We Were the All-American Girls

Here are 42 interviews with women who competed in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Each interview features data about the player, a short summary of her athletic career, and the player’s recollections. A brief history covers the many changes as the league evolved from underhand pitching with a 12-inch circumference ball in 1943 to overhand pitching, adopted in 1948, through the circuit’s final year, 1954, when a regulation baseball was introduced. The interviews range from 1995 to 2012 and reveal details of particular games, highlights of individual careers, the camaraderie of teammates, opponents and fans, and the impact the League made on their lives. Several players recall how the 1992 movie A League of Their Own brought the historic All-American League back to life almost 40 years after the final game was played.

Jim Sargent, a longtime professor of American history, retired as dean of the Social Science Division at Virginia Western Community College in 2010. Before that, he taught on the college and university level for more than 30 years. He lives in Roanoke, Virginia.

Jim Sargent
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 316
Bibliographic Info: 50 photos, notes, index
Copyright Date: 2013
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6983-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0180-9
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Foreword by Merrie Fidler 1
Preface 3
Introduction by David Hillman 5
A Brief History of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League 8
Part I: The Early Years, 1943–1945
Annastasia “Stash” Batikis 25
Dottie (Wiltse) Collins 31
Audrey (Haine) Daniels 38
Betsy Jochum 44
Vivian Kellogg 52
Sophie Kurys 58
Elizabeth “Lib” Mahon 66
Marge (Callaghan) Maxwell 74
Grace Piskula 81
Rose (Folder) Powell 85
Mary Pratt 91
Ellen (Ahrndt) Proefrock 97
Lucella (MacLean) Ross 102
Joyce (Hill) Westerman 108
Part II: The Postwar Years, 1946–1949
Isabel “Lefty” Alvarez 116
Mary “Wimp” Baumgartner 123
Erma Bergmann 129
Wilma Briggs 134
Shirley Burkovich 145
Marge (Villa) Cryan 150
Terry Donahue 156
Lillian “Lil” Faralla 163
Jean Faut 168
Betty Francis 175
Frances “Fran” Janssen 180
Glenna Sue Kidd 187
Betty (Petryna/Allen) Mullins 197
June Peppas 203
Maxine (Kline) Randall 209
Eilaine Roth 214
Doris Sams 218
Lou (Erickson) Sauer 227
Pat Scott 232
Inez Voyce 239
Delores “Dolly” (Brumfield) White 244
Part III: The Last Years, 1950–1954
Mary Lou (Studnicka) Caden 252
Jean (Geissinger) Harding 259
Katie Horstman 263
Joan (Berger) Knebl 271
Mary Moore 277
Mary (Froning) O’Meara 283
Janet “Pee Wee” (Wiley) Sears 288
Epilogue: From the 1954 Season to the Newsletter, the Reunions, A League of Their Own, and Beyond 297
Index 299

“The interviews…are informative, providing a wonderful new resource for scholars and casual researchers alike. Even those who have studied the league extensively will find new information contained in the memories and stories of the former players…unique details and anecdotes. The women’s stories, presented in their actual words, offer all readers special insight to their thoughts, feelings, and experiences”—Nine; “fascinating reading for anyone interested in baseball’s history. The best part of the book however is the forty-two interviews with former AAGPBL players. Together, the interviews provide a fantastic history of the league, but each one is a stand-alone piece”—Canadian Baseball Network; “sports history fans who enjoy reading about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League are in for a treat”—baseball-almanac.com.