McFarland: Ziebart hopes to be chosen in WPBL draft
Right-hander Addie Ziebart (Saskatoon, Sask.) has been a standout pitcher for Team Saskatchewan. Photo: Saskatchewan Dugout Stories
*This article was originally published on Saskatchewan Dugout Stories on September 30. You can read it here.
October 5, 2025
By Joe McFarland
Saskatchewan Dugout Stories
There was a time when Addie Ziebart found herself wondering if she should quit baseball.
Now, she finds herself on the cusp of potentially being drafted into the new Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) in November, finding herself on the emerging league’s top draft-eligible players list.
The Saskatoon native has had a whirlwind year, including representing Baseball Sask at the 19U Nationals in Calgary and the Women’s Open Nationals in Quebec City.
Ziebart saved her best for last as she was among more than 600 athletes who traveled to Washington, D.C. for the WPBL tryouts, where she went through the entire tryout process to be chosen as draft eligible.
Looking back on the experience, she says standing in Nationals Park was everything she imagined it to be.
“An experience like the WPBL tryout is why I stuck with baseball through it all, because nothing is impossible if you love it and want it bad enough,” Ziebart told Saskatchewan Dugout Stories.
“It was like a dream … it kind of still feels like a dream now that I’m back.”
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Listen to Saskatchewan Dugout Stories interview Addie Ziebart here.
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The 21-year-old is an example of perseverance and hopes to be an example for future generations of baseball players in her home province.
STICKING WITH IT
It’s hard to imagine Ziebart not having played baseball, but it almost happened early in her life.
While her parents were looking for sports to enrol her in, they originally thought softball would be a good option.
She says her mom stumbled upon the Saskatoon Blue Jays website and saw that both boys and girls could play.
Ziebart laughs recalling how her dad said he would rather watch baseball, so then it was settled that’s what she would be playing.
Unfortunately, not everyone felt the same way about her on the diamond, as the pitcher and outfielder found herself playing mostly on boys’ teams.
“While I’ve had some amazing teams and teammates where I’ve felt included and had fun, I’ve also had teams heckle me and been on teams where kids literally refused to play catch with me,” Ziebart recalled. “That was really hard sometimes and made me feel like quitting ball.”
She stuck with it though, intent on proving people wrong and making a name for herself.
REPPING THE GREEN AND GOLD
Ziebart’s persistence first paid off during the summer of 2019, when she was invited to play for Baseball Sask at the 16U Nationals in Bedford, Nova Scotia.
After the pandemic, she was elevated to both the 21U and Women’s Open teams, winning bronze with the 21U team in 2022 and silver in 2024.
When Baseball Canada switched the age bracket to 19U for this year’s event in Calgary, Ziebart helped guide Saskatchewan to a bronze medal while she was named the tournament’s top defensive player thanks to her outstanding play on the mound and in the outfield.
Addie Ziebart (Saskatoon, Sask.) was named defensive player of the tournament at the 19U Women’s Nationals. Photo: Baseball Sask
The utility player has also been a part of a Women’s Open team that has steadily gotten better each year, from seventh place in 2022 to fourth in both 2024 and 2025.
“Team Sask is a really special team,” Ziebart said. “I feel like we have a really great culture on our team. Everyone really gets along and picks each other up.”
She says other provinces are finally realizing Saskatchewan isn’t a push-over.
JUST THE BEGINNING
When Ziebart first heard about a women’s pro league, she admits she was in complete shock.
She had actually been watching the “See Her Be Her” documentary the night before the official announcement was made and says she never thought she might have the opportunity to play professionally.
Little did she know, a few months later, she would be getting an email that would change her whole perspective on the situation: she had been accepted for the WPBL tryout.
“Little me never thought she’d get this far, but I’m so excited to show up for her, and for every girl who’s ever been told baseball isn’t for us,” Ziebart wrote on social media. “Hopefully this is just the beginning.”
During the four-day showcase, hundreds of athletes tried to prove they deserved a spot on the rosters heading into 2026.
Ziebart says it was an incredible opportunity to play alongside trailblazers like Ayami Sato and Val Perez, while being coached by Roy Hallenbeck and former MLB pitcher Bruce Chen.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
Whether her name is called in November or not, Ziebart says 2025 has been validation of all that she’s gone through to get there.
She says baseball is her life and it means everything to her, so she will keep fighting to keep her professional dream alive for as long as she can.
Getting that chance to prove she belongs has made that desire even stronger.
“What I think I took away from this experience may sound kind of cheesy, but truly never give up on your dreams.”
“I’ve loved baseball for so long, but sometimes I’d think, ‘Why am I doing this … what’s the point … why do I spend so much time and money on this,'” Ziebart said.
Even since she was younger, the 2022 Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame Scholarship recipient says she has seen more resources being poured into the female game provincially and across the country.
There are more opportunities to travel, play the game at higher levels, and, with the WPBL starting play in 2026, the chance to see it played at the highest level.
Ziebart would love nothing more than to provide inspiration for those girls looking to take the next steps in their baseball journeys.
“I would say be yourself,” she said. “People are going to tell you that you can’t do it, especially in a sport that’s still quite male-dominated, and people are going to try and bring you down, but if you keep pushing and put your heart into it, you can do anything on the diamond that you put your mind to.”
There’s no quit in Ziebart, who is hoping to see more of her dreams come true in what will be an historic upcoming year.