Evelyn E. "Tommie" Adams (November 16, 1923 – August 14, 1999) was a shortstop who played 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 ...

during the season. Listed at 5' 3", 110 lb., she was a

switch-hitter In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers. Characteristics Right-handed batters generally hit better aga ...

and threw right-handed. Adams spent one year in the league with two clubs but could not return the following season because of a lingering illness. Born in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, Adams was nicknamed "Tommie" for her

tomboy A tomboy is a term for a girl or a young woman with masculine qualities. It can include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and actively engage in physical sports or other activities and behaviors usually associated with boys or men. Wh ...

personality. She started playing baseball at age 14 with the Freckless, by then the only girls baseball team in Virginia. She was then a star pitcher for her club, who would play exclusively against men's teams. She later played organized softball for a few years. Adams joined the AAGPBL in 1946 with the Fort Wayne Daisies and was traded to the Grand Rapids Chicks during the midseason. She played shortstop, hitting a .140 average in 39 games, but became sick and had to quit before the season ended. She was diagnosed with acute asthma and was unable to play the next year.''Encyclopedia of Women and Baseball'' – Leslie A. Heaphy, Mel Anthony May. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2006. Format: Paperback, 438pp. Language: English. After recovering, Adams could not play amateur softball for a long time because of her professional status. She then coached and eventually played for the Dairy, Pollyannas and Polly's Pals softball teams in Virginia.The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball LeagueEncyclopedia of Women and Baseball Besides this, Adams went to work for A&P Company in her hometown and retired in 1984 after 34 years of service. Adams is part of ''Women in Baseball'', a permanent display 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 ...

unveiled in 1988, which is dedicated to the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. In 1974, she was named to the Richmond Softball Hall of Fame in recognition of her many accomplishments. She also was honored by the Colorado Silver Bullets all-female baseball team in their 1994 inaugural season, in which she threw out the first ball pitch of a game celebrated in Richmond. Adams died in 1999 in her homeland of Richmond, Virginia at the age of 75.

Career statistics

Batting Fielding

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Evelyn 1923 births 1999 deaths All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Baseball shortstops Baseball players from Richmond, Virginia The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Fort Wayne Daisies players Grand Rapids Chicks players 20th-century American people