Philadelphia pitching phenom Mo’Ne Davis can add another major accomplishment to her trophy case.
The 13-year-old ball slinger, who regularly throws pitches 70 mph—the equivalent of throwing in the low 90s in Major League Baseball—has become the first Little Leaguer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
“Last week, this week, maybe next week, she’s owned the sports conversation,” Sports Illustrated Managing Editor Chris Stone said in a story announcing this week’s cover. “How often do you get to say this about a 13-year-old girl? It’s the easiest type of story to identify as a cover story.”
Mo’Ne’s accomplishment is even more significant when you consider that, unless they are swimsuit models, women rarely appear on the cover of the national sports magazine.
Mo’Ne first grabbed our hearts and minds by throwing a shutout victory for her team, the Taney Dragons, in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship game, which took them to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. Then, last week, she became the first girl to throw a shutout in LLWS history.
And she’s not done. On Wednesday she’s pitching against a tough, hit-happy Las Vegas team in hopes of giving her team a shot at the U.S. championship game on Saturday. The winner of that game will face the international champions for the World Series title on Sunday.
Read more at Sports Illustrated.