Liz Gilder imported fish across international borders, coached kids to throw up “Sixes” after singles, stares at outfield flags to reset herself on the mound, and is about to pitch professionally for San Francisco in the Women’s Pro Baseball League. She also works in management consulting; her boss said sure, take the time off. I didn’t know any of this before we talked. I do now, and you’re about to.
Here’s what you need to know about Liz before we get into baseball. She’s been this way her whole life. The fish thing isn’t a phase. The consulting job isn’t a backup plan. The coaching, the Baseball Canada committee work, the five-year plan for girls baseball in BC — none of it is accidental. She just operates at a different frequency; I can relate to that. It took me about four minutes to figure that out.
She's been playing for Team Canada for eight years since she was 17. A few in, a couple out, now back and going pro. The WPBL inaugural season starts in Springfield this August. I'll be there. I'm an hour and a half away, and there's no way I won’t be there.
The Women's Professional Baseball League is almost here. It's close. And Liz knows exactly what it needs to do and why it matters. She also named the San Francisco franchise on the spot when I gave her ten seconds. I'm not going to spoil it.
She knows exactly how she wants to get you out. She also knows exactly how she wants to show up. And she has some thoughts about the rulebook that I think are completely reasonable, coming from a Lefty; and no, we will not be taking questions.
Check one of Liz’s favorite charities, Her Turn at Bat. It is a Baseball Canada initiative where every piece of merch sold puts profits straight into programs and opportunities that keep girls on the field. All profits support girls’ baseball in Canada.
For Liz specifically, it’s personal. She told me in the interview that this year, Her Turn at Bat revenues are funding women’s coaching certification clinics, flying women coaches to Ottawa and Toronto to take NCCP certification together instead of being the only woman in a room full of men. She’s on the Baseball Canada committee that put that together. She also spent two years helping build the first-ever girls’ baseball league in British Columbia from scratch. Her Turn at Bat is essentially funding the infrastructure underneath everything she’s already been building by hand. You can find the merch through Baseball Canada’s website at baseball.ca
Bonus
Here’s a pro-tip for women and girls baseball fans out there: our question comes from Exeter Wyverns catcher, Charlotte Crews, all the way from Exeter, England.
The WPBL season starts in August in Springfield, Illinois. Go find Liz and all the other great athletes.
If you’ve got a player, a team, a league, or a story that deserves this kind of attention - I want to hear about it. I shoot, I write, I interview, I show up. If you think nobody’s telling your story right, maybe nobody’s found you yet.
Let’s fix that.
📩 crod@9inningnomad.com or DM me!