That was never a problem if Malaika Underwood used to play baseball. whereA native of California, Underwood began playing in San Diego’s Chollas Lake Little League at a young age and fell in love with baseball, never to be put down. She played baseball through college, but after graduating, she returned to the baseball field as a member of the USA Women’s National Baseball Team. The speedy right-side infielder was selected for the national team a record 11 times from 2006 to 2022, won four gold medals at various international competitions, and was named USA Baseball Sportswoman of the Year in 2015.
Underwood grew up idolizing players like Ira Borders and Tamara Holmes, pioneers of girls baseball. Now, years later, she’s someone a new generation looks up to. From earning a spot on her high school team to winning the World Cup in her debut season in 2006, Underwood’s playing career is full of moments that proved she wasn’t the only one who deserved to be on the baseball field, but every woman who wants to be on the diamond. Since hanging up her cleats, she has transitioned to breaking down barriers through her work with women in sports advocates and as an author, empowering young athletes to just go out and play without worrying about whether there’s a place for them on the field.
To learn more about her baseball experience, check out Little League® Special seating Girls with Game 50 (#GWG50) Six innings of conversation with Underwood at the Maria Pepe Little League Baseball Tournament in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.® Legacy Series:
First Inning: What is your favorite memory from playing Little League?
That’s a hard question to answer because, one, it was so long ago and, two, I don’t necessarily have one standout moment, but rather think about the whole experience and what it gave me. I started playing baseball at a young age with Chollas Lake Little League. Their slogan was “Where the Stars of Tomorrow Play Today” and I dreamed at the time of becoming the first female Major League Baseball player. I fell in love with baseball and played through high school with their Little League program, but then I had to make the decision to switch to softball or stay with baseball. Since I had never played softball, I decided to stay with baseball and wrote letters to a few coaches at high schools around San Diego asking them to give me a fair chance. Without the great experience I had in Little League, I would not have had the confidence to seek out opportunities at the high school level.
Second Inning: You’ve said in other interviews before that your advice to young female athletes is to learn how to hit the curveballs life throws at you. Is there a specific experience where you learned that lesson?
It’s a collection of experiences, not just one. I think there’s definitely value in getting older and being able to see things from a different perspective, and being able to look back and say, “That failure, while disappointing at the time, actually led me to something else, and that something turned out to be great and amazing.” I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a lot of great experiences, which is what gave me that perspective. And of course, I hope that by giving that advice, I can instill that understanding in others sooner. Sometimes you have goals and you don’t achieve them, and that might be for a reason. There might be something bigger and better out there for you.
Third Inning: Since hanging up your cleats, you’ve continued to work with organizations that promote and advance women in baseball. What’s it like working with an organization like this?
I want to be as involved as I can with anything that has to do with girls in baseball. I try to say yes to as many things as I can. For example, by participating in the Maria Pepe Legacy Series, I get to represent USA Baseball and Baseball for All, but I also support other organizations like Little League. I am fundamentally an advocate for girls in baseball and I want to see us move forward. We still have a long way to go to break the mold that society thinks girls play softball and boys play baseball. I want people to understand and even question when a little girl says, “I play baseball.”
4th Inning: Where do you think Little League and the sport of baseball itself has grown the most since you were a baseball player?
I think overall, the idea of girls playing baseball is being embraced. The Maria Pepe Legacy Series is a great example of the role that Little League Baseball is playing in breaking down those barriers and helping the community embrace that idea. If you’re a young girl and you’re good at baseball, you can play in Little League, then play on a traveling team, then play on a high school team. Those barriers are being broken down. Once you get to the college level, the opportunities start to narrow. I think that’s where we bridge the gap between the top teams and the grassroots youth section. If we can do that, it will open up opportunities for girls. Whether that’s club baseball at the college level or eventually a professional women’s league, it will inspire women to aspire to make baseball a career. For me, baseball has been kind of a sideline for a long time.
What was your experience like working on the 5th Inning: Maria Pepe Legacy Series and what was it like meeting the original gamer, Maria Pepe?
It was amazing. I get goosebumps just sitting here talking to you. I can’t put into words how emotional I am to have met her and to have had the opportunity to meet her in this moment. She’s the reason I got on the Little League roster. She’s such a genuine person and I was just blown away by her willingness to share her story and really connect with these girls, even if just for a short time. It was just so amazing to watch these girls run out onto the field at Lamade Stadium and to sit right next to her and hear her story and be so candid about how hard it was for her 50 years ago to have to give up the sport that she loved.
Sixth Inning: This year Little League is celebrating 50 years since female players joined the program. While celebrating the past, how do you see the future for women in sports, both on the field and behind the scenes?
I think the Maria Pepe Legacy Series is a wonderful thing and a celebration in many ways. First, it’s specific to Maria’s fight 50 years ago and her impact in making it possible for girls to play Little League. But I think in a bigger picture, it also feels like a celebration of so many other things, because we’ve all experienced the challenges of being a girl in baseball. So I hope this is a seminal moment that we can all look back on and say, “It started with the Maria Pepe Legacy Series in 2024 when Little League fully embraced the idea of girls’ baseball.” Softball is a great sport. I have nothing bad to say about it, but girls and boys should have the choice to play the sport they love. We need to create structures that allow that within the existing infrastructure, at the Little League level, the high school level, the college level, and even the professional level. Luckily, there are people who are interested and willing to work together to keep moving the sport forward and growing, even if it feels like it’s taken a long time.
Notes: The Little League Six Innings feature interviews with Girls with Game who have graduated from the Little League program and continued to impact women’s sports throughout their careers as part of the 2024 #GWG50 celebration. To learn more about the initiative, visit LittleLeague.org/GWG50. The #GWG50 celebration is proudly supported by DICK’S Sporting Goods, a longtime Little League partner committed to providing opportunities for girls and women in sports and working to coincide with key events and milestones this year.
