Women’s baseball, volleyball leagues reveal new Bay Area team names

The Bay Area learned the identities of two of its newest sports teams Wednesday morning.

The region’s women’s baseball team will be known as the San Francisco Firebells, the Women’s Pro Baseball League announced, and the women’s volleyball team will be the San Francisco Signal.

The WPBL’s Firebells harken back to former San Francisco volunteer firefighter Lillie Hitchcock Coit, known as “Firebelle,” also the benefactor of Coit Tower in San Francisco.

Each of the Women’s Professional Baseball League teams was named after a trailblazing woman. The Los Angeles Queens were inspired by 1920s baseball player Lizzie Murphy, the “Queen of the Diamond”; the Boston Hunters after the first woman to apply to Harvard Medical School, Harriot K. Hunt; and the New York Heights after civil rights activist Dorothy Irene Height.

“The WPBL stands on the shoulders of these incredible women who fought for their place in history and on the diamond long before us,” said WPBL commissioner Justine Siegal. These names are not just symbols; they represent the grit, audacity, and excellence that our athletes will bring to the field this August.”

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Coit was a Bay Area figure in the late 1800s and was known for wearing trousers when it was not yet socially acceptable for women to do so. She was officially named a volunteer firefighter in San Francisco in 1863.

The Signal of League One Volleyball (LOVB) determined their nickname after thousands of fan submissions.

“Signal reflects the optimism, ambition and momentum of the Bay Area, but what we love most is the idea behind it: a signal starts with a spark and grows stronger as more people carry it forward,” team president and co-founder Stephanie Martin said. “We hope the San Francisco Signal continues to bring people together, building a community that grows stronger with every new voice, every new fan and every person who chooses to be part of it.”

The Firebells, led by former Oakland Ballers pitcher Kelsie Whitemore, will play their opening game against the Boston Hunters on Aug. 2 in Springfield, Illinois, at Robin Roberts Stadium.

The Signal expect to announce their inaugural roster later this month, with the LOVB season beginning in January. LOVB is a multi-layered volleyball organization that includes programs at the youth level. It is expanding from six pro teams to 10 as it enters its third season in 2027, including expansion teams in Los Angeles, Minnesota and Miami along with the Signal.

LOVB teams have not had nicknames in previous years, and the Signal have not yet announced where they will play home matches.

The Firebells and Signal join the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries, NWSL’s Bay FC, WNFC’s Golden State Storm and PWHL San Jose — also an expansion team that is awaiting its nickname — in the Bay Area’s women’s sports footprint.