"It's an honor to be able to be recognized by those younger girls, to be someone that they can look up to” - Kelsie Whitmore is a role model for future female baseball stars

She may not be in the MLB, but Kelsie Whitmore just made baseball history. The 23-year-old pitcher and outfielder made her professional baseball starting debut on Sunday, May 1, as she played left field for the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic Professional League. She is the first woman to start in an Atlantic League game and among the first women ever to play in a professional league that's connected to the MLB.

Born in San Diego, California, Whitmore played college ball for Cal State Fullerton before signing a deal with the Staten Island FerryHawks and making the move to New York.

Whitmore batted ninth in the game and went 0-2. She struck out and flew out and reached base once after being hit in the arm with a pitch. Defensively, she played left field perfectly. The bottom line is that she made it: Kelsie Whitmore is a professional ball player.

Kelsie Whitmore is a role model for future female baseball stars

The MLB Network's "MLB Tonight" show hosted Whitmore in an exclusive interview about her milestone. When asked about her debut, Whitmore said she was anything but nervous.

"I wasn't nervous," she said. "I was excited. It felt like just another day---another day of baseball. I had been mentally visualizing everything; visualizing myself on the field, in the box, on the mound, all those different things. So it felt like I had been there before and I was ready for it."

"'It's an honor to be able to be recognized by those younger girls to be someone that they can look up to.' Kelsie Whitmore became the first woman to to start an Atlantic League game on Sunday, and she stopped by #MLBTonight to discuss her debut!" - @ MLB Network

The interviewer then asked Whitmore what it was like to be the first female ball player in the Atlantic League. "You're groundbreaking. Do you understand how important this has been?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "It's an honor to be able to be recognized by those younger girls to be someone that they can look up to."

"As much as they tell me I inspire them, they inspire me more."

"Kelsie Whitmore became the first woman to start an Atlantic League game" - @ Baseball Bros

Whitmore is not only a groundbreaking leader; she's a humble one, too. She has shown women around the world that they, too, can be professional ball players if they set their minds to it. It's a powerful social statement and it could change the baseball world forever.