Shirley L. Crites (August 21, 1934 – December 28, 1990) was an infielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) during the season. Crites batted and threw right-handed. She was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.All-American Girls Professional Baseball League – Shirley Crites. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
"Squirrely", as her teammates nicknamed her, played briefly for the 1953 pennant-winning Fort Wayne Daisies. She hit a .129 average in 47 games, appearing mainly at third base as a backup to incumbent Catherine Horstman, which gave manager Bill Allington the chance to use Horstman more as a pitcher.
Fort Wayne clinched the title with a 66–39 record, 4½ games ahead of the Grand Rapids Chicks, but lost to the Kalamazoo Lassies in the first round series. Crites went 0-for-3 in a playoff game.1953 Fort Wayne Daisies. Retrieved 2026-02-25.All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2000. Format: Softcover, 294pp. Language: English.
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, at the age of 56.Bollinger County, Missouri Genealogy – Shirley L. Crites entry
Career statistics Batting GPABRH2B3BHRRBISBTBBBSOBAOBPSLG 47 132 15 17 3 1 0 11 7 22 15 17 .129 .218 .145
Fielding GPPOAETCDPFA 20 41 92 11 144 5 .924
Sources