Signed out of California's competitive fast-pitch softball leagues

A fleet running outfielder, Pat Keagle played for the Grand Rapids Chicks of the AAGPBL during the mid-1940s. Keagle was selected as an All-Star in 1946 when she led all outfielders in the womens baseball league in hitting.

Right off-the-start, the media’s newspaper male writers liked what they saw and Pat Keagle quickly picked up the nickname – ‘the Blonde Bombshell’. Attendance rose from 1,600 per home game to well over 2,000 to see the young blonde outfielder.

Merle ‘Pat’ Keagle Grand Rapids Chicks Outfielder 1944-46, 1948.

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Joan Berger was selected an All Star as a second baseman for the Peaches in 1952, and played two more years in Rockford before leaving to raise her family.

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When the All American Girls Professional Baseball League opened in the spring of 1943, the league received respectable reviews, and by the 1952 season audiences were highly impressed with the playing of the young women

One of the most popular teams in women’s baseball history, the Rockford Peaches were managed by Bill Allington in 1952

Rockford Peaches 1952 Roster – All American Girls Professional Baseball League

Chaperon : Dottie Green

Players:

Rose Gacioch… Marie Mansfield… Jackie Kelly… Mickey Perez… Eleanor Callow… Amy Irene Applegren… Carol Habben… Jean Buckely

Dorothy Harrel Doyle… Ruth Richards… Helen Nordquist… Allice Pollitt… Dottie Ferguson Key… Dolores Lee… Joan Berger

The following women baseball players were well known under the following nicknames: Squirt Callow… Snookie Harrell… Pickles Lee

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1953 Playoffs: Best of 3 Game Series

1st Place - Fort Wayne Daises played the 3rd Place Kalamazoo Lassies

2nd Place Grand Rapids Chicks played the 4th Place Rockford Peaches

1953 Championship Series:

Grand Rapids manager Woody English guided the team to two straight wins over the Kalamazoo Lassies as the Chicks hoisted the Women’s Championship Crown.

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Living in a small farming village in Oklahoma - Earlene Risinger recalled later 'After graduation from high school in 1945 here I was with no future. We never even thought about going to college, because there was no money for college. We were so poor we couldn't afford the newspaper. But one day in the spring of 1947, I was reading the day old sports page at the country store... that day I read about a traveling All American Girls baseball team going to play in Oklahoma City on the way back north from spring training.

I never dreamed such a league existed. I dropped a postcard to the sports editor, and he sent my card to the lerague's headquarters in Chicago. Pretty soon I got a letter asking me to come to Oklahoma City for a try-out.'

Beans Risinger played six seasons in the AAGBL 1948-1953.

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