Helen Louise Westerman
''Austin (September 10, 1926 – November 4, 2006) was a
catcher
Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...
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 , 118 lb, she batted and threw right-handed.
Helen Westerman was one of the original
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 ...
founding members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in its
1943 inaugural season.
Born in
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...
, Helen was the daughter of Lewis and Rose (née Grey) Westerman. A graduate from
Feitshans High School, she started practicing baseball with her two older brothers in a male team at age 14, where she earned the nickname ״Pee Wee״ because she was too small to compete. The next year she joined an organized girls softball league, where she developed her ability to both receive and
call games while catching for the Madison Furniture Company team.
One of her teammates,
Elise Harney, was a solid
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 formed with Westerman one of the best
batteries
Battery most often refers to:
* Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power
* Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact
Battery may also refer to:
Energy source
*Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
in the league. Harney, who had aroused the attention of an AAGPBL
scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
**Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
**Scouts BSA, sectio ...
, told the scout that she needed Westerman as a catcher, so the league invited her as well to the final tryouts at
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago Wh ...
.
[The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League] Westerman and Harney both made the cut and were assigned to the Kenosha team.
[
Westerman would receive $55 a week during a three-month, 108-game season.] It was a good salary, considering the average full-time worker made $1,299 a year in the 1940s, according to one estimate – or about $25 a week.
She posted a modest .189 batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
in her rookie season, but led all catchers in 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 ...
(.956), putout
In baseball statistics, a putout (denoted by ''PO'' or ''fly out'' when appropriate) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods:
* Tagging a runner wit ...
s (395) and games played
Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.
Basebal ...
(82). She also finished second for the most assists (60) and double play
In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs.
In Major Leag ...
s (8), being surpassed only by South Bend Blue Sox The South Bend Blue Sox was a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A founding member, the team represented South Bend, Indiana, and played their home games at Bendix Fi ...
's Mary Baker
Mary Baker ( fl. 1842 – 1856) was an English painter of portraits and portrait miniatures.
She was born in London and produced works for the Society of Arts, as well as exhibiting miniatures and portraits at the Royal Academy over a four ...
(72) and Racine Belles
The Racine Belles were one of the original teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing from through out of Racine, Wisconsin. The Belles won the league's first championship. The team played its home games at Horlick Fi ...
' Dorothy Maguire
Dorothy Maguire (November 21, 1918 – August 2, 1981) was a catcher and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Maguire batted and threw right-handed. She also played under the name of Doroth ...
(9), respectively. In addition, during the midseason she caught a doubleheader in South Bend and went on to work over 20 inning
In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...
s.[
The next year Westerman was assigned to the ]Rockford Peaches
The Rockford Peaches were a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A founding member, the team represented Rockford, Illinois.
The Peaches were one of two teams to pla ...
and was given a raise to $75 a week. Unfortunately, she was forced to leave the league to take care of her ill mother.[ She later played a couple of seasons for the Chicago Cardinals and Chicago Bluebirds in the rival ]National Girls Baseball League
The National Girls Baseball League (NGBL) was a professional women's baseball league which existed from 1944 to 1954, with teams based in Chicago, Illinois. The National Girls Baseball League started a year after the All-American Girls Professio ...
.[1944 Rockford Peaches]
Following her baseball career, Westerman worked and managed a Walgreens
Walgreen Company, d/b/a Walgreens, is an American company that operates the second-largest pharmacy store chain in the United States behind CVS Health. It specializes in filling prescriptions, health and wellness products, health information, an ...
lunch counter.[ She then was employed in the ]Stewart-Warner Stewart-Warner was an American manufacturer of vehicle instruments (a.k.a. gauges and lubricating equipment) and many other products.
History
The company was founded as Stewart & Clark Company in 1905 by John K. Stewart. Their speedometers wer ...
auto parts factory for 27 years, retiring in 1989.[ While working there, she helped organize the United Auto Workers. After that, she joined friend Louise Taplin and operated a restaurant business at White Oaks Mall for 16 years. She married Morris Austin, but was widowed a short time later and did not have children.][
She is 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 ...
in 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 in 1988 to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League rather than individual baseball personalities.
Helen Westerman died in her homeland of Springfield, Illinois at the age of 80. She is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Springfield.
Career statistics
Batting
Fielding
[
]
Sources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Westerman, Helen
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players
Baseball players from Springfield, Illinois
1926 births
2006 deaths
National Girls Baseball League players
20th-century American people
21st-century American women
American female baseball players