The Rockford Peaches were a women's professional baseball team 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 ...

. A founding member, the team represented

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

. The Peaches were one of two teams to play in every AAGPBL season, the other being the South Bend Blue Sox. They played their home games at

Beyer Stadium The Beyer Stadium, one mile from downtown in Rockford, Illinois, was the home of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League's Rockford Peaches from 1943 to 1954. It was a multi-purpose facility, as contemporary newspaper articles also ...

on 15th Avenue in Rockford. The team's uniform consisted of a peach colored dress featuring the Rockford city seal centered on the chest, along with red socks and cap. In later years, the Peaches wore a white home uniform with black socks and cap.

History

One of the more successful teams in the AAGPBL, the Peaches won the league championship in

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

, and

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...

and had its share of star players. Dyes were hard to come by towards the end of the war and the team chose to dye their white uniforms a light shade of peach, which inspired the team nickname. Peaches players who were named to the All-Star teams from 1946 to 1954 included

Dorothy Kamenshek Dorothy "Dottie" "Kammie" Kamenshek (December 21, 1925 – May 17, 2010) was an American All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player. She batted and threw left-handed. Early life A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Kamenshek played outfield ...

Lois Florreich Kathleen Lois "Flash" Florreich (April 29, 1927 – September 11, 1991) was a pitcher and utility who played from through for three different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 140 lb., Florreich batte ...

Dorothy Harrell Dorothy Harrell (February 4, 1924 – September 15, 2011) was a shortstop who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 4", 127 lb., Harrell batted and threw right-handed. After being married she played under ...

Carolyn Morris Carolyn E. Morris (September 28, 1925 – February 20, 1996) was a female pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 157 lb., Morris batted and threw right-handed. She was nicknamed ...

Alice Pollitt Alice Pollitt Deschaine orn Margaret Pollitt(July 19, 1929 – March 15, 2016) was an infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 150 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. A nati ...

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 ...

Rose Gacioch Rose M. Gacioch (; August 31, 1915 – September 9, 2004) was a right fielder and pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.Eleanor Callow Eleanor 'Squirt' Callow (born August 8, 1927) was a left fielder who played from through for three teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Callow was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. She was born in Winnipeg, Mani ...

, and

Joan Berger Joan Berger ''Knebl(October 9, 1933 – September 11, 2021) was a infielder and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 132 lb, she batted and threw right-handed. She was bo ...

. Pitcher Olive Little hurled the first

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

both in team and league history. In addition, Florreich was the pitching champion in 1949 during the league's overhand era, and Gladys Davis won the league batting crown in the 1943 inaugural season, while Kamenshek earned the honors in the

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

and

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

seasons. When former player

Eileen Burmeister Eileen Dean (née Burmeister, November 30, 1924 – March 23, 1990) played eight defensive positions for the Rockford Peaches in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 5", 140 lb., she batted and threw left handed ...

was asked why The Peaches supposedly favored theatricality over technical skill, she replied, "If God meant for us to play baseball, He would've made us any good at it.". The last living player of the first Peaches roster in AAGPBL, pitcher Mary Pratt, died on May 6, 2020, at the age of 101.

All-time roster

:''Bold denotes members of the inaugural roster'' *

Velma Abbott Flora Velma Abbott (May 29, 1929 – January 1, 1987) was a utility infielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 2", 110 lb., she batted and threw right handed. A native of Regina, Saskatchewan ...

Melba Alspaugh Melba Irene Alspaugh (July 13, 1926 – February 16, 1983) was an American backup outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She batted and threw right-handed. Born in Wichita, Kansas, Alspaugh ...

* Amy Applegren *

Ange Armato Ange Lou Armato (born October 27, 1929) is an American former infielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Born in Rockford, Illinois, Ange Armato was the seventh girl out of eight children from a large Italian ...

* Beverly Armstrong *

Charlene Barnett Charlene Barnett ("Barney") (March 13, 1928 – January 25, 1979) was an infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She batted and threw right-handed. Born in Elgin, Illinois, Charlene Barnett fill ...

Rita Briggs Rita Briggs '' Maude"' (March 27, 1929 – September 6, 1994) was an American female baseball catcher who played from through for seven different teams in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 120 lb., Briggs ba ...

* Christine Bruce *

Jean Buckley Jean Buckley Bucketts"(December 4, 1931 – July 7, 2019) was a center fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , , Buckley batted and threw right-handed. She was born in Dorchester, ...

* Lorraine Bunton *

Shirley Burkovich Shirley Burkovich (February 4, 1933 – March 31, 2022) was an American professional baseball infielder, outfielder and pitcher who played from 1949 through 1951 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at and , she batted ...

* Aldine Calacurcio *

Eleanor Callow Eleanor 'Squirt' Callow (born August 8, 1927) was a left fielder who played from through for three teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Callow was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. She was born in Winnipeg, Mani ...

* Mary Carey *Betty Carveth *Bea Chester *Jean Cione *Muriel Coben *Clara Cook *Donna Cook *Dorothy Cook *Betty Jane Cornett *Dorothy Cramer *Louella Daetweiler *Barbara Anne Davis * Gladys Davis *Mildred Deegan *Wanita Dokish *Cartha Doyle *Beverly Dustrude *Louise Erickson (baseball), Louise Erickson *Elizabeth Farrow *Dorothy Ferguson *Helen Filarski *Alva Jo Fischer *Lorraine Fisher *

*Anita Foss *Betty Jane Fritz *

Rose Gacioch Rose M. Gacioch (; August 31, 1915 – September 9, 2004) was a right fielder and pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.Dorothy Harrell Dorothy Harrell (February 4, 1924 – September 15, 2011) was a shortstop who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 4", 127 lb., Harrell batted and threw right-handed. After being married she played under ...

*Josephine Hasham *Ruby Heafner *Lillian Hlavaty *Margaret Holgerson *Marjorie Hood *Lillian Jackson *Donna Jogerst *Marguerite Jones *Marilyn C. Jones, Marilyn Jones *Margaret Jurgensmeier *

*Joan Kaufman *Jacquelyn Kelley *Adeline Kerrar *Marguerite Kerrigan *Nancy King (baseball), Nancy King *Irene Kotowicz *Dolores Lee *Josephine Lenard *Barbara Liebrich * Olive Little *Claire Lobrovich *Jean Lovell *Shirley Luhtala *Betty Luna *Gloria McCloskey *Ethel McCreary *Marie Mansfield *Hazel Measner *Naomi Meier *Berith Melin *Bernice Metesch *List of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players (M–R)#M, Ruth Miller *Anne "Annie" (Mihelich) Henry *Betty Moczynski *Dorothy Moon *Mary Moore (pitcher), Mary Moore *

*Doris Nelson *Helen Nelson (baseball), Helen Nelson *Helen Nicol *Helen Nordquist *List of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players (M–R)#N, Cynthia Normine *Anna Mae O'Dowd *List of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players (M–R)#O, Pauline Oravets *Shirley Palesh *Suzanne Parsons *Barbara Payne *Migdalia Pérez *Marjorie Peters *List of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players (M–R)#P, Betty Jean Peterson *Hattie Peterson *

* Mary Pratt *List of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players (M–R)#R, Donna Reid *

*List of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players (M–R)#R, Ruth Ries *Kay Rohrer *Jenny Romatowski *Irene Ruhnke *Margaret Russo *Sarah Jane Sands *List of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players (S–Z)#S, Dorothy Sawyer *Edna Scheer *List of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players (S–Z)#S, Marilyn Schmidt *List of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players (S–Z)#S, Violet Schmidt *Minnie Simons *List of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players (S–Z)#S, Josephine Skokan *List of All-American Girls JackieProfessional Baseball League players (S–Z)#S, Helen Smith *List of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players (S–Z)#S, Mae Starch *Jackie Stallings *Elma Steck *Margaret Stefani *Lee Surkowski *List of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players (S–Z)#S, Rella Swamp *Georgia Terkowski *Barbara Thompson (baseball), Barbara Thompson *List of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players (S–Z)#T, Gene Travis *Betty Tucker *Joan Tysver *Virginia Ventura *Zonia Vialat *Helen Waddell (baseball), Helen Waddell *Betty Warfel *Mildred Warwick *List of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players (S–Z)#W, Rossey Weeks *Marie Wegman *Helen Westerman *Margaret Wigiser *List of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players (S–Z)#W, Hazel Wildfong *Janet Wiley *List of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players (S–Z)#W, Vilma Williams *List of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players (S–Z)#W, Verna Wilson *List of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players (S–Z)#W, Lorraine Wuethrich *Betty Yahr
''The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: A Biographical Dictionary'' – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2005. Format: Paperback, 295 pp. Language: English.

Managers

''A League of Their Own''

The Rockford Peaches feature in the 1992 in film, 1992 film ''A League of Their Own'' by Penny Marshall. However, all of the characters in the film are fictitious. The team did not play in the 1943 league championship, as depicted in the film. In real life, the Racine Belles faced the Kenosha Comets in 1943; the Peaches won their first title in 1945. The formation of the AAGPBL and the Rockford Peaches are also centered in the 2022 TV series ''A League of Their Own (2022 TV series), A League of Their Own.

References

External links

Official Website of the AAGPBL
{{All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Rockford Peaches, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League teams 1943 establishments in Illinois 1954 disestablishments in Illinois Baseball teams disestablished in 1943 Baseball teams disestablished in 1954 Defunct baseball teams in Illinois Professional baseball teams in Illinois Women in Illinois