Alice G. DeCambra (August 18, 1921 – June 19, 1988) was an

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

and

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

who played from through in the

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...

. Listed at , 126 lb., DeCambra batted and threw right-handed. She was dubbed ''Moose''. Her younger sister,

Lillian DeCambra Lillian DeCambra (November 21, 1925 – October 1, 2003) 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 ...

, joined the league in 1947.Alice DeCambra
. ''

''. Retrieved 2019-04-11. Alice DeCambra was a versatile player during her five years in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She provided a solid defense at second base, juggling positions on the field as a pitcher and at

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

. In 1948 she tied with

Kenosha Comets Based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Kenosha Comets were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The team played their home games at List of defunct amusement parks#Wisc ...

' Elizabeth Fabac for the best

fielding average In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, divi ...

at second base (.963). She was also a smart baserunner, averaging at least 21

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s per season while collecting a .198

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

and a .263

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...

. A native of

Somerset, Massachusetts Somerset is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,303 at the 2020 census. It is the birthplace and hometown of Clifford Milburn Holland (1883–1924), the chief engineer and namesake of the Holland Tunnel ...

, DeCambra was one of ten children who grew up in a household devoted to athletic activity. She excelled in baseball, while playing for the St. Patrick's Rhode Island All-Stars before joining the league in 1946.''The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: A Biographical Dictionary'' – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2005. Format: Paperback, 295 pp. Language: English. DeCambra pitched for the

Fort Wayne Daisies The Fort Wayne Daisies were a women's professional baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana that played from through as members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. History The Daisies represented Fort Wayne, Indiana, and ...

and the

Peoria Redwings 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 ...

during her first two years in the league and then was used strictly as an infielder. She joined her sister, Lillian, with the Daisies during the 1947

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

held at

Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. The younger sister played in exhibition training games but never appeared in a regular season game.The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League DeCambra played for Peoria through 1950, when she was traded to the

Kalamazoo Lassies The Kalamazoo Lassies were a team who played from through 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 ...

during the midseason. In that year, she posted a career-high .244 average in just 69 games. During her playing career, DeCambra worked for

Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is a tire company founded by Harvey Firestone (1868–1938) in 1900 initially to supply solid rubber side-wire tires for fire apparatus, and later, pneumatic tires for wagons, buggies, and other forms of wheeled ...

in the off-season. After her baseball days, she continued to work at Firestone for a long time. Besides, in her spare time she enjoyed playing basketball, bowling and swimming. Alice DeCambra died in her homeland of Somerset, Massachusetts at the age of 66. In November 1988, five months after her death, she became part of ''Women in Baseball'', a permanent display based at the

Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-re ...

Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the C ...

, which was unveiled to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League rather than individual baseball personalities.

Career statistics

Batting Fielding Pitching

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Decambra, Alice All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Fort Wayne Daisies players Peoria Redwings players Kalamazoo Lassies players Baseball players from Massachusetts People from Somerset, Massachusetts 1921 births 1988 deaths 20th-century American women 20th-century American people