Helen Walulik ''Kiely(May 3, 1929 – March 6, 2012) was a

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 ...

and an

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball and ...

/ infield utility 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 ...

. Listed at , 121 lb, she batted and threw right-handed. Helen Walulik was a versatile player with three different teams for two seasons in the league and spent one year as touring player for development teams. Born in

Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City."

, Walulik was one of seven children of

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

immigrants, Michael and Veronica Walulik. She graduated from Plainfield High School in 1947, where she played

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

and

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

for three years. As a result of her accomplishments she was named Best Female Athlete for the class of 1947. In addition to school sporting events, she played both sports for two years with the Plainfield Bobby Sockers and another two years with the

Perth Amboy Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy has a Hispanic majority population. In the 2010 census, th ...

Cardinalettes. Though she was primarily an outfielder, Walulik was a solid utility player, serving as

spot starter S sabermetrics :Sabermetrics is the analysis of baseball through objective evidence, especially baseball statistics. The term is derived from the SABR – the Society for American Baseball Research. The term was coined by Bill James, an ...

and

long reliever A long reliever or long-relief pitcher is a relief pitcher in baseball who enters the game if the starting pitcher leaves the game early. Long relievers often enter in the first three innings of a game when the starting pitcher cannot continue, w ...

when not playing at second base. "Hensky", as her teammates called her, entered the league in 1948 with the

Muskegon Lassies The Muskegon Lassies were one of the expansion teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1946 season, representing Muskegon, Michigan. The team played their home games at Marsh Field. History The 1946 Muskegon Lassies ...

, playing for them briefly before joining 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 ...

during the midseason. She helped Fort Wayne make the 1948 playoffs, after posting a 2–6 record and a 3.07

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

in 91

innings An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). Innings, in cricket, and rounders, is bot ...

of work. The highlight of her season came when she launched her only career

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

, an

inside-the-park In baseball, an inside-the-park home run is a play where a batter hits a home run without hitting the ball out of the field of play. It is also known as an "inside-the-parker", "in-the-park home run", or "in-the-park homer". Discussion To score ...

hit against the

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 Kenosha's Lake Front Stadium, but l ...

. During the off-season she worked for Diehl Manufacturing Company in New Jersey because her playing salary was not enough to live on year-round.Encyclopedia of Women and Baseball In 1949, Walulik was allocated to the

Chicago Colleens The Chicago Colleens were a women's professional baseball team who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1948 to 1951, evolving into a development team. The team was based Chicago, Illinois and played their home gam ...

rookie training team to acquire more experience and better professional quality.1949 Chicago Colleens
Then, she joined 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 th ...

midway through the 1950 season, her last in the league.The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Following her baseball career, Walulik played basketball for the New York Covergirls in the 1950s. She married Edmund J. Kiely in 1953. They had three children: Karen, Jill and Robert. She also worked for 22 years at Ethicon Inc. as a quality assurance technician before retiring in 1992. A grandmother of five, she was a volunteer at the Rochester Senior Center in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. In 1988, Walulik received further recognition when she became part of ''Women in Baseball'', a permanent display based at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, which was unveiled to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. In 2005, Walulik moved from

Lebanon Township, New Jersey Lebanon Township is a township located at the northernmost point of Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 6,588, reflecting an increase of 772 (+13.3%) from the 5,816 cou ...

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota, the city is the home and birthplace of the renowned Mayo Clinic. Acco ...

.Staff
"Obituaries: former Lebanon Twp. resident Helen Kiely dies at 82; played professional baseball in the late 1940s, also played basketball"
''

Hunterdon County Democrat The ''Hunterdon County Democrat'' is a weekly newspaper that serves Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Currently owned by Penn Jersey Advance, Inc., its offices are in Raritan Township. It is one of the largest paid weekly newspapers in New Jersey, ...

'', March 13, 2012. Accessed November 9, 2017. "Helen (Walulik) Kiely of Rochester, Mass., formerly of Lebanon Township, passed away on Tuesday, March 6, 2012. She was 82.Born in Plainfield, a daughter of Michael and Veronica Walulik, she lived in Plainfield and Lebanon Township for many years before moving to Rochester in 2005.... She played baseball on three teams in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1948 to 1950." Helen Walulik Kiely died on March 6, 2012, in Rochester, Massachusetts, at the age of 82.

Career statistics

Batting Pitching Fielding Note: Since the league counted the 1949 tour as exhibition games no official statistics were kept.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walulik, Helen 1929 births 2012 deaths All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players American people of Polish descent Baseball players from New Jersey Plainfield High School (New Jersey) alumni Sportspeople from Plainfield, New Jersey People from Lebanon Township, New Jersey People from Rochester, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Hunterdon County, New Jersey Sportspeople from Plymouth County, Massachusetts 21st-century American women