‘See Her Be Her’ documentary sheds light on women’s baseball – Winston-Salem Journal

They take turns expressing how one day they too can shine on the big world stage.

Indeed, an international star like American pitcher Kelsey Whitmore or Japan’s Ayami Sato could possibly come from the African country where women’s baseball has taken root in recent years.

“Baseball has contributed a lot to our lives,” said Lillian Nyiga, a single mother who plays baseball in Uganda while also teaching other women.

In the upcoming documentary See Her Be Her, sports photographer Jean Fruit and her team profile seven standout women who do much more than just play the game in their corners of the world, spanning the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Japan, South Korea, Cuba and Uganda.

“We represent women in sports, and that’s a really strong thing to stand for,” said Whitmore, who two years ago became the first woman to sign a regular-season men’s professional team in an MLB affiliate league, playing for the Atlantic League’s Staten Island Hawkes Ferry.

This past summer, Whitmore played for the independent Oakland Bowlers and became the first woman to start a Pioneer League game.

The nearly 2-hour film, which will premiere Sunday night on MLB Network between Games 2 and 3 of the World Series, follows the 2023 teams that qualify for this year’s Women’s Baseball World Series — won by Sato and the seven-time reigning champion Japan over USA

There’s Canadian Ali Schroeder, who works grueling two-week stretches fighting major forest fires. She showed up to play this summer with hand burns from falling into an ash pit and is dealing with chronic shoulder and knee pain that could cut her playing career short. The fingers on her left non-throwing hand were hurt enough that she was worried if she could even swing a bat.

“I used to think I was burned out from playing baseball and working out, but that’s nothing compared to working 14-day shifts in a row fighting wildfires,” Schroeder said. “There’s a lot more at stake on the line of fire than in a big game, and I think that’s something I’ve really been able to use to calm myself down on the baseball field in big situations.”

Korean standout Soyeon Park can usually only play on weekends as she trains to become a pilot. His compatriot Chan Ho Park, the former major league pitcher, is a fan.

In the baseball-crazy Cuban culture, first baseman Libia Duarte wants to see women playing high-level baseball accepted so they can break the stereotype that they have to stick to being housewives.

Gabby Velez from Puerto Rico shares her own mental health struggles, and each of these women is giving back in their own unique way, trying to pave an easier path for the young women coming after them.

“These women will touch your heart,” Fruit said. “They must have touched mine.”

Each faced her own struggles – doubt, discrimination – competing in a sport played primarily by boys and men for more than a century. Those naysayers, who believe women don’t belong, motivate Whitmore, who keeps a screenshot of derogatory social media posts on her phone.

Women also have some prominent supporters.

Former Seattle Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki has become their ambassador, leading efforts to build the women’s game in Japan.

“People come and watch Major League Baseball games, but the same is not true of women’s baseball,” Suzuki says in the film. “People who share the same passion should come together. Instead of debating where women’s baseball is at, we need to set the stage for them first. This is what drives motivation. I hope this wave spreads and grows around the world.”

Ferguson Jenkins, Cal Ripken Jr. and Jimmy Rollins also star. Their support matters.

“There’s still no Cal Ripken Jr. of women’s baseball,” Fruit said.

The documentary is the vision of the non-profit organization Grassroots Baseball, founded by Fruit and former longtime president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Jeff Idelson. They traveled extensively across six states and Puerto Rico to provide an intimate look at the athleticism, talent and determination of these ladies putting baseball on the global map.

Executive producer Wendy Selig-Prieb, the former CEO of the Milwaukee Brewers and daughter of retired baseball commissioner Bud Selig, was excited to get behind this work at a time when interest in women’s sports is exploding.

“To sit there and watch the whole movie, it’s powerful and inspiring and eye-opening. And I say eye-opening because the quality of play and competition, not only in the U.S. but globally, certainly exceeded what I understood before and what I think a lot of people know,” Selig-Prieb said. “So what Jeff and Jean are doing by providing visibility to not only the potential and opportunities that exist in the future, but more importantly, what is happening right now in women’s baseball is just awesome.”

Grassroots Baseball is also releasing a book to accompany the film, featuring a collection of Fruit’s photos taken during the project.

Selig-Prieb hopes the film gives girls and women everywhere a glimpse of what’s possible, even if baseball isn’t her passion.

“The name sums it up, doesn’t it, See Her Be Her,” Selig-Prieb said. “I never set out to be the first woman to do anything. It wasn’t an aspiration or a goal that I had. But that’s where I find myself sometimes. And what I learned from that is that when you are, you get a voice. And I like to use mine to support others and support others who are forging a new path.”

In Uganda, they are very into baseball – even if some show up to play barefoot or in dresses. Joyful women hold hands in a large circle, dancing to and fro.

“I want to throw 90 mph,” shared one player.

“I want to be a professional catcher,” offers another.

Americans such as Whitmore, Anna Kimbrell, Ashton Lansdell and Meggie Meidlinger are among those helping to develop the game by traveling to Uganda to provide instruction and support. Meidlinger had previously run clinics and was inspired by the interest and stayed involved.

It goes beyond baseball.

“Why the game is more than just a game is to be able to get all those young girls around the game who love it,” Whitmore said, “and just be someone for them.”