Ruby Ethel "Rebel" Heafner (March 3, 1924 – October 2, 2010) was a right-handed catcher 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 1946-51. She joined the AAGPBL after serving 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 ...

. Playing for 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 ...

in 1946, she hit .141 with six stolen bases in 47 games. In 1947, with 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 ...

, she hit .172 in 65 games. Again with Fort Wayne in 1948, Heafner batted .160 in 59 games and in 1949, she hit .171 in 50 games for the Daisies. Moving to the

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 ...

in 1950, Heafner hit .211 with a career-high 17 RBI in 65 games. In 1951, with the

Battle Creek Belles The Battle Creek Belles were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The Belles represented Battle Creek, Michigan, and played their home games at Bailey Park. Histor ...

, she hit .205 with 33 walks (to only 15 strikeouts) in 56 games. In total, Heafner hit .178 with 171 hits in 959 at-bats. She hit 17 doubles, four triples and no home runs while scoring 83 runs and driving in 57. She had 28 stolen bases, 124 walks and 154 strikeouts. She was born in

Gastonia, North Carolina Gastonia is the largest city in and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest satellite city of the Charlotte area, behind Concord. The population was 80,411 at the 2020 census, up from 71,741 in 2010 ...

and died in

Kings Mountain, North Carolina Kings Mountain is a small suburban city within the Charlotte metropolitan area in Cleveland and Gaston counties, North Carolina, United States. Most of the city is in Cleveland County, with a small eastern portion in Gaston County. The popul ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heafner, Ruby 1924 births 2010 deaths All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Rockford Peaches players Fort Wayne Daisies players Racine Belles (1943–1950) players Battle Creek Belles players Baseball players from North Carolina 21st-century American women