As the Little League World Series begins on today, Maddy Freking is poised to become the first girl to play in the prestigious event in five years--and just the 19th girl ever to play in the Series, which has been around for 72 years.
Maddy is a second baseman for a team based out of Coon Rapids and counts Twins player Miguel Sano and Jackie Robinson as her baseball idols, stands tall as a sterling defensive player. “She’s a vacuum,” says her coach, Greg Bloom. The last major girl to make a splash in the Little League World Series was pitcher Mo’ne Davis, who plans to play softball this fall in college. Freking, meanwhile, is sticking with baseball. “I feel like it’s easier than softball because I’ve been playing it for longer,” she said, “and I don’t really feel like changing.”