SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference

The eighth annual SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference will be held on October 9–11, 2026. Stay tuned for more details and registration information.

This year’s conference — co-sponsored by SABR and the International Women’s Baseball Center and hosted by Rockford University — is a virtual Zoom event.

• Call for papers: The theme for this year’s conference is “Batters Up: The Future is Now.” We welcome abstracts on all topics and time periods relating to women in all aspects of baseball, including research on history, sociological and economic impacts, and global developments. This year we especially welcome topics focused on the past, present and future of women in baseball. Topics could include ideas such as the international growth of the game, MLB-sponsored girls baseball events, examining the first WPBL season, women in the front office, and so much more. Abstracts accepted for posters and/or oral presentations. Please submit abstracts of approximately 200 words, along with contact information and a short biography, by July 6, 2026, to Leslie Heaphy.

Click here to watch highlights from the 2025 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference

Zoom sessions will be held from approximately 6:30-8:00 p.m. on Friday, October 9; 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 10, and 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 11. (All times listed are in the Eastern Time Zone.) The full schedule will be available later this summer.

All registrants are encouraged to send a children’s sports book to be donated to the local Rockford community. Examples include: Players in Pigtails; She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story; A Whole New Ball Game, etc. Books can be shipped directly to IWBC at: Rockford University, 5100 Building Room 25, 5050 E. State Street, Rockford, IL 61108. Or choose a book and donate in your local community and send us a note about where you donated.