The 1946 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the fourth season of the circuit. The AAGPBL expansion brought two new franchises to the previous six-team format. At this point, the Muskegon Lassies and the Peoria Redwings joined the Fort Wayne Daisies, Grand Rapids Chicks, Kenosha Comets, Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox. The eight teams competed through a 112-game schedule, while the final Shaugnessy playoffs faced season winner Racine against defending champion Rockford in a Best of Seven Series.
Other modifications occurred in the league during 1946. The ball was decreased in size from 11½ inches to 11 inches. In addition, the base paths were lengthened to 70 feet and the sidearm pitching was introduced, as the league was moving toward baseball.AAGPBL Rules of Play
Several pitching records were set during the season. Racine's Anna Mae Hutchison recorded two marks that would never be broken: most innings pitched in a single game (19 against Peoria) and most games pitched in a single season (51). For their part, Fort Wayne's Dorothy Wiltse set the mark for more strikeouts in a season (294), and Racine's Joanne Winter a record for the most consecutive scoreless innings (63). The untiring Wiltse also pitched and won both games of a doubleheader (August 25).The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: A Biographical Dictionary – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2005. Format: Softcover, 295pp. Language: English.
Other highlights included Grand Rapids' Connie Wisniewski, who led all pitchers with a 0.96 earned run average. Besides this, Winter and Wisniewski combined for 33 wins each, the best ever in league history. In addition, Fort Wayne's Audrey Haine and South Bend's Doris Barr and Betty Luna hurled no-hitters. The only position player to top the .300 mark was Rockford's Dorothy Kamenshek (.316), proving that strong pitching was more important than having hot bats.All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2000. Format: Softcover, 294pp. Language: English. The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
For the second consecutive season, one team won both the season title and the championship. Racine defeated South Bend in the first round, three games to one, and beat the defending champion Rockford in the best-of-seven series in six games. Racine was led by Winter, who won four games in the two playoffs, including a 15-inning, 1–0 victory in the final game of the Shaugnessy series. The Belles also received offensive support from Sophie Kurys, who batted an average of .372 (16-for-43) in 10 playoff games, while setting a postseason record with 16 stolen bases. Kurys also was honored with the AAGPBL Player of the Year Award, after hitting a second-best .286 while leading with 201 stolen bases (an all-time single season record) and 117 runs.All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book
In the first three years after World War II, AAGPBL teams often attracted between two and three thousand fans to a single game. One league highlight occurred in 1946, when an estimated 10,000 people saw a Fourth of July doubleheader in South Bend, Indiana.
Teams 1946 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Teams Team City Stadium Fort Wayne Daisies Fort Wayne, Indiana North Side High School Memorial Park Grand Rapids Chicks Grand Rapids, Michigan South High School Field Kenosha Comets Kenosha, Wisconsin Lake Front Stadium Muskegon Lassies Muskegon, Michigan Marsh Field Peoria Redwings Peoria, Illinois Peoria Stadium Racine Belles Racine, Wisconsin Horlick Field Rockford Peaches Rockford, Illinois Rockford Municipal Stadium South Bend Blue Sox South Bend, Indiana Playland Park
Map of teams
Final standings RankTeamWLW-L%GB1 Racine Belles 74 38 .661 –2 Grand Rapids Chicks 71 41 .569 33 South Bend Blue Sox 70 42 .625 44 Rockford Peaches 60 52 .536 145 Fort Wayne Daisies 52 60 .464 226 Muskegon Lassies 46 66 .411 287 Kenosha Comets 42 70 .375 328 Peoria Redwings 33 79 .295 41
Postseason
Batting statistics StatisticPlayerRecord Batting average Dorothy Kamenshek (ROC) Mary Baker (SB)Sophie Kurys (RAC)Merle Keagle (GR)Audrey Wagner (KEN)Elizabeth Mahon (SB)Rose Gacioch (ROC)Amy Applegren (MUS)Thelma Eisen (PEO)Eleanor Dapkus (RAC)Faye Dancer (FW)Betsy Jochum (SB) .316 .286 .286 .284 .281 .276 .262 .258 .256 .253 .250 .250Runs scored Sophie Kurys (RAC)Elizabeth Mahon (SB)Dorothy Kamenshek (ROC)Twila Shively (GR)Edythe Perlick (RAC)Margaret Callaghan (FW)Margaret Stefani (SB)Merle Keagle (GR)Thelma Eisen (PEO)Betsy Jochum (SB)Mary Baker (SB)Shirley Jameson (KEN) 117 90 78 78 72 70 70 69 68 64 63 62Hits Dorothy Kamenshek (ROC)Merle Keagle (GR)Sophie Kurys (RAC)Elizabeth Mahon (SB)Audrey Wagner (KEN)Rose Gacioch (ROC)Eleanor Dapkus (RAC)Twila Shively (GR)Betsy Jochum (SB)Edythe Perlick (RAC)Mary Baker (SB)Faye Dancer (FW)Lavonne Paire (RAC) 129 116 112 110 110 106 102 101 100 99 92 92 91Doubles Merle Keagle (GR)Audrey Wagner (KEN)Rose Gacioch (ROC)Faye Dancer (FW)Lavonne Paire (RAC)Alice Hohlmayer (KEN)Ruth Lessing (GR)Helen Callaghan (FW)Philomena Gianfrancisco (GR)Twila Shively (GR) 15 15 14 11 10 10 10 10 9 9Triples Eleanor Dapkus (RAC)Thelma Eisen (PEO)Rose Gacioch (ROC)Edythe Perlick (RAC)Margaret Stefani (SB)Betty TrezzaMargaret Stefani (SB)Lois Florreich (KEN)Betsy Jochum (SB)Elizabeth Mahon (SB) 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 7 7 7Home runs Audrey Wagner (KEN)Eleanor Dapkus (RAC)Edythe Perlick (RAC)Sophie Kurys (RAC)Margaret Villa (KEN)Margaret Danhauser (RAC)Mildred Deegan (ROC)Thelma Eisen (PEO) Philomena Gianfrancisco (GR) Betsy Jochum (SB)Merle Keagle (GR)Inez Voyce (SB) 9 8 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2Runs batted in Elizabeth Mahon (SB)Betsy Jochum (SB)Merle Keagle (GR)Lavonne Paire (RAC)Eleanor Dapkus (RAC)Rose Gacioch (ROC)Edythe Perlick (RAC)Philomena Gianfrancisco (GR)Margaret Stefani (SB)Audrey Wagner (KEN)Irene Ruhnke (FW)Naomi Meier (ROC) Dorothy Maguire (MUS)Twila Shively (GR) 72 63 59 59 57 57 56 53 53 53 50 49 47 45Stolen bases Sophie Kurys (RAC)Thelma Eisen (GR)Helen Callaghan (FW)Elizabeth Mahon (SB)Dorothy Kamenshek (ROC)Merle Keagle (GR)Shirley Jameson (KEN)Senaida Wirth (SB)Edythe Perlick (RAC)Margaret Callaghan (FW)Margaret Stefani (SB)Betsy Jochum (SB) 201128114114109107988988807978Total bases Audrey Wagner (KEN)Eleanor Dapkus (RAC)Merle Keagle (GR)Sophie Kurys (RAC)Rose Gacioch (ROC)Dorothy Kamenshek (ROC)Elizabeth Mahon (SB)Betsy Jochum (SB)Twila Shively (GR)Thelma Eisen (PEO) 162150145143141141134127121120
Pitching statistics StatisticPlayerRecordWins Joanne Winter (RAC)Connie Wisniewski (GR)Carolyn Morris (ROC)Anna Mae Hutchison (RAC)Betty Luna (SB)Phyllis Koehn (SB)Dorothy Wiltse (FW)Josephine Kabick (GR/KEN)Alice Haylett (GR)Erma Bergmann (MUS)Helen Nicol (KEN)Viola Thompson (SB) 33 33 29 26 23 22 22 19 17 15 15 15Earned run average Connie Wisniewski (GR)Joanne Winter (RAC)Jean Faut (SB)Carolyn Morris (ROC)Anna Mae Hutchison (RAC)Kay Blumetta (PEO)Faye Dancer (FW)Merle Keagle (GR)Erma Bergmann (MUS)Helen Nicol (KEN) Nancy Warren (MUS)Jane Jacobs (PEO) 0.96 1.19 1.32 1.42 1.62 1.71 1.93 1.94 2.05 2.09 2.12 2.13Strikeouts Dorothy Wiltse (GR)Carolyn Morris (ROC)Joanne Winter (RAC)Kay Blumetta (PEO)Helen Nicol (KEN)Audrey Haine (FW/GR)Alice Haylett (GR)Anna Mae Hutchison (RAC)Betty Luna (SB)Olive Little (ROC)Annabelle Lee (PEO) 294 240 183 137 137 120 113 102 93 88 83Games pitched Anna Mae Hutchison (RAC)Dorothy Wiltse (GR)Connie Wisniewski (GR)Joanne Winter (RAC)Betty Luna (SB) Josephine Kabick (GR/KEN) Phyllis Koehn (SB)Alice Haylett (GR)Annabelle Lee (PEO)Erma Bergmann (MUS)Lois Florreich (KEN)Elise Harney (KEN/SB)Helen Nicol (KEN) 51 49 48 46 41 40 39 38 35 33 33 33 33Innings pitched Connie Wisniewski (GR)Dorothy Wiltse (GR)Carolyn Morris (ROC)Joanne Winter (RAC)Josephine Kabick (GR/KEN)Phyllis Koehn (SB)Betty Luna (SB)Anna Mae Hutchison (RAC)Erma Bergmann (MUS)Elise Harney (KEN/FW )Lois Florreich (KEN)Olive Little (ROC) 366 357 356 349 324 309 298 288 263 255 247 244
All-Star Game
See also 1946 Major League Baseball season 1946 Japanese Baseball League season
Sources
External links AAGPBL Official Website AAGPBL Records Baseball Historian files The Diamond Angle profiles and interviews SABR Projects – Jim Sargent articles YouTube videos