Doris M. Neal (August 30, 1928 – July 7, 2012) was an infielder and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 128 lb., she batted and threw right handed. Doris Neal was a light-hitting batter during her two seasons in the league. Born and raised in

Lincoln Park, Michigan Lincoln Park is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 38,144 at the 2010 census, down from 40,008 at the 2000 census. With a population density of at the 2010 census, Lincoln Park is the second most-densely ...

, she was the daughter of Jacob and Agnes ( née Carlisle) Neal. She spent most of her career at

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

, but was also used as a replacement in the outfield and as a

pinch-hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, America ...

. Neal entered the league in 1948 with the

Springfield Sallies The Springfield Sallies were a women's professional baseball team who were members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1948 season and became a development team. The Sallies were based in Springfield, Illinois and played ...

, playing for them in 97 games as part of an infield that included Mildred Meacham at first base,

Evelyn Wawryshyn Evelyn Wawryshyn itwin/Moroz(November 11, 1924 – February 3, 2022) was a Canadian second base who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 3", 130 lb., Wawryshyn batted and threw right-ha ...

at second, and June Schofield 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 wh ...

. Neal posted a .153

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 stole 23 bases in 122 games, driving in 28 runs and

scoring Score or scorer may refer to: *Test score, the result of an exam or test Business * Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio * Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company * Score Media, a former Canadian m ...

27 times, while 11 of her 62 hits were for extrabases. She opened 1949 with the

Grand Rapids Chicks 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. History The franchise ...

, appearing sparingly in 58 games as a replacement player. In 1988, she was honored along with the rest of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the opening of ''Women in Baseball'', a permanent display based at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. Doris Neal was a long time resident of

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

, where she died at the age of 83.

Career statistics

Batting Fielding All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company,

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

. Format: Hardcover, 294pp. Language:

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neal, Doris All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players People from Lincoln Park, Michigan Baseball players from Wayne County, Michigan Baseball players from Sarasota, Florida 1928 births 2012 deaths 21st-century American women