The Racine Belles were one of the original teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing from 1943 through 1950 out of Racine, Wisconsin . The Belles won the league's first championship. The team played its home games at Horlick Field .
28-469: In 1943, the Belles claimed the first Championship Title in the league's history. This team was characterized by strong pitching, solid defense, timely hitting and speed on the bases. Racine won the first half with a 33–10 mark, and finished the regular season with an overall record of 55 wins and 38 losses. Mary Nesbitt led the pitching staff with a 26–13 record for a .667 winning percentage (fifth-best of
56-408: A grand slam . Her most productive season came in 1948, when she paced the league with 24 doubles and posted career numbers in average (.292), runs (69), RBI (58), at-bats (399), hits (128) and games played (126), ranking between the top ten in these offensive categories. She helped Peoria reach a 71–55 record, for the first and only winning season in team's history. It also was the first and only time
84-577: A single in the bottom half of the 17th inning. In this first round series she went 11-for-31 for a .353 average, including her two game-winning RBI. After that, the Belles beat the 1945 champions, the Rockford Peaches , four games to two in the final best-of-seven series to clinch the Championship Title. Throughout the playoffs, Kurys led all players in average , stolen bases and runs. On the other hand, Winter collected four wins in
112-479: A 33–9 record, including 17 shutouts and 183 strikeouts in 46 pitching appearances. The Belles claimed first place with a league-best 74–38 record, and won the semifinal round of playoffs by defeating the South Bend Blue Sox in four games. In Game 1, English drove in the winning run by hitting a double in the bottom half of the 14th inning. Then, in decisive Game 5 she knocked the winning run with
140-424: A career-high 106 strikeouts in 45 games, while the other pitchers of Racine suffered off years. Winter slipped to a 15–23 ledger, and the rest of the staff combined for a 16–23 mark. Nesbitt also provided some help with her bat, hitting .220 with 14 runs and 23 RBI in 74 games. Nesbitt stayed on the mound until she fractured her collarbone in 1945. She finished with a 16–19 record in 37 appearances, while hitting
168-501: A dangerous and productive hitter through the rest of her career, ranking among the top 10 AAGPBL players for five out of her six seasons. Her accomplishments also included appearing in the first ever AAGPBL All-Star Game and by collecting a .422 on-base percentage and a .393 of slugging , while her .282 batting average ranks her sixth in the all-time list of hitters who had a minimum of 1000 at bat appearances. Nesbitt played ball ever since elementary school. At age 12 she hurled in
196-534: A fast-pitch softball league in her hometown, and later played for some championship teams in Illinois and Florida , as well as for a men's team in Chattanooga, Tennessee , where baseball scout Jimmy Hamilton was impressed with her talent. He decided to invite the young pitcher to an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League tryout. During her first three seasons Nesbitt played first base when she
224-657: A house for sale. Mary did return to play for three months for a team in Miami , but it never caught on as it had in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball. She and her husband were married for 52 years, until his death in 1998. For more than 20 years she drove a school bus in Putnam County, but she did not give up playing ball, joining in with local women's leagues. Her daughter, Mary Elizabeth, joined her, and they were part of
252-567: A league-best .319 in 66 games, while the league average was a measly .198 that year. Incidentally, the relatively low batting averages in the early years reflect mainly the high quality of AAGPBL pitchers, rather than a lack of skills by the hitters. Nesbitt did not play in 1946. She married Vester Wisham, who worked for the Racine team. They were working a farm in Georgia when a scout was sent out to find her and see about coming back to play in
280-654: A league-best 44 bases and scored 60 runs. Margaret Danhauser , Maddy English , Edythe Perlick and Claire Schillace could be counted on for their bats and solid defense. The first AAGPBL Championship Series pitted first-half winner Racine against the Kenosha Comets , second-half champ. In the best-of-five series, Racine swept Kenosha to clinch the championship. Nesbitt claimed complete-game victories in Games 1 and 3, and saved Game 2 after Winter ran into trouble in
308-600: A new team, maybe a new manager and, specially, a new location. After moving, the team was renamed the Battle Creek Belles and played from 1951 to 1952 . For their final season, they moved to Muskegon, Michigan and played as the Muskegon Belles . Previously, a minor league team also named Racine Belles played in the Wisconsin–Illinois League from 1909 through 1913, and then in
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#1732780939987336-452: A time of the season, Nesbitt put together an 11-game winning streak. On July 1, 1943, took effect the first All-Star Game of the league, which coincidentally was the first night game ever played at Wrigley Field. The game was played under temporary lights between two teams composed of Blue Sox and Peaches players against Comets and Belles players. Besides Nesbitt, the Belles also counted with Joanne Winter , who posted an 11–11 record, to give
364-494: Is recognized as one of the sixty original founding members of the league. An ideal fastpitch , knuckleball left-handed, she was one of the most dominant pitchers in the early years of the circuit. The unpredictable movement of her pitches made it almost impossible to hit, until a severe injury suffered in a regular game shortened her promising career. She posted a 65–49 record with a 2.44 earned run average in 120 pitching appearances. After that she switched to first base, to become
392-570: The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Listed at 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m), 155 lb., Nesbitt batted and threw left-handed . She was born Marie Crews Nesbitt in Greenville, South Carolina . Before becoming married in 1946 she played under the name of Mary Nesbitt . Nesbitt enjoyed many firsts in her fruitful All-American Girls Professional Baseball League career. She
420-913: The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York , dedicated a permanent display to the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. She lived in Hollister, Florida , until her death on November 17, 2013, in Palatka, Florida . Battle Creek Belles The Battle Creek Belles were a women's professional baseball team that played from 1951 through 1952 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . The Belles represented Battle Creek, Michigan , and played their home games at Bailey Park. The Belles finished last in
448-515: The Bi-State League in 1915. It was a Class D team in 1909 and 1915, and a Class C team from 1910 to 1913. The name Racine Belles now refers to a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of girls' fastpitch softball in southeastern Wisconsin. Mary Nesbitt Wisham Mary Nesbitt Wisham (February 1, 1925 – November 17, 2013) was an American baseball pitcher and first basewoman who played from 1943 through 1950 in
476-401: The outfield . And moreover, fielding ability and speed on the bases were immensely more crucial and challenging in a dominant pitching league. Racine's biggest newspaper, The Racine Journal Times , covered every Belles game, which contributed to community interest in the team. Many businesses closed during games to encourage its workers and customers to attend. After eight successful seasons
504-469: The Belles lacked the financial resources to keep the club playing in Racine and decided to move to Battle Creek, Michigan at the end of the 1950 season. Some founding team members, including Danhauser, Dapkus, English, Kurys, Perlick, Schillace and Winter, were disappointed with the new location and would not make the move. During eight years, the Belles were a close-knit team, always like a family away from home. They thought that all would be different, like
532-620: The Redwings made the playoffs, only to be swept by the Racine Belles in three straight games. In 1950, she posted a significant average of .340 with 25 runs and 22 RBI in just only 49 games. She quit baseball again, while she was pregnant with the first of her four children. Fanatics gave her a baby shower on the field. The family moved later to Hollister in Putnam County, Florida , after learning there were six acres and
560-401: The best-of-five series, Racine swept Kenosha to clinch the first championship in the league's history. Nesbitt claimed complete-game victories in Games 1 and 3, and saved Game 2 after starter Winter ran into trouble in the eight inning. Meanwhile, Hickson led all-hitters with a .417 average and five RBI in the three games. In 1944, Nesbitt posted the team's only winning record, 23–17, with
588-441: The eight inning. Irene Hickson , who shared the catching duties with Dorothy Maguire , led all-hitters with a .417 average and five RBI in the three games. In 1946, Anna Mae Hutchison posted a 26–14 record with 102 strikeouts in 51 games, setting an all-time, single-season record for games pitched, and also hurled the first nine-inning no-hitter in Belles history, a 1–0 victory over the Kenosha Comets . Winter finished with
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#1732780939987616-546: The league again. The scout paid her a $ 500 bonus for sign up, and she opened 1947 with the Peoria Redwings. That season the AAGPBL moved its spring training camp to Havana, Cuba . After the injury, she had less command of her array of pitches, especially her hard knuckleball, and she was given the chance to play on a regular basis at first base. She responded with a .261 average in 110 games, including 47 runs, 58 RBI, and
644-453: The league), including 308 innings of work in 47 appearances. She also hit .280, scored 34 runs , and drove in 29 more in 73 games. At a time of the season, Nesbitt put together an 11-game winning streak. Besides Nesbitt, the Belles also counted with Joanne Winter , who posted an 11–11 record, to give the team a strong one-two pitching staff. Slugger right fielder Eleanor Dapkus hit a league-lead 10 home runs , while Sophie Kurys stole
672-469: The playoffs, including a 14-inning, 1–0 shutout victory over the Peaches in decisive Game Six. The winning run was scored by Kurys on an RBI-single by Betty Trezza , while Danhauser handled 22 chances flawlessly. During the regular season, the Belles again showed a great defense, notably by infielders Danhauser (1B), Kurys (2B) and English (3B), while Perlick (LF), Schillace (CF) and Dapkus (RF) patrolled
700-428: The team a strong one-two pitching staff, while Margaret Danhauser , Maddy English , Edythe Perlick and Claire Schillace could be counted on for their bats and solid defense. The attack was led by slugging right fielder Eleanor Dapkus , who hit a league-lead 10 home runs , while the speedy Sophie Kurys stole 44 bases and scored 60 runs. Irene Hickson , who shared the catching duties with Dorothy Maguire ,
728-501: The team that won the state championships for fast-pitch softball in 1975. They finished ninth at the national championship. Nesbitt Wisham was 65 years old when she played in that championship tournament held at Louisville, Kentucky . A recreation complex park in West Putnam has been named in her honor. In November 1988, Mary Nesbitt Wisham along with her former teammates and opponents, received their long overdue recognition when
756-494: Was known as an opportune hitter with runners in scoring position during the late innings. Most importantly, Hickson was a solid fielding catcher with a strong throwing arm, and had a reputation as a good handler of pitchers. Early in the season, Nesbitt and Hickson were referred as the ″Belles Chattanooga Battery″, because both were scouted by Jimmy Hamilton in there. The first AAGPBL Championship Series pitted first-half winner Racine against Kenosha Comets, second-half champ. In
784-414: Was not pitching. In 1943, the Racine Belles, with Johnny Gottselig at the helm, won both the first half of the season and AAGPBL championship behind a strong effort by Nesbitt, who led the pitching staff with a 26–13 record for a .667 winning percentage (fifth-best of the league), including 308 innings of work in 47 appearances. She also hit .280, scored 34 runs , and drove in 29 more in 73 games. At
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