Now a junior in high school, pitcher Chelsea Baker has had continued success all the way from Little League with her signature pitch.
Photos by Marc Estrada
is used to the spotlight.
Baker was featured by national media outlets such as ESPN and the MLB Network after throwing two perfect games in Little League, mostly using a knuckleball — a pitch that was taught to her by the late Joe Niekro, a former Major League Baseball All-Star.
The whirlwind continued as she was flown to New York for a segment on "Good Morning America." She also had her Little League jersey on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., in 2010.
Baker didn't let the glitz and glamor get to her, as she stayed focused on succeeding on the baseball field. She managed to make the baseball team at
Durant (Plant City, Fla.), where she has seen vast success. Last year, at the age of 15, she was even
offered a contract to play in the Girls Professional Baseball League, an all-girls league in Japan.
After kindly refusing the offer, Baker has continued to dominate this season as a junior, posting a 2-0 record with a 0.78 ERA for Durant, according to stats entered on her MaxPreps career profile.
Baker's story is appealing not only due to the fact that she a female succeeding in a mostly male sport, but also because she does it by throwing one of the sport's most difficult pitches to master — one that is usually only attempted as a "messing around" toss at the end of a game of catch.
MaxPreps photographer Marc Estrada was on hand for Baker's stellar performance in
Durant's 11-0 win on Saturday against Middleton (Tampa, Fla.). The 5-foot-2, 120-pound righthander went three innings, allowing just one hit while striking out three in a game shortened due to the 10-run rule.
See the photos below.
