Mary Froning (later O'Meara; August 26, 1934 – November 2, 2014) was an
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 ...
Minster, Ohio
Minster is a village in Auglaize and Shelby counties, in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 2,805 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Wapakoneta, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is adjacent to the village of New Bremen ...
, a tiny village located 54 miles (87 km) from
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...
. At age 16, she enjoyed the life outdoors swimming, riding her bike, and eventually playing a Sunday softball game for a Catholic Youth Organization team, where she played 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 ...
. An AAGPBL talent scout spotted Froning when she was playing an afternoon softball game. He saw that she had speed and a strong throwing arm and invited her to a tryout. Her parents took her to her first tryout, in
South Bend, Indiana
South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...
, because of her age. There were over 100 girls trying out for five roster spots in the local team, and Froning got one of them. A short time later, she received a contract offer from the South Bend Blue Sox. The offer was $50 a month and expenses. ''My dad and I looked at it''," she explained in an interview, ''and saw that it was for baseball, not softball''. She joined the team and her parents arranged for a room for her in a private home in South Bend. It was 1951, and the young girl was on her way to what she later called ''the most enjoyable four years of my life''.
AAGPBL career
In 1951, the Blue Sox hired a new
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
,
Karl Winsch
Karl Edgar Winsch (February 10, 1915 – December 21, 2001) was a pitcher and manager in Minor League Baseball. Listed at , 180 lb., Winsch batted and threw right-handed.
A native of Allentown, Pennsylvania, Karl Winsch spent two decades i ...
Jean Faut
Jean Anna Faut ''Winsch/Eastman(born November 17, 1925) is an American retired starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 137 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Jean F ...
, the team's ace pitcher. South Bend also had a surplus of talent, so Froning did not see much action and was loaned briefly to the Battle Creek Belles.The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
In 1952 Froning finally had a chance to play regularly after six players left the team in a dispute with Winsch. Just before the regular season ended, he suspended the flashy
Charlene Pryer
Charlene Barbara Pryer ayer(September 24, 1921 – June 3, 1999) was a female utility in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, playing mainly at second base and center field from through . Listed at , 105 lb., Pryer batted a ...
for not going in to pinch-run quickly when asked, which created an uproar after the game. That night at the team's hotel, several Blue Sox veterans talked the situation over. As a result,
Barbara Hoffman
Barbara Hoffman (born January 18, 1931) is a former infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6" .68 m/small>, 133 lb. 0 k/small>, she batted and threw right-handed.
Born in Bellev ...
,
Elizabeth Mahon
Elizabeth B. Mahon (November 18, 1919 – September 6, 2001) was an American outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 135 lb., Mahon batted and threw right-handed. She was born ...
, Jane Stoll and Shirley Stovroff, among others, quit the team in support of Pryer. Then, Froning was one of only 11 players who helped South Bend clinch their second consecutive championship title.
The Blue Sox broke up in 1953. ''They traded a bunch of players'', Froning recalled. She became an everyday outfielder during the last two seasons before the league folded in 1954, splitting duties at
center field
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...
and right field. Eventually, she was used as an emergency
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 ...
.
Froning appeared in a career-high 108 games in 1953, collecting a .108
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 a .295 on-base percentage. She also posted career numbers in runs scored (50) and RBI (26), while her 32 stolen bases ranked for the tenth best in the league.
In 1954 Froning hit .234 with three
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 ...
s and 44 RBI, tying for fifth in stolen bases (26), while managing to place second for the most outfield assists (20), being surpassed only by
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 ...
' Jenny Romatowski (24).All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book
Bill Allington All-Stars
Once the league disbanded in 1954, Mary Froning was one of the players selected by former
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 ...
manager
Bill Allington
William Baird Allington (October 26, 1903 – August 17, 1966) was an American minor league baseball player and manager. Listed at 5' 9" and 160 pounds, Allington batted and threw right-handed. He was born in St. Clair County, Michigan ...
to play in the national touring team known as the All-Americans. The Allington All-Stars played 100 games between 1954 and 1958, each booked in a different town, against male teams, while traveling over 10,000 miles in the manager's station wagon and a
Ford Country Sedan
The Ford Country Sedan is a full-size station wagon that was built by Ford in the United States from 1952 until 1974. It was part of the U.S. Ford full-size car line available in each year.Odin, L.C. ''A concise guide to the Ford and Mercury ful ...
. Besides Froning, the All-Americans included Joan Berger,
Gloria Cordes
Gloria Cordes Elliott (September 21, 1931 – March 13, 2018) was a starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 8", 138 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Overview pro ...
,
Jeanie Descombes
Jeneane Descombes Lesko (born March 28, 1935) is a former pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 135 lb., she batted and threw left-handed. She played under the name of Jeanie (or ...
,
Gertrude Dunn
Gertrude Dunn (September 30, 1933September 29, 2004) was an American baseball player with the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, the league made famous by the 1992 film ''A League Of Their Own''.Betty Foss,
Jean Geissinger
Jean Louise Geissinger (later Harding; June 25, 1934 – June 8, 2014) was an infielder and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League with the Fort Wayne Daisies (1951-1952 'start'' 1953–1 ...
,
Katie Horstman
Catherine Horstman €³Horsey″(born April 14, 1935) is a former female utility player who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 150 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Overview profi ...
,
Maxine Kline
Maxine Kline (later Randall, September 16, 1929 – June 9, 2022) was a female starting pitcher who played from 1948 through 1954 with the Fort Wayne Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , , she batted and ...
,
Dolores Lee
Dolores Margaret Lee (April 21, 1935 – May 14, 2014) was an American female baseball player who played as a pitcher from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 130 lb, she batted and threw right-hande ...
,
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.
Early ...
,
Ruth Richard
Ruth Richard '' ichie' (September 20, 1928 – May 6, 2018) was an American baseball player who played as a catcher from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 134 lb., she batted left-handed and t ...
Dorothy Schroeder
Dorothy "Dottie" Schroeder (April 11, 1928 – December 8, 1996) was a shortstop who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 150 lb., Schroeder batted and threw right-handed. She was born in ...
,
Dolly Vanderlip
Dolly Vanderlip ''Ozburn(born June 4, 1937) is a former pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 140 lb., Vanderlip batted and threw right-handed. She was born in Charlotte, North ...
and
Joanne Weaver
Joanne "Joltin' Jo" Weaver (December 19, 1935 – March 19, 2000) was a right fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 142 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Overview profile
...
, among others.''Women in Baseball: The Forgotten History'' – Gai Ingham Berlage, Charley Gerard. Publisher: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1994. Format: Hardcover, 224pp. Language: English.
Life after baseball
In 1956, Froning became a stewardess for
American Airlines
American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
along with her twin sister, Martha, until she married Tom O'Meara in 1958 and moved to
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...
. They raised four children, Hathy, Susan, John and Patricia, and had six grand children, all boys.
She is part of ''Women in Baseball'', a permanent display based at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, which was unveiled in 1988 to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Besides this, in 2003 she was invited to throw the
ceremonial first pitch
The ceremonial first pitch is a longstanding ritual of baseball in which a guest of honor throws a ball to mark the end of pregame festivities and the start of the game. Originally, the guest threw a ball from their seat in the grandstand to ...
at a Milwaukee Brewers home game against the Chicago Cubs. After the ceremony, she was honored by having her name added to the Wall of Honor inside
Miller Park
American Family Field is a retractable roof stadium used primarily for baseball. It is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just southwest of the intersection of Interstate 94 and Brewers Boulevard. It is the home of Major League Baseball's Milwauk ...
, home of the Brewers.
Mary never lost her love of sports and played softball and coached in Madison until 1998. Staying active after retirement, she enjoyed being with her family and playing tennis and golf in her spare time. She died in November 2014 at the age of 80.