Age Is Just the Count: How Micaela Minner and Homa Schweers Are Proving Experience Belongs in the WPBL (and Why that Makes Me Cheer)
Let’s be honest: If you told 40 year old me that in 15+ years I would be a sports agent and attorney living in Hollywood, Florida, I would have laughed and gone back to being a stay-at-home mom raising (and homeschooling) 4 children - Now, over a decade later, a sports agent and attorney firmly ensconced in my second act juggling contracts, case briefs, and an insatiable love of sports, I find myself rooting not just for the future stars of the Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL), but for the seasoned veterans who remind me every day that a second act can be the best act yet.
The Inaugural Draft: Not Just for Rookies—A Veteran’s Playbook
This November, when the WPBL hosts its very first draft, the narrative won’t be dominated solely by high school sensations and viral college sluggers. No, my friends, the spotlight will rightfully shine on two extraordinary women: Micaela Minner and Homa Schweers. Both are forty, both still outrunning Father Time, and both are shattering expectations about what a “professional athlete” should look like. They’re rewriting the scouting report for all of us who ever heard, “Aren’t you a little old for this?”
Micaela Minner: The Texas Tornado Who Never Quit
Let’s talk Micaela. Born and bred on the ballfields of my home state of Texas (where, rumor has it, your fastball gets clocked right after your first steps), Micaela Minner grew up playing baseball with the boys until she was 15. She then built a career that would make any scout double-check her birth certificate. At the University of Missouri, she became the Tigers’ offensive juggernaut, helping the team earn a spot in the 2009 Women’s College World Series and grabbing Team Offensive MVP honors along the way. (And I have it on good authority she could still out-sprint a midwestern thunderstorm.)
Her post-college journey? Oh, just a stint with the Akron Racers of the National Pro Fastpitch league—where she was named Most Inspirational Player. She became such a fixture in the community, I’m surprised they didn’t give her her own parking spot at the stadium. But here’s my favorite twist: Instead of hanging up her cleats, she traded them for coaching shoes. In Northeast Ohio, she launched a sports performance business—mentoring hundreds of young athletes on both the physical and mental sides of the game. Over 200 of her students have gone on to compete in college programs. She’s basically a one-woman farm system.
And just when you thought Micaela might finally rest on her considerable laurels, she shows up at Nationals Park in 2025 for WPBL tryouts—alongside 600+ other hopefuls—and outlasts women half her age. If she’sdrafted, she won’t just be making history as the oldest rookie in the league; she’ll be proving that persistence and passion are the real performance enhancers.
Homa Schweers: The Queen of Endurance (and Getting Things Done)
If Micaela is the human highlight reel of persistence, Homa Schweers is the living embodiment of endurance—with just a dash of “why not?” Homa’s baseball career started way before the WPBL was even a dream, competing in community leagues and regional tournaments that offered more dust than glory. When there wasn’t a team to play for, she organized one. When opportunities were sparse, she made her own—pitching, hitting, mentoring, and always finding her way to the diamond.
Homa’s career stretches across the entire modern era of women’s baseball: from makeshift fields to national showcases. At 40, she’s still lining up at tryouts with women young enough to call her “Coach,” “Ma’am,” or sometimes, “I hope I’m that good in twenty years.” At the WPBL’s Washington, D.C. tryouts, Homa’s leadership was as audible as her swing—and let’s be honest, the dugout could use more of that. In a sport obsessed with timing, Homa is the proof that experience is a competitive edge, not a concession.
Want to know more about Homa’s story of grit and grace? Listen to her candid conversation on the “Women at the Plate” podcast https://www.instagram.com/homa.schweers/?hl=en and read her feature in Baseball ForAll.
WPBL: Where Every Chapter Matters
Co-founded by Dr. Justine Siegal and Keith Stein, the WPBL is making one thing clear: This league isn’t just for the up-and-comers, it’s for the never-give-uppers. The 2026 debut will feature six teams spread across the Northeast, with two seven-inning games a week and a $95,000 team salary cap—proof that women’s baseball is both professional and built to last. Most importantly, the WPBL values every phase of an athlete’s career, which means that if you’ve still got the fire (and a working rotator cuff), there’s a place for you here.
Age Is Just the Uniform Number
Let’s face it: Sports culture is obsessed with youth, “potential,” and the next big thing. But what about current greatness? Minner and Schweers aren’t just exceptions to the rule—they’re the reason the rules should change. They’ve stayed sharp, fearless, and fiercely devoted to their craft. Their presence in the draft pool is the WPBL’s exclamation point: Talent doesn’t retire on a schedule, and neither should opportunity.
And if you’re smiling as you read this, trust me, so am I—knowing that my own “second inning” as a sport agent and attorney is happening alongside women who refuse to step off the field just because someone else says the game is over.
Legacy in Motion: Inspiring the Next Generation
If Minner and Schweers get that call on draft night, they’ll be more than role models for “older” athletes—they’ll be living proof that women’s sports can be built for sustainability, not nostalgia. Their inclusion isn’t about sentimentality or symbolism; it’s about merit, representation, and the realization that greatness comes in all ages (and sometimes with a killer sense of humor about ice packs).
When the WPBL launches in May 2026, these two will be on the field not just making history, but opening doors for every athlete, fan, and yes, even late-blooming agents like me, who believe that the best innings are still ahead.
Final Thoughts: “Forty Is the New First Inning”—and We’re All Up to Bat
The most powerful thing about this new league isn’t just the games—it’s the message: Women like Micaela Minner and Homa Schweers prove that passion, skill, and leadership aren’t bound by age. So when the first pitch flies in 2026, remember: Experience is the real MVP. And if you need me, I’ll be in the stands—cheering for every woman with the courage to start something new, no matter how many candles were on her last birthday cake.
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