Denae Benites: Catching the WPBL Dream

When Denae Benites pulls on her catcher’s gear, she carries a dream that started on the Little League fields of Las Vegas. At 23, Benites has already worn the red, white, and blue of the USA Baseball Women’s National Team. Now, with the Women’s Pro Baseball League, she’s chasing the chance to be part of something she once thought was impossible.

“I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a little girl,” Benites said. “I never thought I’d get the opportunity to play in a women’s professional baseball league. To be here is unreal, and I’m just trying to take in every moment.”

From Firehouse to Ballpark

Baseball isn’t the only place where Benites has learned to thrive under pressure. A volunteer firefighter and EMT, she found her second calling while living in Delaware, where she trained through a fire academy and EMT program. For Benites, the dual paths of baseball and emergency service aren’t as different as they may seem.

“I’m a hands-on person. I want my career to be engaging, and I like helping people,” she said. “It keeps me in shape, it keeps me sharp, and at the end of the day, it makes me a better ballplayer too.”

A Call That Changed Everything

Benites’s path to the WPBL began with a phone call. League organizers Jeremy Berman and Keith Stein, tipped off by national team star and WPBL Special Advisor Alex Hugo, reached out to invite her to tryouts.

“It was surreal,” Benites said. “To hear from them directly, to feel like I was important to this league, it locked me in. I’m ready to show what I’ve got and to help create opportunities for the younger girls coming behind me.”

Learning From Legends

Tryouts have already offered moments Benites will never forget. Chief among them: catching a bullpen for Ayami Sato, the Japanese ace and global icon of women’s baseball.

“Last year I got to face her as a hitter in the World Cup. I think she did get me twice!” Benites admitted with a smile. “Now I’m learning her secrets, learning her pitches.”

Building the Future

For Benites, the WPBL isn’t just about her career, it’s about building a stage that never existed when she was a kid in Las Vegas, dreaming of a chance.

“To see players here from all over the world, people I once competed against, now coming together, it’s just incredible,” she said. “We were enemies at the World Cup. Now we’re teammates, we’re part of something bigger. That’s what makes this so special.”

Benites knows the league is still in its first steps, but her voice carries the conviction of someone who believes history is being made. Baseball may be her full-time focus, but it’s the bigger picture, the girls watching from the stands, that fuels her fire.