Wellington resident Kate Costello doesn’t have to choose between playing baseball or fast-pitch softball. Instead, she is playing both sports — and she can use her A2000 fielder’s glove from Wilson in both sports, as well.
Costello, 12, is currently playing baseball for an all-girls travel team known as the Arizona Peaches. In addition, she plays girls fast-pitch softball at Polo Park Middle School in Wellington and recreational baseball with boys in Wellington’s youth baseball league, which plays in the spring and the fall.
While softball is a more common sport for girls, Costello has been playing baseball since she was seven years old. Her most recent baseball experience took place from July 7-11 in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, at the ninth annual Baseball for All (BFA) Nationals, which is the largest girls baseball tournament in the United States. Baseball for All (www.baseballforall.com) is an organization that promotes the sport of baseball for girls.
At the BFA event in Kentucky, Costello played with the Arizona Peaches in the 12U Minors age group. Her team went undefeated as it compiled a perfect 6-0 record. In those games, Costello was the winning pitcher in two of them. When she wasn’t pitching, she was the team’s catcher.
With a bat in her hands, Costello batted .750, drove in 10 runs, slugged three doubles and hit one triple. While catching, she also threw out two would-be base stealers. In the 12U Minors championship game, the Arizona Peaches outscored the Boston Slammers, 14-8.
As a pitcher, Costello can throw a few different pitches.
“I can throw a two-seam fastball, a four-seam fastball and a changeup,” Costello said. “I’m working on a curve ball.”
In fast-pitch softball, Costello plays catcher and third base.
Costello’s parents — father Mike, mother Cheryl and stepmother Crystal — love to see their daughter play baseball with and against her peers.
“I love it,” added Mike, who noted that his baseball career was curtailed by his inability to hit the curveball. “Playing baseball is her thing and we support it.”
“She’s a great role model for younger females,” Cheryl said. “She shows great emotional maturity on the field.”
“I am very proud of her,” Crystal said.
When it comes to the gear needed to play baseball and/or fast-pitch softball, Costello has all the necessities. In addition to her A2000 glove from Wilson, she wears a batting helmet from Easton, batting gloves from Under Armour and swings a bat from Marucci. Clearly, she has what it takes to play, regardless of the shape of the ball.
Like many young athletes, Costello began expressing an interest in baseball because of her dad’s interest in the sport. They would watch games on television together. Both enjoy cheering for the Boston Red Sox.
The next girls baseball tournament for Costello will be Dec. 7-8 in Chandler, Arizona, at the LA 49 tournament, which is played in honor of a former teammate, Leighton Accardo, who died of cancer on Nov. 20, 2020, at the age of nine. Her favorite number was 49.
Costello’s interest in baseball is serious, and she was invited to participate in Major League Baseball’s Trailblazer program this past April. She noted how fun it was meeting girls from across North America that share her passion for baseball.
For Costello, the one thing missing is the lack of other girls in Palm Beach County who want to play baseball.
“We’d like to find other like-minded girls and young women from 8U to 18U to practice with her in Palm Beach County,” her father said. “We know there are a few other girls who have participated in baseball, as we learned of Baseball for All through one of the girls at the baseball training facility that Kate attends — SGB Training on Military Trail in West Palm Beach.”
Costello has the backing and support of Justine Siegal, a baseball coach and the founder of Baseball for All.
“Too many girls are still told they can’t play baseball because they are girls,” Siegal said. “I founded Baseball for All to empower girls to believe in themselves and to keep playing the game they love.”
Clearly, Kate Costello is enjoying playing the game that she loves.
To help Mike Costello in his mission to find more girls who want to play baseball, he can be reached via phone at (561) 531-0705 or e-mail at mike.costello33@gmail.com.
