Indy team signs 2 members of U.S. women's baseball team

Inclusion is the name of the game for the Sonoma Stompers.

The Stompers, a member of the four-team Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs, announced the signing of pitcher/infielder Stacy Piagno and outfielder Kelsie Whitmore on Wednesday, making them baseball's only professional team with a co-ed roster.

Both women are members of the United States national women's baseball team and will participate in the Women's World Cup coming up in September.

Piagno hasn't officially joined the club yet, but the 17-year-old Whitmore signed her papers in California on Wednesday afternoon. They'll both debut on July 1 when Sonoma hosts the San Rafael Pacifics.

The Stompers are hoping to use the presence of Whitmore and Piagno to advance the presence of women in baseball through other projects, including one that partners with famed director Francis Ford Coppola.

"While many believe it's only a matter of time before we see a woman playing in the MLB, I've learned over the past several months that there are many steps in between where we are and where we should be in terms of women in this sport," Stompers vice president and general manager Theo Fightmaster said in a statement. "We hope this sends a message to the rest of the baseball world that there is room for women and girls in this game - from Little League to the Major Leagues."

This isn't the first time the Stompers have made headlines for groundbreaking roster moves. In 2015 the team signed pitcher Sean Conroy and made him the first openly gay player in professional baseball.

A woman hasn't played in a men's professional baseball league in the United States since 2012, when Japanese knuckleballer Eri Yoshida pitched in the now-defunct North American League.