All four inaugural teams of the brand-new Women's Pro Baseball League (WPBL) are named after influential women in American history -- with one named after a trailblazing female physician.
The New York Heights take inspiration from civil rights leader Dorothy Irene Height; the Los Angeles Queens are named after Lizzie "Queen of the Diamond" Murphy who broke barriers in professional baseball; and the San Francisco Firebells take after Lillie Hitchcock Coit, known as "Firebelle," who championed volunteer firefighters.
Boston's team, the Hunters, are named after Harriot Kezia Hunt, a practicing physician and the first woman to apply to Harvard Medical School 179 years ago.
"As we built the identities of our inaugural teams, we wanted to honor trailblazing women whose stories, spirit, and connection to their city could authentically inspire each team," Kelly Gianopoulos, the WPBL's chief marketing officer, told MedPage Today. "Harriot Hunt was a natural choice for Boston. She challenged convention, broke barriers, and opened doors for the women who followed -- qualities we hope define the Boston Hunters both on and off the field."
Born in 1805 in Massachusetts, Hunt was inspired to pursue medicine by her sister's severe illness. In her 20s, she shadowed other clinicians, and eventually opened her own practice. She was one of thousands of women in the 1800s practicing medicine without a formal license, explained Miriam Rich, PhD, an assistant professor of bioethics and health humanities at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
