1949 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season

The 1949 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the seventh season of the circuit. With the Chicago Colleens and Springfield Sallies turning into rookie development teams after the 1948 season, the AAGPBL was left with eight squads: the Kenosha Comets, Fort Wayne Daisies, Grand Rapids Chicks, Muskegon Lassies, Peoria Redwings, Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox. The teams competed through a 112-game schedule.[1]

1949 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season
LeagueAll-American Girls Professional Baseball League
SportBaseball
Number of teamsEight
Regular season
Season championsRockford Peaches
South Bend Blue Sox
(Tied for first place)
Shaugnessy playoffs
ChampionsRockford Peaches

This time the league adopted a smaller ball during the midseason, from 10⅜ inches to 10 inches, while the pitching distance increased 50 feet to 55 feet. The transition toward traditional baseball increased significantly. As a result, some talented pitchers jumped up to the rival Chicago National League when they could not adapt to the overhand delivery adopted the previous season. Pitching still outweighed hitting in the league, as no hitter could top the .300 average mark for the year. Rockford's Lois Florreich collected a 0.67 earned run average and South Bend's Jean Faut had a .909 winning percentage, both all-time single season records, while South Bend's Lillian Faralla hurled two no-hitters and Faut added another one for the team.[2]

The greatest highlight of the season came from Muskegon's pitcher/outfielder Doris Sams, who won the batting crown with a .279 average and posted a 15–10 record with a 1.58 ERA, to become the first player in league history to win two Player of the Year Awards. She obtained her first distinction in the 1947 season.[3]

The South Bend team finished tied in first place along with Rockford. In the first round of the Shaughnessy playoffs, third place Grand Rapids and sixth place Muskegon won their respective best-of-three series against fifth place Fort Wayne and fourth place Kenosha. In the second round, Rockford defeated South Bend in a best-of-seven series and Rockford won over Grand Rapids in a best-of-five series to determine the championship, which was won by Rockford in the final best-of-five series.[4]

The AAGPBL peaked in attendance during the 1947 and 1948 seasons, when the teams attracted almost a million paid fans for consecutive year. But for the first time, the league failed to reach the attendance desired since its foundation in 1943.[5]

Standings

RankTeamWLW-L%GB
1South Bend Blue Sox7536.676
2Rockford Peaches7536.676
3Grand Rapids Chicks5754.51418
4Kenosha Comets5855.50519
5Fort Wayne Daisies5257.47723
6Muskegon Lassies4666.41129½
7Racine Belles4565.40929½
8Peoria Redwings3673.33039

[6]

Postseason

  First round
Best of three series
Second round
a - Best of seven series
b - Best of five series
Third round
Best of five series
                           
1  South Bend Blue Sox 0
  2  Rockford Peaches 4  
    2  Rockford Peaches 3
  3  Grand Rapids Chicks 1
  4  Kenosha Comets 1  
6  Muskegon Lassies 3  
  6  Muskegon Lassies 0
  3  Grand Rapids Chicks 3  
3  Grand Rapids Chicks 3
  5  Fort Wayne Daisies 1  

[6]

Batting statistics

StatisticPlayerRecord
 Batting averageDoris Sams (MUS)
Connie Wisniewski (GR)
Doris Satterfield (GR)
Inez Voyce (GR)
    Dorothy Kamenshek (ROC)   
Edythe Perlick (RAC)
Evelyn Wawryshyn (FW)
Helen Candaele (KEN)
Vivian Kellogg (FW)
Sophie Kurys (RAC)
.279
.278
.259
.257
.255
.255
.251
.251
.247
.245
Runs scoredSophie Kurys (RAC)
Connie Wisniewski (GR)
Dorothy Kamenshek (ROC)
Elizabeth Mahon (SB)
Senaida Wirth (SB)
Thelma Eisen (FW)
Ernestine Petras (KEN)
Mary Baker (SB)
Betty Wagoner (SB)
Alma Ziegler (GR)
70
64
62
62
62
59
59
58
58
58
HitsDoris Sams (MUS)
Connie Wisniewski (GR)
Doris Satterfield (GR)
Sophie Kurys (RAC)
Dorothy Kamenshek (ROC)
Vivian Kellogg (FW)
Evelyn Wawryshyn (FW)
Elizabeth Mahon (SB)
Inez Voyce (GR)
Dorothy Harrell (ROC)
114
113
109
102
98
98
98
97
96
95
DoublesDoris Satterfield (GR)
Elizabeth Mahon (SB)
Connie Wisniewski (GR)
Marilyn Olinger (GR)
Vivian Kellogg (SB)
Helen Candaele (KEN)
Dorothy Kamenshek (ROC)
Rita Meyer (PEO)
Mary Reynolds (PEO)
Audrey Wagner (KEN)
Evelyn Wawryshyn (FW)
22
16
13
11
10
9
8
8
8
8
8
TriplesEleanor Callow (ROC)
Edythe Perlick (RAC)
Doris Satterfield (GR)
Betty Trezza (RAC)
Jean Cione (KEN)
Connie Wisniewski (GR)
Evelyn Wawryshyn (FW)
Wilma Briggs (FW)
Helen Candaele (KEN)
Madeline English (RAC)
Dorothy Harrell (ROC)
11
9
8
8
7
7
6
5
5
5
5
Home runsThelma Eisen (FW)
Inez Voyce (GR)
Audrey Wagner (KEN)
Eleanor Callow (ROC)
Sophie Kurys (RAC)
Edythe Perlick (RAC)
Doris Satterfield (GR)
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
Runs batted inElizabeth Mahon (SB)
Doris Satterfield (GR)
Inez Voyce (GR)
Dorothy Harrell (ROC)
Alva Jo Fischer (MUS)
Edythe Perlick (RAC)
Ruth Lessing (GR)
Betty Whiting (SB)
Senaida Wirth (SB)
Lavonne Paire (GR)
Eleanor Callow (ROC)
60
58
53
50
47
41
40
40
40
37
36
Stolen basesSophie Kurys (RAC)
Ernestine Petras (KEN)
Dorothy Kamenshek (ROC)
Mary Baker (SB)
Charlene Pryer (MUS)
Elizabeth Mahon (SB)
Senaida Wirth (SB)
Helen Candaele (KEN)
Betty Wagoner (SB)
Evelyn Wawryshyn (FW)
137
73
69
68
68
66
66
65
64
64
Total basesDoris Satterfield (GR)
Connie Wisniewski (GR)
Edythe Perlick (RAC)
Eleanor Callow (ROC)
Elizabeth Mahon (SB)
Evelyn Wawryshyn (FW)
Vivian Kellogg (FW)
Sophie Kurys (RAC)
Dorothy Kamenshek (ROC)
Helen Candaele (KEN)
Inez Voyce (GR)
153
140
120
119
119
118
117
117
114
113
111

[6]

Pitching statistics

StatisticPlayerRecord
WinsJean Faut (SB)
Lois Florreich (ROC)
Lillian Faralla (SB)
Louise Erickson (ROC)
Mildred Deegan (FW)
Jean Cione (KEN)
Earlene Risinger (GR)
Doris Sams (MUS)
Mildred Earp (GR)
Maxine Kline (FW)
24
22
19
17
16
15
15
15
14
14
  Winning percentage Rose Gacioch (ROC)
Jean Faut (SB)
Lois Florreich (ROC)
Louise Erickson (ROC)
Louise Arnold (SB)
Lillian Faralla (SB)
Jaynie Krick (SB)
Alma Ziegler (GR)
Ruth Williams (SB)
Helen Nicol (ROC)
.818
.750
.750
.739
.714
.679
.667
.667
.625
.619
Earned run averageLois Florreich (ROC)
Helen Nicol (ROC)
Jean Faut (SB)
Lillian Faralla (SB)
Ruby Stephens (KEN)
Louise Erickson (ROC)
Jean Cione (KEN)
Doris Sams (MUS)
Ruth Williams (SB)
Rose Gacioch (ROC)
0.67
0.98
1.10
1.36
1.38
1.54
1.57
1.58
1.64
1.68
StrikeoutsLois Florreich (ROC)
Mildred Earp (GR)
Jean Faut (SB)
Earlene Risinger (GR)
Dorothy Mueller (PEO)
Kay Blumetta (FW)
Barbara Rotvig (KEN)
  Alva Jo Fischer (MUS)  
Mildred Deegan (FW)
Doris Sams (MUS)
210
143
120
116
114
102
97
86
82
81
Games pitchedLillian Faralla (SB)
Jean Faut (SB)
Erma Bergmann (RAC)
Jean Cione (KEN)
Ruby Stephens (KEN)
Joanne Winter (RAC)
Earlene Risinger (GR)
Lois Florreich (ROC)
Mildred Deegan (FW)
Maxine Kline (FW)
Doris Sams (MUS)
34
34
32
32
32
32
30
29
28
28
28
Innings pitchedLois Florreich (ROC)
Jean Faut (SB)
Lillian Faralla (SB)
Mildred Deegan (FW)
Earlene Risinger (GR)
Maxine Kline (FW)
Joanne Winter (RAC)
Erma Bergmann (RAC)
Jean Cione (KEN)
Alice Haylett (GR)
269
261
245
234
234
229
228
225
223
220

[6]

All-Star Game

See also

Sources

  1. All-American Girls Professional Baseball League teams by season
  2. All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Rules of Play
  3. SABR Project – Doris Sams article by Jim Sargent
  4. All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record BookW. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2000. Format: Softcover, 294pp. Language: English. ISBN 978-0-7864-3747-4
  5. All-American Girls Professional Baseball League History
  6. All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book
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