It’s one of the cruelest insults a boy can get from his peers, one that can question his masculinity and his baseball talent all at the same time.
“You throw like a girl!”
This barb, however, is not heard in the Ocean View Little League Minor A division. Heck, it’s a compliment in these parts.
Many of the boys in the division can only dream of throwing as well as Emma Ziegler.
Yep, she’s a girl; the long, blond hair kind of gives it away. But Ziegler also plays catcher, infield and pitcher for the Red Wings, who currently lead the Minor division with a 7-1 record.
She bats second in the Red Wings’ order, one spot ahead of her younger brother, Zeke. Coach Tony Cianca wants teams to see Emma — also one of the speediest players in the league — as much as possible.
“We don’t look at her as a girl baseball player,” Cianca said. “She’s just a baseball player. She’s an asset to the team, and one of the better players on the team, to be honest with you. It’s great having her on the team. She hustles, [has a] great attitude.”
Emma turns 11 on Saturday, and most girls her age are playing softball. In OVLL, she’s one of 19 girls, but 13 of those are at the T-ball level. She’s the only girl at the Minor A level; one is at Minor B and Emma’s younger sister, Stella, is at Minor C.
“I never really wanted to play softball,” Emma said. “I don’t like the chanting and the uniforms they wear. My brother plays baseball and I always liked hanging out with him and playing in the yard. I thought it’d be fun to try it out.”
It was the same with roller hockey, which Emma plays — she’s a goalie — at Coast 2 Coast in Huntington Beach. Emma is also involved in Girl Scouts and she’s the student council president at Hope View Elementary.
She’s also faced some challenges. In a Red Wings game earlier this year, Zeke — the usual closer — was out sick. So Emma filled in, despite not having any experience in the role.
All she did was close out the game on just 12 pitches to preserve the win.
Last year, Emma faced another tough situation. She had to decide on whether to stay in Minor B with Zeke or move up to Minor A. She decided to move up and face the challenge.
