Shirley L. Crites (August 21, 1934 – December 28, 1990) was an
infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.
Standard arrangement of positions
In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...
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 ...
during the season. Crites batted and threw right-handed. She was born in
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau ( , french: Cap-Girardeau ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 census, the population was 39,540. The city is one of two principal citie ...
.
"Squirrely", as her teammates nicknamed her, played briefly for the
1953 pennant-winning 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 a .129
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, ...
in 47 games, appearing mainly at
third base
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
as a backup to incumbent
Catherine Horstman, which gave 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 ...
the chance to use Horstman more as a
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 ...
.
Fort Wayne clinched the title with a 66–39 record, 4½ games ahead of 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 ...
, but lost to the
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 ...
in the first round series. Crites went 0-for-3 in a playoff game.
Crites 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.
She died in 1990 in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
, at the age of 56.
Bollinger County, Missouri Genealogy – Shirley L. Crites entry
/ref>
Career statistics
Batting
Fielding
[All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book]
Sources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crites, Shirley
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players
Fort Wayne Daisies players
Baseball players from Missouri
Sportspeople from Cape Girardeau, Missouri
1934 births
1990 deaths
20th-century American women