Mary Rountree (July 23, 1922 – August 7, 2007) 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 from through 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 ...

(AAGPBL). Listed at and , she batted and threw right-handed. Nicknamed "Square Bush", Mary Rountree was one of the top five defensive catchers in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during its twelve years of history. Rountree was magnificent at all the intangible things that a catcher does, like calling the game, working the

pitch count In baseball statistics, pitch count is the number of pitches thrown by a pitcher in a game. Pitch counts are especially a concern for young pitchers, pitchers recovering from injury, or pitchers who have a history of injuries. The pitcher wants ...

s and blocking

home plate A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...

, which combined with a fine defense and a strong and secure throwing arm. She led the league 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 ...

two times, while her .959 career

ranks her third in the all-time list behind Ruth Lessing (.973) and

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 ...

(.961) and over

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 fourt ...

(.953) and

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 ...

(.928). After baseball, she went on to become a specialist in internal medicine, a distinction held by few players. Born in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, she was the youngest child in the family of Samuel and Mary Rountree. She wore his first baseball uniform at age five, emulating her older brother who was a catcher. As a teenager, Rountree played on two Florida championship teams in 1938 and 1940 that went to play in national tournaments both years. After graduating from Miami Edison High School, Rountree attended

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

for two years, and worked for the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

In 1943 she received a call from AAGPBL executive

Arthur Meyerhoff Arthur E. Meyerhoff (1895–1986) was an advertising agency executive and entrepreneur. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. Biography Personal life Meyerhoff died in 1986; services were held at the Fourth Presbyterian Church in Rancho Santa Fe, ...

to join the new league, but she declined the offer because she had three brothers serving in the military during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. At the end of the war, she attended a AAGPBL tryout in Miami for

Max Carey Maximillian George Carnarius (January 11, 1890 – May 30, 1976), known as Max George Carey, was an American professional baseball center fielder and manager. Carey played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1910 through 1 ...

and was a signed to a contract.The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Rountree entered the league in 1946 with the

Peoria Redwings The Peoria Redwings was a women's professional baseball team who joined the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1946 season and remained in the league through 1951. The team represented Peoria, Illinois, playing home games a ...

, playing for them one year 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 ...

(1947–1952) and the

Grand Rapids Chicks The Grand Rapids Chicks were a women's professional baseball team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954, winning championships in 1947 and 1953. History The franchise ...

(1952). During the off-season, she pursued a medical degree and did not show up until a month into the regular season. In 1949, Rountree led all catchers with a .976 fielding average after committing just eight errors in 336

total chances In baseball statistics, total chances (TC), also called ''chances offered'', represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is the sum of putouts plus assists plus errors. ''Chances accepted'' refers to the total ...

. Then, in 1952 she committed only four errors in 280 chances for a league-best .986 average. Her most productive season came in 1946, where she posted career numbers in hits (63), runs (22),

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s (27) and RBI (41), while hitting a .216

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 ...

. She also made four postseason appearances, but her teams never won a championship.All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book Her baseball career helped finance her studies at the

Bowman Gray School of Medicine Bowman may refer to: Places Antarctica * Bowman Coast * Bowman Island * Bowman Peninsula Australia * Bowman Park, a park in South Australia * Bowmans, South Australia, a locality * Division of Bowman, an electoral district for the Australia ...

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

, where she received her

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

degree in 1956. Rountree finished her undergraduate degree at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

, with a degree in

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

, and finished her residence at

Jackson Memorial Hospital Jackson Memorial Hospital (also known as "Jackson" or abbreviated "MJMH") is a non-profit, tertiary care hospital, the primary teaching hospital of the University of Miami's School of Medicine, and the largest hospital in the United States with 1 ...

and

Veterans Administration Hospital Veterans' health care in the United States is separated geographically into 19 regions (numbered 1, 2, 4-10, 12 and 15–23) In January 2002, the Veterans Health Administration announced the merger of VISNs 13 and 14 to create a new, combined netw ...

in 1960. From 1966 to 1968, she completed her residency in

anesthesiology Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine, ...

. Rountree enjoyed a 32-year career in medicine, including 17 years of teaching. She loved being a doctor and even after retirement continued to care for her many friends and family members. In 1988 she became part of ''Women in Baseball'', a permanent display based at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum 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 to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League rather than any individual personality. During an interview, Rountree talked about her experience in the AAGPBL helped her become a better doctor:

''My ballplaying was absolutely magnificent for me. You had to meet a lot of people so you learned to get over your stage fright, your bashfulness. Because you had to do personal appearances, you overcame your inability to talk the people in a very quick amount of time. I think that it allowed me to be totally at home with patients. It gave you a chance to develop your personality'', she explained.''Baseball in Florida'' – Kevin M. McCarthy. Publisher: Pineapple Press, 1996. Format: Hardcover, pp. Language: English.

Mary Rountree died in 2007 in

Highland Beach, Florida Highland Beach is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is situated 49 miles north of Miami and 20 miles south of Palm Beach. As of the 2010 census, the population was 3,539. History Highland Beach was incorporated in 1949. The ...

, where she lived, at the age of 85.

Career statistics

Batting Fielding

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rountree, Mary All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Baseball players from Miami Florida State University alumni University of Miami alumni American anesthesiologists 1922 births 2007 deaths People from Highland Beach, Florida Baseball players from Palm Beach County, Florida 20th-century American women physicians 20th-century American physicians 21st-century American women physicians 21st-century American physicians Women anesthesiologists