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Wikipedia / 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 (AAGPBL) from 1945 to 1954, winning championships in 1947 and 1953.

History

The franchise originated in 1944 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as the Milwaukee Chicks. Although the Chicks won the 1944 AAGPBL championship, they could not compete with the minor league Milwaukee Brewers for ticket sales, and the franchise moved to Grand Rapids. They enjoyed continued success following the move, making the playoffs every year until the league folded following the 1954 season.

Grand Rapids had its share of league stars including Players of the Year Connie Wisniewski in 1945 and Alma Ziegler in 1950. League pitching titles were won by Chicks pitchers in 1944 and 1945 by Wisniewski, Mildred Earp in 1947, Alice Haylett in 1948, and Ziegler in 1950. Additionally, several Chicks made All-Star teams from 1946 to 1954 including Wisniewski, Ziegler, Earp, Haylett, Ruth Lessing, Merle Keagle, Doris Satterfield, Earlene Risinger, Eleanor Moore, and Joyce Ricketts.

The Chicks played their home games at South High School in Grand Rapids, with the exception of 1950-1952 when games were played at Bigelow Field in Wyoming Township. After a fire destroyed Bigelow Field, the Chicks returned to South High School through 1954.

All-time players roster

  1. Bold denotes members of the inaugural roster

  2. Evelyn Adams

  3. Isabel Alvarez

  4. Lois Barker

  5. Charlene Barnett

  6. Edith Barney

  7. Betty Bays

  8. Mary Lou Beschorner

  9. Jaynne Bittner

  10. Kay Blumetta

  11. Mary Butcher

  12. Thelma Childress

  13. Louise Clapp

  14. Donna Cook

  15. Patricia Courtney

  16. Jeanie Descombes

  17. Mildred Earp

  18. Thelma Eisen

  19. Lorraine Fisher

  20. Anita Foss

  21. Rose Gacioch

  22. Eileen Gascon

  23. Barbara Gates

  24. Jean Geissinger

  25. Philomena Gianfrancisco

  26. Annie Gosbee

  27. Thelma Grambo

  28. Audrey Haine

  29. Julia Hardin

  30. Josephine Hasham

  31. Alice Haylett

  32. Katherine Herring

  33. Joyce Hill

  34. Joan Holderness

  35. Margaret Holgerson

  36. Dorothy Hunter

  37. Frances Janssen

  38. Joan Jaykoski

  39. Marilyn Jenkins

  40. Josephine Kabick

  41. Merle Keagle

  42. Phyllis Koehn

  43. Jaynie Krick

  44. Karen Kunkel

  45. Beverly Leach

  46. Annabelle Lee

  47. Joan LeQuia

  48. Ruth Lessing

  49. Kay Lionikas

  50. Dorothy Maguire

  51. Ruth Mason

  52. Joyce Messinger

  53. Dorothy Montgomery

  54. Dolores Moore

  55. Eleanor Moore

  56. Dorothy Mueller

  57. Doris Neal

  58. Dolly Niemiec

  59. Mary E. Norckauer

  60. Marilyn Olinger

  61. Lavonne Paire

  62. Shirley Palesh

  63. Marguerite Pearson

  64. Katherine Pechulis

  65. Ernestine Petras

  66. Betty Petryna

  67. Magdalen Redman

  68. Dorice Reid

  69. Ruth Richard

  70. Joyce Ricketts

  71. Earlene Risinger

  72. Mary Rountree

  73. Doris Satterfield

  74. Gloria Schweigerdt

  75. Twila Shively

  76. Frances Sloan

  77. Colleen Smith

  78. Helen Smith

  79. Jean Smith

  80. Marjean Smith

  81. Barbara Sowers

  82. Rosemary Stevenson

  83. Jane Stoll

  84. Dorothy Stolze

  85. Ruby Stoykovich

  86. Mary Lou Studnicka

  87. Shirley Sutherland

  88. Mary Lou Swanagon

  89. Yolande Teillet

  90. Barbara Tetro

  91. Doris Tetzlaff

  92. Viola Thompson

  93. Ina Dell Towers

  94. Betty Tucker

  95. Joan Tysver

  96. Karen Violetta

  97. Inez Voyce

  98. Betty Wanless

  99. Marie Wegman

  100. Margaret Wenzell

  101. Vera Whiteman

  102. Betty Whiting

  103. Elizabeth Wicken

  104. Elsie Wingrove

  105. Connie Wisniewski

  106. Sylvia Wronski

  107. Renae Youngberg

  108. Marie Zeigler

  109. Alma Ziegler

Managers

Season-by-season records

  • 1945: 60–50

  • 1946: 71–41

  • 1947: 65-47 *

  • 1948: 77–47

  • 1949: 57–54

  • 1950: 59–53

  • 1951: 71–35

  • 1952: 50–60

  • 1953: 62-44 *

  • 1954: 46–45

* Championship season

References

Sources