As the bitterly divided vote over President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act showed, bipartisanship is in short supply in Washington these days — except on the softball diamond.
Next week, Democratic and Republican members of Congress will join forces in an effort to take home the pennant in the 16th annual Congressional Women’s Softball Game. (Full disclosure: I volunteer for the game.) Unlike its hardball counterpart, the CWSG pits a team of legislators against a team of journalists, so members of different parties practice together, play together, and win or lose together — which has led to some genuine cross-party collaborations on bills. Proceeds from the game also go toward the nonpartisan cause of helping young women who have breast cancer. But on the field, the congressional team tends to struggle against the press team, dubbed the Bad News Babes in a nod to the 1976 movie “The Bad News Bears.” The press has won 10 CWSGs, while the members have won only four. (The remaining game was won by congressional aides, back when the game was played between members and their staff.) Last year, the Bad News Babes prevailed 9-4, and the stats say they should be favored to win again this year — especially after a couple of key roster moves.
The Bad News Babes
The press team in the CWSG consists of 16 members of the Washington press corps, all of whom have at least some CWSG experience under their belt. Statistics are only available for the past three games (covering two press wins and one congressional win), but the Bad News Babes boast the five best hitters on either roster, based on the statistic Wins Above Replacement.
Third baseman Gretchen Frazee of PBS News leads the way, with six hits (including four doubles) in seven at-bats, to go along with three walks. Bridget Bowman of NBC News is a prototypical slugging first baseman, with six hits (four of them doubles) in 10 at-bats; people still talk about the outside-the-park home run she hit in 2018. Outfielder Emmarie Huetteman, whose day job is at KFF Health News, boasts four singles and one double in eight at-bats, while catcher Tamara Keith of NPR is returning to the game after going four-for-five in 2022 and 2023.
The Bad News Babes’ pitching staff is loaded, too — especially after Amy Walter, their longtime ace who retired in 2024, decided to return to the game. Walter, who played softball in college and is now the publisher of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, has allowed just two earned runs in her last nine and a third innings. She’s expected to split time on the mound this year with CNN’s Brianna Keilar, who started last year’s game and proved a worthy heir to Walter, holding lawmakers to two earned runs across five and a third innings.