Womens Baseball History

The AAGBL was conceived by Chicago Cubs owner Phillip K. Wrigley, the principal owner of Wrigley Gum Corp., and a group of investors.

The four Midwest teams were Kenosha Comets and Racine Belles, both from southern Wisconsin, the Rockford Peaches, from northern Illinois, and the South Bend Blue Sox, from northern Indiana.

Baseball Historian

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The 500 women baseball players who played in the All-American Girls Professional League were excellent all-around athletes and relied on their baseball skills, not their gender, to draw fans to the ballparks. And, certainly when the games were shown on television they became a huge success for their financiers.

The Girls managers included some of major league baseball's top former players - Jimmie (Jimmy) Foxx, Max Carey, Dave Bancroft and Bill Wambsganss.

Many of the women players came from the ranks of industrial companies softball teams and some were veterans of men's baseball teams.

However, when World War II ended and men returned to the major leagues, attendance fell dramatically. To be sure, the demise of the AAGBL came quickly when more men's major league games were televised.

The league folded after eleven seasons - 1943-1953... baseballhistorian.com - Professional Women's Baseball

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The result of this banning has kept highly skilled women, especially fastball pitchers, from playing in the minors or major leagues. Even 10 years later in 1964, an all-female team petitioned to join the men's class-A Florida State League but was rejected.

In the late 1980s, Julie Croteau challenged men-only collegiate teams and was the first women to played at the college-level. She earned all-conference honors at first base on the St. Mary's College (Maryland) men's baseball team but left during the middle of her junior year rather disillusion because she believed women were treated as inferior to men.

Generations of young girls can now thank a series of 1970s court battles that game them the opportunity to play baseball in the Little Leagues.

And, most of us men, in our lifetimes, have played with or saw girls playing baseball that were equal or better than many boys... baseballhistorian.com - Womens Baseball History...

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In 1946, Dorothy Wiltse buzzed her fastball past 294 batters, including 16 in one game, and finished the season with a 22-20 record.

Married during her career, she also played under the name of Dottie Collins.

Dorothy Wiltse Collins career pitching stats: 3635 innings spanning 323 games.

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Ruth Lessing holds AAGBL records for most assists for catchers with 144 in 1944, the record for highest fielding average with .982 in '45 and for the most games catching for one season with 125 in '48.

In 1949, after -player 44 games, she suffered a career-ending shoulder injury and was forced to retire.

Ruth Lessing career stats: .191 BA, 351 hits in 1840 at-bats, 31 Doubles, 8 Triples, 2 HR, 164 Runs, 164 RBIs, 98 Stolen Bases, and walked 204 times while striking out just 184 times. baseballhistorian.com - All-American Girls Baseball League - Women's Professional Baseball

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baseballhistorian.com - Women Baseball History Archives

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Compiled from old magazines, news-print and 'this and that stuff'

The season was divided into two halves:

First Half: Racine Belles 20-15... South Bend Blue Sox 21-16... Kenosha Comets 16-19... Rockford Peaches 15-22...

Second Half: Kenosha Comets 33-21... South Bend Blue Sox 30-24... Racine Belles 25-23... Rockford Peaches 20-34...

Play-off Champion: - Racine Belles

AAGPBL

1943 Batting Champion: - Gladys Davis .332... went by nickname of Terrie Davis.

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In 1944 her rookie season she batted .287, stole 112 bases and scored 81 runs in just 111 games. The next year, she finished second in the AAGBL in hitting with .299, sliced a career-high 17 doubles, had 4 triples and 3 homers, 77 runs...

Helen Callagan played in the AAGPBL four full seasons, 1944-1946 and 54 games in 1948, then retired to raise a family... Helen Callagan career stats: .257 BA, 35Ds, 15Ts, 7Hrs, 249 Runs, 85 RBIs, 355 hits in 1,382 at-bats, 221 Walks, 161Ks.

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Manager: Eddie Stumpf... Coach-Chaperon: Marie Timm

Outfielders: - Dorothy Kamenshek... Betty Jane Fritz... Lillian Jackson

Infielders: - Ethel McCreary... Mary Lou Lester... Rella Swamp... Mildred Warwick... Gladys Davis... Lorraine Wuethrich...

Catchers: - Dorothy Sawyer... Helen Nelson... Ruth Miller...

Pitchers: - Thelma golden... Clara Cook... Pauline Oravets... Josephine Skokan... Majorie Peters...

baseballhistorian.com - All-American Girls Professional Baseball League - 1943 AAGPBL

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