At just 18 years old, Thaíma Maximiliana is already navigating a path few athletes ever experience. A student-athlete at Florida Southwestern State College, playing collegiate softball while also stepping into the professional ranks with the Women’s Professional Baseball League, and competing internationally with the Netherlands national team. Normally, the lines between amateur college athletics and professional sports are firm. But Maximiliana is living in the rare space where both worlds exist at once, since she’s a collegiate softball player and baseball doesn’t impact her eligibility - it’s a different sport. Now, she’s balancing classes, college games, and professional opportunities as her career continues to develop.
Her baseball roots trace back to the island of Curaçao, where the sport has grown into a powerful part of the culture thanks to previous players who’ve reached the major leagues and inspired the next wave of talent - MLB Hall of Famer Andruw Jones, Kenley Jansen, and Sir Didi Gregorius. With no formal girls’ baseball league growing up, Maximiliana learned the game playing alongside boys on hard dirt fields, an environment that helped shape the toughness, rhythm, and smooth style that people often recognize in Caribbean players. That background - equal parts island pride, discipline, and confidence - still shows up in the way she plays today. Below is a conversation about that path, her roots, and how she manages to navigate between two versions of the game.
9inningnomad: For people who may not know you yet, can you introduce yourself? Who are you, where are you from, and what are you doing right now?
Thaíma Maximiliana: My name is Thaíma Maximiliana from Curaçao. I’m 18 years old, and right now I’m playing college softball at Florida Southwestern State College. I’m also a player on the Netherlands national team, and I will be playing professional baseball in the upcoming Women’s Professional Baseball League this year.
9inningnomad: You’re a college softball player but also a professional baseball player. Normally, those two worlds don’t mix. What was your reaction when you realized you could do both?
Thaíma Maximiliana: At first it was really confusing because I didn’t really know can I continue with my college career or should I stop, I didn’t know. And then later on, we found some answers and found out that I could do it. Right now, I am looking for a D1 school, so that school would give me permission to join the professional league from August until September.
9inningnomad: When you realized you could pursue pro baseball while still finishing your education, what did that mean to you?
Thaíma Maximiliana: When I realized that I can do both, it was something really awesome. It was like a relief, you know, because academics is something really important to have. So yeah, it was more like a relief, and then, yes, now we can keep working forward to achieve both my academic and professional goals.
9inningnomad: What does a normal week look like balancing college softball and preparing for professional baseball?
Thaíma Maximiliana: Right now, we’re having a lot of softball games; mostly, we play four to six games a week. And then on the days that it’s kind of less busy, I go in the cages, and I just practice some baseball and keep on track.
9: Has anyone ever asked you how you juggle everything? Is it difficult managing school, softball, and baseball all at once?
Thaíma: I grew up being disciplined, so my parents always taught me how to handle difficult things. Growing up, I always played like five to six sports. But then, as I grew older, I just kept doing it. And then they realize, well, she’s built for it. But handling softball and baseball together, I mean, I’ve been doing it all my life, so the switch is not really something big for me. But yeah, it’s a busy schedule, it’s a busy week. Every day, something new pops up.
9: When you move from softball to baseball, do you feel like a different player?
Thaíma: When I usually switch sports, I’ll say in softball, the girls don’t really have a lot of swag, you know. So when I go to baseball, I mostly put on my swag. I put a sleeve, I put eye black and stuff. That’s about it. But otherwise, my playing style never changes.
The Draft and Professional Moments
9: You’re in the Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL). What was the moment like when you were drafted? And what do you think it’s going to be like playing in the league?
Thaíma: First, when I was watching the draft, I knew I was going to get picked, but I didn’t really think that I was going to get picked in the first round. And then, like one week later, it kind of hit me then, damn, I was really in the first round, you know, with all the other athletes that already played professional or played high-level college softball. It really made me realize that I’m a pure talent from my island. I’m only 18 years old, so it’s very early in my career, and already, I'm playing with professionals or other women that have way more experience than me. It’s something very great. And it’s really good to play with people that have more experience than you, so you can grow along, you know? So it’s awesome.
9: What was the reaction when you returned home to Curaçao after the draft?
Thaíma: When I went back home in December, my family surprised me and congratulated me at the airport, and then I had like four to five interviews in Curaçao, and the government celebrated with me too. But other than that, everyone treats me the same.
9: How did you find out about the WPBL tryouts, or did they find you?
Thaíma: I had a lot of people sending me the tryouts on social media, and then obviously I signed up for it, and I went to Washington, and there it was, the first day of the tryout. The coaches there just saw me, and we just started connecting to each other.
9: When did you feel like you belonged at the tryouts?
Thaíma: Since I got there the first day. I just really felt like I belonged, because I didn’t only see people from America, I had different competition internationally, and with me being international also, it just gave me a sense of belonging there.
Baseball vs Softball
9: How many teammates ask you about the baseball side of your career?
Thaíma: On my team, there’s two girls that played baseball for the Canadian national team. So, they’re familiar with it. And I’m really happy that I get to share some information with them and talk about baseball, too. The other girls don’t really know a lot about girls’ baseball. So, they do be asking me a lot of questions.
9: Did you have to adjust anything mechanically when switching from softball to baseball?
Thaíma: I’ll say every time that I step on the field, I give one hundred percent of my effort. So I never really had to change anything about that. But the mechanics, maybe the swing, because some people say baseball and softball have different swings.
9: What feels different between the two swings?
Thaíma: In softball, it’s just really close, you know, the distance between the pitcher and the batter, so you can’t do really much about it in the batting box. But in baseball, I just feel like you can have more swag, and you can actually step out of the box, get a breather, and take your time.
9: How has your identity as a hitter evolved over the years?
Thaíma: Previously, I was mostly a contact hitter, but I’ve always been a power hitter, but that’s from the right side. Since I became a switch-hitter, I would slap and bunt more from the left side. But now that I've worked on the left side, I’m a switch hitter and a power hitter on both sides.
9: Which side of the plate feels most comfortable?
Thaíma: I really like the right side, you know. When I’m struggling on the right side, I’ll switch to the left side because it’s easier there. If I’m facing a lefty pitcher, I won’t hit lefty. On the right side, I just feel more at home. (Thaíma is a naturally right-handed hitter)
9: Who is your favorite baseball player?
Thaíma: When I started watching baseball with my dad, he always liked Francisco Lindor. So he just passed that player to me and just let me watch him play and tell me to copy his style and copy the stuff that he does on the field. So obviously, he became my favorite player ever since.
9: What’s the moment you’ve dreamed of doing while you were a kid playing?
Thaíma: Hitting a grand slam and just walking the game off, that’s all I dream of. When I was 12, I did hit a grand slam.
9: Would your teammates’ description of you include a compliment or a warning label?
Thaíma: They say she’s a dog. They think I’m cool, but I don’t know, I’m just a calm person. It’s just the confidence that I have on the field. I guess I kind of bring it around off the field, too, sometimes.
9: Is there anyone that you would label your confidence game similar to?
Thaíma: Maybe Stephen Curry. I really like the way he plays, and even though he’s not that tall and not that big, he still puts on a show on the court.
Curaçao Roots
9: What did baseball feel like growing up in Curaçao?
Thaíma: Baseball was something not really common, and then as we saw more baseball players get into the MLB and stuff, it started growing a lot here in Curaçao. We obviously didn’t have much technologies… You know we’re a small island. But everyone that got to the MLB, I think they just started from somewhere, and then they gave opportunities to all the other kids and started foundations and building fields, and that’s how you grow the game.
9: Was there a girls’ baseball league growing up?
Thaíma: In Curaçao, we don’t have girls baseball, but we do have a guys league, obviously, that has like five or six girls join. So, girls’ baseball it’s not even something in Curaçao.
9: Did that environment shape the way you play today? Is there something that sets you apart instantly when you’re playing, where someone might say- “where’d she learn that from?”
Thaíma: Playing on hard dirt fields and playing with the guys when I was younger made me tougher, and being from the Caribbean, I think it just gives a different playing style versus here in the US. Obviously, when you see someone playing from the Caribbean here, you’re like, maybe she’s not from here, she must be international. People recognize, oh, she’s really smooth with it, or you know how the Dominican players are, they have that smooth style and the rhythm. So yeah, I kind of have the same, and they just recognize it. Yeah, I think it’s just shaped me like into a bolder person.
Life Away From the Field
9: What’s your favorite place in Curaçao?
Thaíma: Papagayo Beach. It’s really relaxing, and everyone is really chill there. They have the beach, a pool, a bar, everything together at once. I think I go there like twice or three times a week when I’m in Curaçao.
9: What does a typical beach day look like for you?
Thaíma: Just relax, tan, swim, take pictures, and get ice cream.
9: Favorite ice cream?
Thaíma: Vanilla or coconut.
9: What music are you listening to during your day?
Thaíma: In the morning, I always listen to worship music, and then, I’ll say midday, when the energy is up, I’ll put on some Drake and stuff. Yeah, I really like Drake’s music.
9: Favorite Drake song, and have you seen him live?
Thaíma: God’s Plan, and yes, last year I went to his concert in the Netherlands and I got to see him, and it was amazing. It was a big concert.
9: Is there a moment at all that you ever sit down and you’re like, “Wow, what the heck is going on?”
Thaíma: Yeah. I mean, talking to my parents, they always relax me, and they just tell me that everything’s going to be all right since I have a lot going on and a lot that has to come. And yeah, sometimes it does feel overwhelming and you know, it’s just a lot for me, but I do like it. So just doing what you love… it always makes you feel good.
Catch Thaíma and all the amazing players from around the world in the Women’s Professional Baseball League in Springfield, Illinois, this year, starting August 1st. Let’s Go!