hobbs Cactus Classic:

Team roster:

Beth Agostino

Megan Borgaard

Chris Burgess

Emily Day

Tara Harbert

Alex Hebert

Lily Jacobson

Kevin Marden

Janet Miller

Donna Mills

Marti Sementelli

Mel Taylor

Ashleigh Vargas

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From Roy Hobbs Women's Baseball Cactus Classic 2008

First row (left to right): Mel Taylor, Alex Hebert, Marti Sementelli, Ashleigh Vargas, Tara Harbert, Emily Day.

Second row (left to right): Ed Vargas, Lily Jacobson, Megan Borgaard, Donna Mills, Kevin Marden, Janet Miller, Beth Agostino, Chris Burgess, Gary Sementelli.

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From New England Sox Women’s Baseball Team – newenglandredsox.com

The NE Sox is represented by six USA National Team members with seven gold medals from 2004 and 2006 World Cups:

Merideth Barton (member in 2003)

Dominisha Britton (04′ gold medallist)

Keri Lemasters (2002 to present) 04′ and 06′ gold medallist

Donna Mills (2001 to present, * World Cup MVP in Taiwan, 2006) 04′ and 06′ gold medallist

Judy O’Brien (2001-2004) 04′ gold medallist

Malaika Underwood (2006) 06′ gold medallist

Just this past Labor Day, two other members from the NE Sox were invited to the National Team Trials that were held in Cary, North Carolina:

Alex Hebert

Ashleigh Vargas

Three women on the team have played in the professional ranks:

Keri Lemasters (Florida Legends, Homestead, FL 1998: Durham Dragons, Durham, NC 1999)

Judy O’Brien (New Jersey Diamonds, NJ 1998)

Melanie Taylor (Florida Legends, 1998)

Two women currently play on their high school baseball team:

Alex Hebert age 16, starting catcher for the Webster High School JV team (NY)

Ashleigh Vargas age 16, starting shortstop for the Wakefield High School team (MA)

Additional Players:

Megan Borgaard

Danielle Concepcion

Aspiration Happens… – Nike ATHLETE – Marti Sementelli – YouTube.com

Nike ATHLETE – Marti Sementelli

Aspirations happens…