Eagle Lake athlete represents Rice on national stage

Softball player Hernandez honors trailblazer’s legacy in Williamsport

Eagle Lake athlete Abigail Hernandez is having an unforgettable summer as one of 96 girls selected to participate in the Maria Pepe Legacy Series that took place June 5-7 in Williamsport, PA, home of the Little League World Series.

The Maria Pepe Legacy Series is in honor of Maria Pepe, a trailblazer and pioneer who fought for gender equality in youth sports. In 1972 at the age of 12 in Hoboken, New Jersey, Pepe played softball for the Young Democrats. After three games, Pepe’s coach informed her she could no longer play, or the team would lose their Little League status for having a female player on the team.

In Pepe’s words, “My coach came to me and told me that Little League said they had to take me off the team, or the league would lose its charter. I didn’t want to make a hundred kids mad at me, so I had to step down.”

The National Organization for Women (NOW) offered to represent Pepe in a lawsuit against Little League Baseball.

By the time Pepe’s lawsuit against the Little League was won, she was too old to play on the Young Democrats.

One year after the legal win, over 30,000 young women signed up to participate on Little League teams across the country.

Hernandez was selected to be a part of this tournament after simply signing up and receiving a phone call.

“When we were doing our registration for Little League, we were sent an invite from Little League International. I imagine all the girls across the United States and the world receive an invite,” Joseph Hernandez, Abigail’s father and coach, said.

After reading the registration and cost information, Joseph Hernandez said, “We paid the $100, and we waited.”

To their delight, the Hernandezes received the call they hoped for: Abigail was one of the 96 lucky girls chosen to be a part of the tournament honoring Pepe.

“I was shocked. I just couldn’t believe it,” Abigail said.

“I was in disbelief because nothing good ever happens to me like that,” Joseph said with a chuckle. “I had to call a couple of people to make sure it was really true.”

Once the reality set in that they would be heading to Williamsport, Joseph had to figure out travel arrangements.

“Looking at flights and everything, it was expensive, and we were going to fly out here at first, but to bring myself and my two daughters it was going to be around $5,000. Just for me and Abigail to go, it was about $3,500,” Joseph said. “So, we decided the cheapest option was to just drive there.”

Joseph loaded his family up, and he drove the entire 33-hour long trip, making very few stops along the way.

“We only stopped for food, gas and a couple of photo ops,” Joseph said.

Being stuck in the car for that long can get boring, so Abigail and her older sister found a way to pass the time. They decided to play a classic road trip game: the alphabet game.

The rules are simple: find words that correspond with the letter of the alphabet when it is your turn. Abigail and her sister took this as an opportunity to pick on their dad.

“If it’s your turn and your letter, but someone else finds a word first, you’re still stuck on that letter. He (Joseph) was stuck on the letter Y and my sister, and I kept pointing out words with the letter Y and he kept getting so mad,” Abigail said while giggling.

Joseph actually welcomed the teasing because he was viewing this trip through a different lens.

“My oldest daughter is in college, so she’s always off living the college life, staying in the dorms and doing her thing. We hardly get to talk or see each other. Then for Abigail, with the monotony of everyday life, going to work, going to school, going to practice and things like that, I don’t really get to appreciate the time with her,” Joseph explained.

Joseph said he was grateful for the opportunity to spend quality time with his daughters.

Abigail was able to meet the legendary Maria Pepe, and Joseph said Pepe will likely not soon forget Abigail.

“After she met Maria Pepe, Abigail grabbed her baseball bag and slung it over her shoulder. When she swung the bag around, the bat ended up hitting Maria in the head,” Joseph said with a chuckle. “It sounded like a foul ball was hit, just a little ‘tink’. Thankfully she was ok, but that poor old woman was rocked.”

Abigail Hernandez said she enjoyed her time at the tournament learning new skills and making new friends, including one from Aruba who Abigail describes as “a really cool girl,” all while representing Rice Little League.

She said she saw the support from people in the community and was speechless by the support she received but still had a simple message to get out to everyone who supported her on her journey.

“Thank you all so much,” Abigail said.

Joseph echoed the importance of representing Rice Little League at this event.

“To make it to the Little League World Series is tough. Getting out of our district is tough with all the talented teams we must face,” Joseph said. “To be chosen for this and to represent Rice Little League was awesome because I have no clue if we will ever make it back there.”

More than 50 years after Maria Pepe helped open the door for girls to compete in Little League, Abigail Hernandez found herself on a field in Williamsport celebrating that legacy.

What began with a $100 registration fee became a cross-country road trip, new friendships, unforgettable memories and an opportunity to represent her community on a national stage.

Now back home, Abigail and her family are grateful for the experience and ready to return to the ball field.

“I’m proud to say my daughter represented not just Rice Little League, but District 13 at that tournament,” Joseph said.