About Upstate Girls Baseball

Upstate Girls Baseball is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting girls’ participation in baseball and fostering their love of the game. Our program aims to supplement little league, school, and travel baseball by connecting girls who play or who want to start playing, through competitive opportunities in a positive environment. Our emphasis is on the growth and development of each player and encouraging girls’ participation in baseball.

We are forming a program of teams for girls between the ages of 6-18 years from across the Capital and Central Regions of New York State. Activities will include regular practices and skills clinics with the goal of building travel tournament teams. Our program aims to provide female players with the same opportunities that are traditionally offered to their male counterparts. Through training and competition, we seek to create experiences that will help build confidence and community that our players will carry with them not only on the field, but also in their classrooms, in their jobs, and throughout their lives.

Our Mission

Empowering girls and women to play, coach, and lead.
To achieve this mission, we will:

Provide girls and women with increased opportunities to play and coach baseball;
Offer mentorship and develop mentors for the next generation of girls interested in baseball; and
Create a baseball environment where girls are accepted, supported, and challenged.

Our Board

Richard Van Dorn, Ph.D., is Chair and a founding Board Member of Upstate Girls Baseball (UGB). He, along with his spouse, Sarah Desmarais, started UGB after their daughter, Mireille (MK), spent 2024 playing for three different 10U girls’ teams. While the experience introduced MK to a lot of great teammates and friends, she also wanted a “home” team, so here we are.

Richard has been a travel and rec coach with the East Greenbush-Castleton Youth Baseball League since 2022. He also coached his district’s Babe Ruth baseball team in Portland, OR, during breaks from playing high school and college baseball. When not in the dugout, Richard is a Senior Research Associate at Policy Research Associates, Inc., where he conducts research on the intersection of mental illness and substance use.

Sarah L. Desmarais, Ph.D., is President and CEO at Policy Research Associates, Inc., a national leader in behavioral health research, training, and technical assistance, and is Treasurer and a founding Board Member of UGB. Sarah has a proven track record in promoting social change and advancing women’s rights through leadership roles in academia and contributions to non-profit and advisory boards.

The proud mom of a 10-year-old girl, MK, who excels in competitive swimming and loves all things baseball, Sarah is dedicated to creating opportunities for women and girls in all areas of life. She serves on the Board of Directors of American Girls Baseball (AGB), an affiliate organization of the All-American Girls’ Professional Baseball League Players Association (AAGPBL PA), whose purpose is to continue the legacy of this famous women’s professional league.

Sarah has traveled with her family around North America to ensure that girls have the opportunity to see, learn, and play high-level girls’ and women’s baseball.

Christine McIntyre is Secretary and a founding Board Member of UGB. She is a Senior Compliance Officer in Healthcare and College Academics with experience and knowledge of Federal and NYS Title IX regulations. She is a strong leader in advocacy for equal playing opportunities in female sports.

Christine was the first female Board Member of the East Greenbush-Castleton Youth Baseball League and has coached her daughter’s team for four seasons of spring and fall baseball; she is also the official GameChanger recorder for her son’s team and has been since 2021. Christine is a Board Member of the East Greenbush Girls Basketball League and the In-House Girls Coordinator for grades 1-5.

Christine’s goal is for all girls to have the same love and passion for sports that she has. Her hope is that all players can be given equal opportunities to learn, play and enjoy sports in a team setting without feeling left out or judged for being a girl wanting to play “a boy’s sport.”