WORCESTER, Mass. - Ahead of Opening Day for the Worcester Red Sox, a new exhibit sponsored by the club is honoring the women who helped build baseball into America's pastime. 

What You Need To Know

  • A new exhibit in Worcester is highlighting women's contributions to baseball

  • The exhibit is called 'Chasing a Dream - the Story of Girls and Women in Baseball' and includes artifacts dating back to 1859
  • Multiple Worcester Red Sox representatives spoke at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday

  • The exhibit is a partnership between the WooSox, United Way of Central Massachusetts and the Worcester Public Library Foundation

The traveling exhibit, called 'Chasing a Dream - the Story of Girls and Women in Baseball' is now available to view at the Worcester Public Library until April 30. 

With artifacts dating back to 1859, WooSox President Dr. Charles Steinberg said the exhibit is an important reminder of the ways in which women contributed to the game's storied history. 

"There's always been a history of women involved in the game, of women playing ball, of women working in baseball, and it seemed like it was a bit of a secret," Steinberg said. "These artifacts are helping you see where the yellow brick road started, and I think it's up to us to realize where it's headed."

The launch of the exhibit was also an opportunity to bring attention to the future of women in baseball, which WooSox employees like Alexis Dill, Director of Public Relations and Community Relations, said is strong in Worcester due to the WooSox. 

"They made sure to promote and support smart and capable women, not because they were women, but because they were great," Dill said. "Nearly half of our front office is comprised of women."

Among the items included in the exhibit, there are items used in the film 'A League of Their Own', historic photos, and more recent mementos from the U.S. Women's National Baseball Team founded in 2004. 

These items come from all across the country, but Worcester also has plenty of claim to history. 

"As early as 1883, the women of Worcester created a young woman's baseball club with 18 players and played at the Worcester Fairgrounds," said Jason Homer, Executive Director of the Worcester Public Library. "Honoring the legacy of these trailblazers in this space allows us to understand the power of diversity and its ability to uplift us all."

The exhibit is a partnership between the WooSox, United Way of Central Massachusetts and the Worcester Public Library Foundation.