Fort Wayne Daisies | |
---|---|
Minor league affiliations | |
Previous leagues | All-American Girls Professional Baseball League |
Team data | |
Previous parks | North Side High School (1945–1946) Memorial Park (1946–1954) |
Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | AAGPBL |
The Fort Wayne Daisies were a women's professional baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana that played from 1945 through 1954 as members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
The Daisies represented Fort Wayne, Indiana, and their home games were played at North Side High School (1945–1946) and Memorial Park (1946–1954).
Daisy uniforms often changed from one season to the next, away uniforms having been yellow, pink, and brown during various years. Early Daisy uniforms featured a circular emblem of the Fort Wayne city seal in the center of the chest. This was replaced in later years with a patch reading "DAISIES". In the final years of the league, the Daisy uniform changed to a center seam running down the middle of the dress with an F and W on the front.
The team debuted in the 1945 season, replacing the departed Minneapolis Millerettes. The Daisies went 62–47 in their debut and finished four and a half games behind the first place Rockford Peaches.
Even though the Daisies made it to the playoffs in every year from 1948 to 1954, ending in first place from 1951 through 1954, they failed to win a championship title.
Among its notable players were the sisters Betty Foss and Joanne Weaver, who were able to win the final five batting championships of the league and two Player of the Year awards. With Helen Callaghan leading all hitters in 1945, the Daisies amassed six batting crowns to set a league record.
Other players of note included pitchers Jaynne Bittner, Maxine Kline and Dorothy Wiltse Collins; catchers Rita Briggs and Lavonne Paire; shortstop Dorothy Schroeder, center fielder Faye Dancer, and sluggers Wilma Briggs and Jean Geissinger.
* Bill Wambsganss | 1945 1946 |
* George Johnson | 1947 [first half] |
* William Rohrer | 1947 [second half] |
* Dick Bass | 1948 |
* Harold Greiner * Vivian Kellogg | 1949 [first half] 1949 [second half] |
* Mary Rountree | 1950 [first half] |
* Max Carey | 1950 [second half] 1951 |
* Jimmie Foxx | 1952 |
* Bill Allington | 1953 1954 |
The Rockford Peaches were a women's professional baseball team who played from 1943 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A founding member, the team represented Rockford, Illinois.
The South Bend Blue Sox was a women's professional baseball team who played from 1943 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A founding member, the team represented South Bend, Indiana, and played their home games at Bendix Field (1943–1945) and Playland Park (1946–1954).
Based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Kenosha Comets were a women's professional baseball team that played from 1943 through 1951 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The team played their home games at Kenosha's Lake Front Stadium, but later moved to Simmons Field.
Jaynne Berrier Bittner [JB] was a starting pitcher who played from 1948 through 1954 for four teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m), 140 lb, she batted and threw right-handed.
The Minneapolis Millerettes were an expansion All-American Girls Professional Baseball League team that played for one season in 1944 based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Millerettes played home games at Nicollet Park, home of the men's minor league baseball team the Minneapolis Millers.
The Grand Rapids Chicks were a women's professional baseball team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954, winning championships in 1947 and 1953.
The Peoria Redwings was a women's professional baseball team who joined the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1946 season and remained in the league through 1951. The team represented Peoria, Illinois, playing home games at Peoria Stadium.
The Kalamazoo Lassies were a team who played from 1950 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The team represented Kalamazoo, Michigan. Home games were initially played at Lindstrom Field, but later games were played at the Catholic Athletic Association Field, now the Soisson-Rapacz field. Kalamazoo uniforms were white (home) and gold (away) with dark green numbers, belt, socks, and cap.
Jean Louise Geissinger was an infielder and outfielder who played from 1951 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League with the Fort Wayne Daisies and the Grand Rapids Chicks. Listed at 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m), 120 lb, she batted and threw right-handed.
Wilma Briggs was an American left fielder in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League who played from 1948 through 1954. Listed at 5' 4", 138 lb., she batted left-handed and threw right-handed. She led the league in home runs during the 1953 season, ranks second in the all-time home runs list (43) behind Eleanor Callow (55) and over Dorothy Schroeder (42) and Jean Geissinger (41), and was one of only 14 players to collect 300 or more career runs batted in, yet she was never selected to the All-Star team. Briggs was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2013.
Maxine Kline was a female starting pitcher who played from 1948 through 1954 with the Fort Wayne Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), 130 lb (59 kg), she batted and threw right-handed.
Catherine Horstman [″Horsey″] is a former female utility player who played from 1951 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), 150 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Betty "Fossey" Weaver-Foss was an infielder and outfielder who played from 1950 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m), 180 lb., she was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. She started her career as Betty Weaver but changed her last name to Foss after marrying. Her younger sisters, Jean and Joanne, also played in the league.
Joanne "Joltin' Jo" Weaver was a right fielder who played from 1951 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), 142 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Jean Marie Smith was an outfielder and relief pitcher who played from 1948 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m), 128. lb, she batted and threw right-handed.
Lillian DeCambra was an infielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 2", 102 lb., DeCambra batted and threw right handed. Her eldest sister, Alice DeCambra, also played in the league.
The 1945 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the third season of the circuit. The action began with six teams, like the previous season. But the Milwaukee Chicks and the Minneapolis Millerettes franchises were renamed the Grand Rapids Chicks and Fort Wayne Daisies respectively. The measure took effect for poor attendances in the cities of these teams the year before. At this point, the new clubs joined the Kenosha Comets, Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox, all founding members of the league. The six teams competed through a 110-game schedule, while the split season was dropped in favor of a longer playoff format with the Shaugnessy format: the one seed facing the three seed and the two seed against the four seed. In addition, the pitching distance increased from 40 to 42 feet during the midseason.
The 1954 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the twelfth and last season of the circuit. The AAGPBL was left with five teams after the Muskegon Belles franchise folded at the end of the past season. As a result, it was the lowest number of teams since its opening season in 1943. The Fort Wayne Daisies, Grand Rapids Chicks, Kalamazoo Lassies, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox competed through a 96-game schedule, while the Shaugnessy playoffs featured the top four teams in a best-of-three first round series, with the two winning teams facing in a best-of-five series to decide the championship.