The Grand Rapids Chicks were a women's professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

team based in

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. They 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 ...

from 1945 to 1954, winning championships in 1947 and 1953.

History

The franchise originated in 1944 in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

as the

Milwaukee Chicks The Milwaukee Chicks were a women's professional baseball team which played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the season. They were managed by Max Carey, former star player for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Brooklyn Robi ...

. Although the Chicks won the 1944 AAGPBL championship, they could not compete with the minor league

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...

for ticket sales, and the franchise moved to Grand Rapids. They enjoyed continued success following the move, making the playoffs every year until the league folded following the 1954 season. Grand Rapids had its share of league stars including Players of the Year Connie Wisniewski in 1945 and

Alma Ziegler Alma Ziegler (January 9, 1918 – May 30, 2005) was an infielder and pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 125 lb., Ziegler batted and threw right-handed. Alma Ziegler was one ...

in 1950. League pitching titles were won by Chicks pitchers in 1944 and 1945 by Wisniewski, Mildred Earp in 1947, Alice Haylett in 1948, and Ziegler in 1950. Additionally, several Chicks made All-Star teams from 1946 to 1954 including Wisniewski, Ziegler, Earp, Haylett,

Ruth Lessing Ruth Elizabeth "Tex" Lessing (August 15, 1925 – October 26, 2000) was an American female catcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 128 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Ruth ...

, Merle Keagle, Doris Satterfield, Earlene Risinger, Eleanor Moore, and Joyce Ricketts. The Chicks played their home games at South High School in Grand Rapids, with the exception of 1950-1952 when games were played at Bigelow Field in Wyoming Township. After a fire destroyed Bigelow Field, the Chicks returned to South High School through 1954.

All-time players roster

:''Bold denotes members of the inaugural roster'' *

Evelyn Adams Evelyn E. "Tommie" Adams (November 16, 1923 – August 14, 1999) was a shortstop who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the season. Listed at 5' 3", 110 lb., she was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. A ...

Isabel Alvarez Isabel is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of ''Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew '' Elisheva''), Arising in the 12th century, it became popul ...

Lois Barker Lois Anna "Tommie" Barker (April 7, 1923 – February 14, 2018) was a utility player who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) during the season. Listed at 5 ft 3 in, 130 lb, she batted and threw right- ...

* Charlene Barnett * Edith Barney * Betty Bays * Mary Lou Beschorner * Jaynne Bittner * Kay Blumetta * Mary Butcher * Thelma Childress * Louise Clapp * Donna Cook * Patricia Courtney * Jeanie Descombes * Mildred Earp * Thelma Eisen * Lorraine Fisher *

Anita Foss Anita Foss (born August 5, 1921) is a former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League ballplayer. Listed at 5' 2", 118 lb., she batted and threw right handed.

* Rose Gacioch *

Eileen Gascon Eileen "Ginger" Gascon (born December 1, 1931) is a former baseball player who played center field and second base in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She both batted and threw right-handed. Early life and career Born in Ch ...

* Barbara Gates * Jean Geissinger * Philomena Gianfrancisco *

Annie Gosbee Annie Gosbee (December 29, 1935 – December 9, 1976) was an infielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She batted and threw right handed.Thelma Grambo * Audrey Haine * Julia Hardin * Josephine Hasham * Alice Haylett * Katherine Herring * Joyce Hill *

Joan Holderness Joan Holderness (March 17, 1933 - July 6, 2017) was an American member of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1949 to 1951. Early life Joan was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Both her father and grandfather played a lot o ...

* Margaret Holgerson * Dorothy Hunter *

Frances Janssen Frances L. Janssen ig Red, or Little Red(January 25, 1926 – November 27, 2008) was an American pitcher who played from 1948 through 1952 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), 155 lb, she batted ...

Joan Jaykoski Joan M. Jaykoski (February 3, 1933 – October 15, 2011) was an American outfielder and pitcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Pitching for the Kenosha Comets in 1951, she was 1–3 in 10 games, allowing 26 earned runs an ...

Marilyn Jenkins Marilyn A. Jenkins �Jenks״(September 18, 1934 – February 7, 2020) was a catcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 140 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. The All-American Girls Professio ...

Josephine Kabick Josephine Kabick 'Jo''(March 27, 1922 – February 8, 1978) was an American female pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 142 lb., Kabick batted and threw right-handed. She was ...

* Merle Keagle * Phyllis Koehn * Jaynie Krick *

Karen Kunkel Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand ** Karen languages or Karenic la ...

* Beverly Leach * Annabelle Lee * Joan LeQuia *

Kay Lionikas Irene Kay Lionikis (November 5, 1923 – August 7, 1978) was an American professional baseball player from 1948 through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She is sometimes credited as Kay Lionikas or Kay Lionikdas. Career A ...

* Dorothy Maguire * Ruth Mason * Joyce Messinger *

Dorothy Montgomery Dorothy Elizabeth Montgomery �Monty״(February 6, 1924 – September 17, 2009) was a utility infielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 3", 110 lb., she batted left-handed and threw right-hande ...

Dolores Moore Dolores Moore ��Dee″(October 27, 1932 – August 31, 2000) was an infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 153 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Born in Chicago, Illino ...

* Eleanor Moore *

Dorothy Mueller Dorothy Mueller (December 25, 1925 – June 2, 1985) was a pitcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League between the and seasons. Listed at and , she batted and threw right-handed. She was nicknamed Dottie or Sportie ...

* Doris Neal * Dolly Niemiec * Marilyn Olinger * Lavonne Paire * Shirley Palesh *

Marguerite Pearson Marguerite Pearson (Tesseine) (September 6, 1932 – January 4, 2005) was a utility player who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League between the and seasons. Listed at , 125 lb., Pearson batted and threw right-hande ...

* Katherine Pechulis * Ernestine Petras *

Betty Petryna Betty Petryna or Doreen Allen (November 26, 1930 – September 4, 2020) played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She both threw and batted right-handed. Professional baseball career Betty was described as "a rock-solid playe ...

Magdalen Redman Magdalen "Mamie" Redman (July 2, 1930 – August 22, 2020) was a catcher and utility infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 150 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Earl ...

Dorice Reid Dorice Reid (June 1943 – 16 June 2011), also known by the chiefly title Te Tika Mataiapo Dorice Reid, was a Cook Islander tourism official, businesswoman and judge. Reid enjoyed a long career in Cook Island business, politics and tourism fr ...

* Ruth Richard * Joyce Ricketts * Earlene Risinger * Mary Rountree * Doris Satterfield *

Gloria Schweigerdt Gloria June Schweigerdt �Tippy״(June 10, 1934 – July 10, 2014) was an American pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 120 lb, she batted and threw right-handed. Born in Ch ...

Twila Shively Twila Shively (March 20, 1920 – November 25, 1999) was an American competitive baseball player. An outfielder, she played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 128 lb., she batted and threw right ...

* Frances Sloan * Colleen Smith * Helen Smith *

Jean Smith Jean Isabel Smith (born 1959) is a Canadian writer, painter and the lead singer of the Vancouver band Mecca Normal. Career Music Smith co-founded Mecca Normal with bandmate David Lester in 1981, while the two were working together at a Vancouv ...

* Marjean Smith * Barbara Sowers * Rosemary Stevenson *

Jane Stoll Jane Stoll ("Jeep") (August 8, 1928 – May 27, 2000) was an outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 2", 135 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. An All-Star and veteran of ...

* Dorothy Stolze * Ruby Stoykovich *

Mary Lou Studnicka Mary Lou Studnicka razauskas, Caden(July 19, 1931 – November 21, 2014) was an overhand pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Studnicka batted and threw right-handed. She was nicknamed "ML". ...

Shirley Sutherland Shirley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë * ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film * ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American film * ''Shirley'' (album), a 1961 album by Shirley Bas ...

* Mary Lou Swanagon *

Yolande Teillet Yolande Schick (née Teillet; September 28, 1927 - January 26, 2006), nicknamed Yo Yo, was a Métis-Canadian catcher who played for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She both batted and threw right-handed. Personal life The ...

* Barbara Tetro *

Doris Tetzlaff Doris Tetzlaff ��Tetz″(January 1, 1921 – April 11, 1998) was an infielder and chaperone in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5'5", 155 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Little is known about this woman wh ...

* Viola Thompson * Ina Dell Towers *

Betty Tucker Eulah Elizabeth Tucker (January 28, 1924 – August 20, 2012) was a pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 123 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. A native of Detr ...

Joan Tysver Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *: Joan of Arc, a French military heroine *Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multipl ...

Karen Violetta Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand ** Karen languages or Karenic la ...

Inez Voyce Inez Ferne Voyce (August 16, 1924 – July 26, 2022), nicknamed Lefty, was a first basewoman who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 148 lb., she batted and threw left-handed. Early ...

* Betty Wanless *

Marie Wegman Marie Wegman (April 30, 1925 – January 20, 2004) was a utility infielder-outfielder and pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 130 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Early year ...

Margaret Wenzell Margaret “Marge” Wenzell (May 21, 1925 – July 6, 2014) was a utility infielder/outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 134 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. A membe ...

* Vera Whiteman * Betty Whiting *

Elizabeth Wicken Elizabeth Ann Wicken ee Berthiaume(May 26, 1927 – April 25, 2011) was a Canadian outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 2", 115 lb., Wicken batted and threw left handed. ...

Elsie Wingrove Elsie "Earl" Wingrove (September 26, 1923 – July 13, 2016) was a Canadian outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 130 lb. she batted and threw right-handed. Born in S ...

* Connie Wisniewski * Sylvia Wronski * Renae Youngberg * Marie Zeigler *

Managers

Season-by-season records

* 1945: 60-50 * 1946: 71-41 * 1947: 65-47 * * 1948: 77-47 * 1949: 57-54 * 1950: 59-53 * 1951: 71-35 * 1952: 50-60 * 1953: 62-44 * * 1954: 46-45 * Championship season

References

Sources

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League history

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League official website – Grand Rapids Chicks seasons

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League official website – Manager/Player profile search results

* ''All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book'' –

W. C. Madden W.C. Madden is a retired journalist, teacher and author who has written multiple books about baseball, including two about the AAGPBL. He has also written about the Western League and the College World Series. While much of his work is based on ba ...

. Publisher:

McFarland & Company McFarland & Company, Inc., is an American independent book publisher based in Jefferson, North Carolina, that specializes in academic and reference works, as well as general-interest adult nonfiction. Its president is Rhonda Herman. Its forme ...

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 ...

. Format: Hardcover, 294pp. Language: English. * ''The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: A Biographical Dictionary'' –

. Publisher:

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. Format: Softcover, 295 pp. Language: English. {{Authority control All-American Girls Professional Baseball League teams 1945 establishments in Michigan 1954 disestablishments in Michigan Baseball teams established in 1945 Baseball teams disestablished in 1954 Sports in Grand Rapids, Michigan Defunct baseball teams in Michigan Women's sports in Michigan