Mo’ne Davis

b. 2001

First girl to pitch a shutout in the Little League World Series

Pioneering Women

The coach at her local recreation center in South Philadelphia saw her playing football with her older brother and cousins when she was 10. He invited her to basketball practice.

Her eyes were just glued on the drill and when it came time for her turn she went through it like she has been doing it a thousand times…I just knew right then.

Steve Bandura, coach

The only girl, she became the team’s best player, dominating the game in basketball, baseball, and soccer—and helping win city championships.

Showing dedication, she got up early to commute to an all-girls private school in Chestnut Hill and went to the rec center after school for practice or games.

In 2014 she became the first girl to pitch a shutout in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. She threw a 70 mph fastball, at 13.

She was the fourth American girl (18th overall) to play in the tournament, out of 9,000 participants since it began in 1947.

Before 8th grade she had pitched before a TV audience of millions and was on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

The Obamas invited her to the White House, inspiring her:

You changed the sports world. Keep going. Don’t let anyone stop you.

The attention was overwhelming.

I was a kid; I wasn’t prepared for this.

She was also the first African-American girl in the Little League World Series.

...in the black community, she’s more of a cultural icon…Little League baseball is a white suburban sport...She crossed every barrier.

Steve Bandura, coach

After the tournament, a college player (a young man) wrote a belittling, sexist tweet about her. He was suspended for the season, but she asked for him to be allowed back.

Everyone makes mistakes and everyone deserves a second chance.
This world is already full of hate. You can’t just keep putting hate out there.

In 2015 she took a trip with her team, playing baseball and exploring black history. On her 14th birthday, the team visited the Alabama church where white supremacists killed four black girls in 1963.

We walked past where the bomb was placed; I still don’t have words for it…What could those girls have done in their lives? They could have changed the world.

The experience left her grateful:

…for all the people who fought for the freedom we now have.

In high school she played as many sports as she could, winning state championships in softball and soccer. Summers she continued pitching, and her baseball team won a national championship in 2017.

Graduating in 2019, she has committed to playing softball at Hampton University in Virginia. Her high school experiences influenced her decision to attend a historically black university.

Planning to major in communications, she wants to be a motivational speaker for kids and host her own TV sports show.