Anna Meyer | |
---|---|
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League | |
Shortstop | |
Born: Aurora, Indiana | November 17, 1928|
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
Teams | |
|
Anna L. "Pee Wee" Meyer (later Petrovic;born November 17,1928) is a former female shortstop who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the 1944 season. Born in Aurora,Indiana,she was one of the youngest players to sign a contract with the league at age 15.
In 1942,chewing gum magnate and Chicago Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley decided to start a women's pro softball league,concerned that the 1943 major-league season might be canceled because of World War II. Play in 1943 was a hybrid of softball and baseball,and the circuit initially called the All-American Girls Softball League,though early in the first season the name was changed to All American Girls Baseball League. [1]
Meyer was one of the youngest players to sign a contract with the newly founded All-American Girls Professional Baseball League at age 15. [2] She batted and threw right-handed and was invited to a tryout in the 1944 spring training and immediately was assigned to the Kenosha Comets. Meyer earned the promotion only after her father lied about her age:The league minimum was 16,as she was eight months short of becoming eligible. [3]
During the 1944 mid-season,she was traded by Kenosha to the Minneapolis Millerettes in the same transaction that brought Elizabeth Mahon to the Comets. Meyer hit a combined .192 batting average in 142 games. Considering the league was using underhand pitching and a softball with a twelve-inch diameter,her average was acceptable for a middle infielder,especially with sharp defensive skills. In fact,All-Star outfielder Betsy Jochum clinched the batting title that year with a .296 mark. [4] [5]
At the end of the season,Meyer moved to a rival Chicago-based National Girls Baseball League to get more playing time and nearly as much money. She played for the Chicago Bluebirds for five years,and enjoyed being on the new team more because it required less travel and she also could hold down a job. [6]
In 1950,she married photographer George Petrovic. They raised two sons,David and George Jr.. As of 2008,she was living in Tucson,Arizona. [7] [8] The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum recognized the AAGPBL with a permanent Women in Baseball exhibit in 1988.
GP | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | BA | OBP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
141 | 365 | 38 | 79 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 33 | 50 | 43 | .192 | .311 |
PO | A | E | DP | TC | FA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
346 | 63 | 17 | 11 | 426 | .953 |
Mildred Eleanor Deegan was an American pitcher, outfielder and second basewoman who played ten seasons in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, from 1943 to 1952.
Ann S. Harnett was a female utility player who played from 1943 through 1946 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 139 lb., Harnett batted and threw right-handed. She was born in Chicago, Illinois.
Edythe Perlick[Edie] was a left fielder who played from 1943 through 1950 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m), 128 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Dorothy "Dottie" Hunter was a Canadian first basewoman who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the 1943 season. A member of several halls of fame, Hunter was one of 68 players from Canada to participate in the extinct All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Phyllis C. Koehn [″Sugar″] was an American pitcher and utility who played from 1943 through 1950 for six different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 5", 120 lb., Koehn batted and threw right-handed. She was born in Madison, Wisconsin.
Genevieve "Audrey" Wagner was an outfielder who played from 1943 through 1949 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), 145 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Veronica Josephine Lenard, nicknamed "Bubblegum", was an American center fielder who played from 1944 through 1953 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 130 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Barbara E. Liebrich [Bobbie] was an American infielder, manager and chaperone in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the 1948 and 1954 seasons. She batted and threw right-handed.
Johanna Hageman [Hargraves] was a first base player and chaperone in All-American Girls Professional Baseball League between the 1943 and 1949 seasons. Listed at 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m), 155 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Marjorie L. Pieper ["Peeps"] was an infielder, outfielder and pitcher who played from 1946 through 1952 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), 140 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Mabel B. Holle ["Holly"] was an American infielder and outfielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the 1943 season. Listed at 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), 125 lb, she batted and threw right-handed.
Janice Winifred O'Hara [״Jenny״] was a pitcher and utility who played from 1943 through 1949 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m), 122 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Mildred Marion Warwick [״Mille״] was an infielder who played from 1943 through 1944 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 2", 115 lb., she batted and threw right handed.
The 1943 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the inaugural season of the circuit. Since the only organized ball for women in the country was softball, the league created a hybrid game that included both softball and baseball.
Clara Ruth Cook [״Babe״] was an American pitcher who played from 1943 through 1944 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m), 130 lb., she batted and threw left-handed.
Lucille "Lou" Colacito was a catcher who played from 1944 through 1945 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m), 120 lb, she batted and threw right-handed.
Rose "Rosie" Folder was an outfield/infield utility and pitcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1944 season. Listed at 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m), 140 lb, she batted and threw right-handed.
Gertrude Ganote was an infielder and pitcher who played from 1944 through 1945 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m), 134 lb, Ganote batted and threw left-handed. She was nicknamed "Lefty".
Helen Louise Westerman [Austin] was a catcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), 118 lb, she batted and threw right-handed.
Mary Louise Lester, later known as Mary Louise Luster, was an American infielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m), 138 lb, Lester batted and threw right-handed. She was born in Nashville, Tennessee.