Meet Melissa Mayeux, the 16-year-old French baseball player hoping to smash the gender barrier in America's Major League Baseball.

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in Sénart, France

Melissa Mayeux is looking forward to a very busy summer on the baseball diamond.

Starting on June 29, the French teen will participate in a four-day hitting camp in Germany, organized by Major League Baseball (MLB). She will then take her place on France’s national baseball team (in which she is the only woman) at the under-18 European baseball championship in the Czech Republic. Next up is the women’s European softball championship, in which the teenager represents France at the senior level. And in August, she will be one of only four French players taking part in MLB's European Elite Camp in the Netherlands.

If that wasn’t enough, she will be fielding the myriad media requests that are likely to trail her following last week’s news that she has become the first-ever female baseball player to be added to MLB's international registration list – making her eligible to be signed by a pro club in the United States as early as July 2.

Although getting a contract next week remains unlikely, especially given her young age, making the registration list is already historic. It is a first step in a long journey that, in theory, could see Mayeux one day wearing a Major League uniform.

“I was overjoyed, because it’s something really important and I wasn’t sure I was at that level,” she told FRANCE 24 in an exclusive interview on Sunday. “It also scares me a little because [the news] took on huge proportions and I wasn’t expecting it. It’s awesome and frightening at the same time."

© Joseph Bamat / FRANCE 24

“I am not sure I really grasp all of it. I was just happy to be going to the Elite Camp, and I figured an article would be written about it for the French baseball federation’s website, and then that would be the end of it. But then I saw the news on MLB.com and everyone ran with the story. I must admit it made me happy… it felt strange, but it also made me happy,” she said.

Mayeux has an unruly mane of dirty-blond hair that she hardly seems to know where to place, with a ready and earnest smile for everyone who approaches to congratulate her. She looks like an average 16-year-old, although a very athletic one. However, she speaks about her accomplishments and aspirations with a calmness and clearness that make her seem older than her age.

“Most of the articles about me were well explained,” she said. “But certain US media made it sound as if on July 2 I’ll be signing with a team, playing in the majors. The truth is that I’m very far from the MLB, and that there is still a long road ahead.”

‘No jealousy’

Mayeux’s journey in baseball started in Montigny-le-Bretonneux, a town 30 kilometres west of Paris, in the footsteps of her older brother Dylan. “When I was little I wanted to do everything he did,” she recalled. “He began playing when he was 5. I was 3 and wanted to go to all his practices. I figured out how to undo the safety harness on my stroller to join him in the field. They let me play on the team when I was 5.”

She spent 10 years as a Montigny Cougar, and today pours praise on her original clubhouse for teaching her the foundations of the sport. For high school, she moved to the southwest city of Toulouse, where she joined a programme that allows promising athletes to perfect their disciplines while working toward the baccalaureate (high school) diploma.

Brother Dylan continues to play for Montigny in France’s second-tier division, and may join the Templar’s of Sénart – France’s current D1 champions – next season. Still, he appears to have been eclipsed by his little tagalong sister. Mayeux denied there is any sibling jealousy today.

“My brother has always been there for me. He taught me a lot of baseball, and on the contrary, he is super proud and happy this is happening to me,” she said.

Swinging for the fences

Mayeux wants to continue playing baseball in France until she’s 18, which means Toulouse will likely remain her home for the next two years. But developing her skills further will require a big move, eventually.

She says playing at the collegiate level in the US is an attractive option, although she has no idea what she would major in. For now, all she is sure about is playing for as long as she can, and at the highest level possible. “Any opportunity is worth exploring,” she said.

© Joseph Bamat / FRANCE 24

Asked what club she would want to sign with if that were to happen, she picked the New York Yankees without hesitation. She has yet to travel stateside and confesses attending a Major League game remains an unfulfilled dream.

France may not be able to keep Mayeux around forever, but she is a blessing for its national baseball federation as it strives to raise the sports visibility and popularity. In a country that has widely embraced foreign-brought basketball, baseball has struggled to flourish. But leading French newspapers picked up her story last week, shining a rare spotlight on the sport.

In an effort to claim greater parts of France’s media coverage and funding cakes, the federation is investing considerable energy in qualifying the men’s senior national team for the World Baseball Classic in 2017. It remains to be seen if France will be picked to join the very competitive tournament. There is a possibility Mayeux will be playing with France’s best in two year’s time, and could once again make baseball history by being the first woman to compete in the 16-team international tournament alongside the likes of Cuba’s Yasiel Puig or Japan’s Yu Darvish.

“It’s also a kind of dream for me because it’s a huge event, where all the national teams face off. It’s an exceptional moment and it would be amazing to participate,” Mayeux said. “Personally, I wouldn’t be scared to play, but obviously it would up to the coaches to decide.”



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