McFarland: Being on WPBL draft list dream come true for Barry
Right-hander Sydney Barry (Fort McMurray, Alta.) is on the Women’s Pro Baseball League draft list. Photo: Fort McMurray Giants
*This article was originally published on Alberta Dugout Stories on October 2, 2025. You can read it here.
October 6, 2025
By Joe McFarland
Alberta Dugout Stories
The smile on her face and tears in her eyes were more than enough to tell what was going through Sydney Barry’s mind.
The Fort McMurray native also couldn’t help but laugh in retelling the story of how she found out she was on the Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) draft-eligible list.
She says her mom saw the email first before calling Barry to check her inbox.
When she did, the utility player burst into tears in disbelief as she hadn’t heard from anyone since sending in her video tryout.
Even in the days after getting the notification, Barry found it hard to believe someone from her “small town” ended up being picked out of more than 600 women, most of whom had gone to Washington, D.C. for an in-person tryout.
“I’ve had this dream to play pro baseball since I was a little girl and now that I’m in the draft, I can’t believe that it can actually come true,” she told Alberta Dugout Stories. “It’s mind blowing.”
Barry and hundreds like her, including fellow Albertan Madison Willan and Calgary-based Zoe Hicks, are now left waiting for the draft, which is set for November, as they set their sights on living out a dream in 2026.
STARTING YOUNG
Barry has been around the diamond for as long as she can remember.
Her dad, Dion, is a long-time coach and baseball booster in Fort McMurray, which led to Sydney wanting to be on the field as well.
“My dad has always been my biggest supporter and an amazing coach as well,” Barry said. “He pushes me to my best potential and he’s the reason why I’m the person I am today.”
Photo: Fort McMurray Oil Giants/Instagram
She started in softball at a very young age before moving to baseball a couple of years later.
By the time she was 10 or 11, Barry started viewing it as a dream she wanted to chase, with a particular eye towards playing for Baseball Canada’s National Women’s Team like her idol, Alli Schroeder.
TWIRLING A STRONG RESUME
With a dream firmly in place, Barry did everything she could to make sure she was on everyone’s radar.
Her stock really started to take off during the Baseball Canada Women’s Nationals in 2023, when she got the start for Baseball Alberta in the bronze medal game.
Barry turned in an outstanding 108-pitch complete game in a 5-4 win over the hosts from Nova Scotia.
“I dropped to my knees and started crying,” said the right-hander about her memories of throwing the last pitch. “When I could feel my teammates around me screaming and cheering, I knew I did my job and I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
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Listen to Alberta Dugout Stories interview Sydney Barry here.
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Barry returned to the team the past two summers, helping Alberta to sixth place finishes, and was also part of the team that played in the 19U tournament in Calgary.
A highlight of the past year was also playing for her hometown Fort McMurray Oil Giants as they hosted the Baseball Canada 18U Nationals.
The hometown team did the crowd proud by capturing the bronze medal.
Barry says it was a tight-knit group – many having played together for nearly a decade – and gives credit to her coaches, Joey Iannetti and her dad for pushing them to be their best.
“Being able to win a bronze medal as the host team was insane,” Barry said. “When we won that bronze, I broke into tears being able to hug my teammates I’ve played with for so long, as we showed everyone we weren’t just the host team, but we belonged there.”
THE WAITING GAME
That sense of belonging has been growing with Barry for a while now after first hearing about the WPBL.
While she’s watched her male counterparts build on their baseball dreams by going onto college and explore professional opportunities, the new league finally gave her something similar to aspire to.
“The national team is at the top of my goals list, but now that there is a pro league for women, I can’t even begin to express how cool it would be to play in an all-women’s league,” the 18-year-old said in an ADS interview earlier this year.
While unable to travel to Washington for the in-person tryout, Barry jumped at the opportunity to show off her talents via video submission.
Then she waited to hear some feedback.
Any feedback.
Then, unannounced, the phone call from her mom about the email and it’s lit a new fire under the rising star.
SEE HER, BE HER ONE DAY
Barry says she will be paying attention to every detail that comes out from the WPBL, including franchise locations, heading into the draft, which is expected in November.
“If I could be chosen to play in the league, I don’t even know what I could say,” she said. “It’s insane to think that I could be playing pro baseball with the best women in the world this upcoming season.”
It would be the realization of a dream, but she says it would also be an opportunity to prove to her doubters that her hard work was worth it.
Barry also loves what hearing her name called during the draft would signal to Albertans and young athletes living in her hometown.
“I want to show the younger girls in my community that it doesn’t matter where you come from, you are able to accomplish anything if you put in the work.”
“I would also make my family and friends so proud and I want to be able to do that,” Barry said.
If and when Barry hears her name called during the WPBL Draft later this year, you can guarantee there will be more smiles and tears of joy as the young Alberta athlete takes the next step in her baseball journey.