The Rockford Peaches were a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...

. A founding member, the team represented

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

. The Peaches were one of two teams to play in every AAGPBL season, the other being the

South Bend Blue Sox The South Bend Blue Sox was a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A founding member, the team represented South Bend, Indiana, and played their home games at Bendix Fi ...

. They played their home games at

Beyer Stadium The Beyer Stadium, one mile from downtown in Rockford, Illinois, was the home of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League's Rockford Peaches from 1943 to 1954. It was a multi-purpose facility, as contemporary newspaper articles also re ...

on 15th Avenue in Rockford. The team's uniform consisted of a peach colored dress featuring the Rockford city seal centered on the chest, along with red socks and cap. In later years, the Peaches wore a white home uniform with black socks and cap.

History

One of the more successful teams in the

AAGPBL The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...

, the Peaches won the league championship in

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which Nuclear weapon, nuclear weapons Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, have been used in combat. Events Below, ...

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

, and

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 crashes in a snowstorm. All 19 ...

and had its share of star players. Dyes were hard to come by towards the end of the war and the team chose to dye their white uniforms a light shade of peach, which inspired the team nickname. Peaches players who were named to the All-Star teams from 1946 to 1954 included

Dorothy Kamenshek Dorothy "Dottie" "Kammie" Kamenshek (December 21, 1925 – May 17, 2010) was an American All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player. She batted and threw left-handed. Early life A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Kamenshek played outfield ...

Lois Florreich Kathleen Lois "Flash" Florreich (April 29, 1927 – September 11, 1991) was a pitcher and utility who played from through for three different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 140 lb., Florreich batte ...

Dorothy Harrell Dorothy Harrell (February 4, 1924 – September 15, 2011) was a shortstop who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 4", 127 lb., Harrell batted and threw right-handed. After being married she played under ...

Carolyn Morris Carolyn E. Morris (September 28, 1925 – February 20, 1996) was a female pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 157 lb., Morris batted and threw right-handed. She was nicknamed ...

Alice Pollitt Alice Pollitt Deschaine orn Margaret Pollitt(July 19, 1929 – March 15, 2016) was an infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 150 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. A nati ...

Ruth Richard Ruth Richard '' ichie' (September 20, 1928 – May 6, 2018) was an American baseball player who played as a catcher from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 134 lb., she batted left-handed and th ...

Rose Gacioch Rose M. Gacioch (; August 31, 1915 – September 9, 2004) was a right fielder and pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.Eleanor Callow Eleanor 'Squirt' Callow (born August 8, 1927) was a left fielder who played from through for three teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Callow was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. She was born in Winnipeg, Manito ...

, and

Joan Berger Joan Berger ''Knebl(October 9, 1933 – September 11, 2021) was a infielder and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 132 lb, she batted and threw right-handed. She was born ...

. Pitcher Olive Little hurled the first

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

both in team and league history. In addition, Florreich was the pitching champion in 1949 during the league's overhand era, and Gladys Davis won the league batting crown in the 1943 inaugural season, while Kamenshek earned the honors in the

1946 Events January * January 6 - The first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into four occupation zones. * January 10 ** The ...

and

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

seasons. When former player

Eileen Burmeister Eileen Dean (née Burmeister, November 30, 1924 – March 23, 1990) played eight defensive positions for the Rockford Peaches in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 5", 140 lb., she batted and threw left handed. ...

was asked why The Peaches supposedly favored theatricality over technical skill, she replied, "If God meant for us to play baseball, He would've made us any good at it.". The last living player of the first Peaches roster in AAGPBL, pitcher Mary Pratt, died on May 6, 2020, at the age of 101.

All-time roster

:''Bold denotes members of the inaugural roster'' *

Velma Abbott Flora Velma Abbott (May 29, 1929 – January 1, 1987) was a utility infielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 2", 110 lb., she batted and threw right handed. A native of Regina, Saskatchewan A ...

Melba Alspaugh Melba Irene Alspaugh (July 13, 1926 – February 16, 1983) was an American backup outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She batted and threw right-handed. Born in Wichita, Kansas, Alspaugh w ...

Amy Applegren Amy Irene "Lefty" Applegren (November 16, 1926April 3, 2011) was an American baseball pitcher and infielder who played from 1944 through 1953 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5'4, 125 lb., she batted and threw ...

Ange Armato Ange Lou Armato (born October 27, 1929) is an American former infielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Born in Rockford, Illinois, Ange Armato was the seventh girl out of eight children from a large Italian fa ...

* Beverly Armstrong *

Charlene Barnett Charlene Barnett ("Barney") (March 13, 1928 – January 25, 1979) was an infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She batted and threw right-handed. Born in Elgin, Illinois, Charlene Barnett fill ...

Rita Briggs Rita Briggs '' Maude"' (March 27, 1929 – September 6, 1994) was an American female baseball catcher who played from through for seven different teams in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 120 lb., Briggs ba ...

* Christine Bruce *

Jean Buckley Jean Buckley Bucketts"(December 4, 1931 – July 7, 2019) was a center fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , , Buckley batted and threw right-handed. She was born in Dorchester, ...

* Lorraine Bunton * Shirley Burkovich *

* Aldine Calacurcio *

Eleanor Callow Eleanor 'Squirt' Callow (born August 8, 1927) was a left fielder who played from through for three teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Callow was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. She was born in Winnipeg, Manito ...

* Mary Carey *

Betty Carveth Marjorie Elizabeth Carveth (later Dunn, April 13, 1925 – January 27, 2019) was a Canadian pitcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the 1945 season. She batted and threw right handed. Born in Edmonton, A ...

Bea Chester Bea Chester (born c.1921) was a utility infielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She batted and threw right-handed. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Bea Chester was one of the original South Bend Blue Sox found ...

Jean Cione Jean S. Cione ��Cy″(June 23, 1928 – November 22, 2010) was a pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 8", 143 lb., She batted and threw left-handed. AAGPBL rules of play The ...

* Muriel Coben * Clara Cook *

Donna Cook Donna Jean Cook �Cookie״(May 24, 1928 – October 16, 2006) was a pitcher and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 121 lb., she batted right-handed and threw left-handed. ...

* Dorothy Cook * Betty Jane Cornett * Dorothy Cramer * Louella Daetweiler *

Barbara Anne Davis Barbara Anne Davis (October 9, 1930 – March 2, 2008) was an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player. Davis was a member of the Racine Belles and Rockford Peaches clubs during the 1949 season. She played in the Chicago Girls Base ...

* Gladys Davis *

Mildred Deegan Mildred Eleanor Deegan (December 11, 1919 – July 21, 2002) was an American pitcher, outfielder and second basewoman who played ten seasons in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, from to . Background Deegan was one of 25 p ...

* Wanita Dokish * Cartha Doyle *

Beverly Dustrude Beverly "Dusty" Dustrude (later Roberson; October 24, 1926 – December 1, 2008) was an American second basewoman who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She batted and threw right-handed. Born in Beloit, Wisconsin, ...

* Louise Erickson *

Elizabeth Farrow Mary Elizabeth Farrow (later Rapp; August 10, 1926 – March 9, 2010) was a pitcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 7", 130 lb., she batted and threw right handed.Dorothy Ferguson Dorothy B. "Dottie" Ferguson Key (February 17, 1923 – May 8, 2003) was a Canadian infielder and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 125 lb., she batted and threw rig ...

* Helen Filarski * Alva Jo Fischer * Lorraine Fisher *

* Anita Foss * Betty Jane Fritz *

Rose Gacioch Rose M. Gacioch (; August 31, 1915 – September 9, 2004) was a right fielder and pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.June Gilmore June Gilmore (later Hawton; June 13, 1922 – January 6, 1980) was an outfielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in its 1944 season. Listed at 5' 1", 110 lb., she batted and threw right handed.

Thelma Golden Thelma Golden (born 1965 in St. Albans, Queens) is the Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York City, United States. Golden joined the Museum as Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Programs in 2000 before succeeding ...

* Annie Gosbee * Dorothy Green * Carol Habben * Audrey Haine *

Josephine Hasham Josephine "Jo" Hasham (November 10, 1924 – October 15, 2008) was a pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Hasham batted right-handed and threw left-handed.Ruby Heafner Ruby Ethel "Rebel" Heafner (March 3, 1924 – October 2, 2010) was a right-handed catcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1946-51. She joined the AAGPBL after serving during World War II. Playing for the Rockford ...

Lillian Hlavaty Lillian Hlavaty (June 13, 1932 – October 4, 2009) played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1951. She threw right-handed. She was born and raised in Jessup, Pennsylvania Jessup is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pen ...

Margaret Holgerson Margaret Holgerson (January 28, 1927 – March 23, 1990) was an American pitcher and infielder who played from to in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She batted and threw right-handed. After being married in 1948 she played u ...

* Marjorie Hood * Lillian Jackson * Donna Jogerst * Marguerite Jones * Marilyn Jones * Margaret Jurgensmeier *

* Joan Kaufman *

Jacquelyn Kelley Jacquelyn Kelley ée Savage(November 11, 1926 – May 12, 1988) was an American utility infielder/outfielder and pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 140 lb., she batted and th ...

* Adeline Kerrar *

Marguerite Kerrigan Marguerite Kerrigan (July 24, 1931 – February 12, 2022) was an American pitcher and infield/outfield utility who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 9", 150 lb., Kerrigan batted and threw right handed. ...

* Nancy King *

Irene Kotowicz Irene K. Kotowicz Ike"(December 10, 1919 – January 24, 2002) was an American pitcher and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 128 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. ...

Dolores Lee Dolores Margaret Lee (April 21, 1935 – May 14, 2014) was an American female baseball player who played as a pitcher from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 130 lb, she batted and threw right-handed ...

* Josephine Lenard * Barbara Liebrich * Olive Little * Claire Lobrovich *

Jean Lovell Jean Lovell ��Grumpy″(November 21, 1926 – January 1, 1992) was a female catcher and pitcher who played for three different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League between the and seasons. Lovell batted and threw right-h ...

* Shirley Luhtala *

Betty Luna Betty Luna

ill ILL may refer to: * ''I Love Lucy'', a landmark American television sitcom * Illorsuit Heliport (location identifier: ILL), a heliport in Illorsuit, Greenland * Institut Laue–Langevin, an internationally financed scientific facility * Interlibrar ...

(May 1, 1927 – July 13, 2004) a pitcher and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 133 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. A native of Dallas, Texas, B ...

* Gloria McCloskey *

Ethel McCreary Ethel Genevere McCreary Gould (died January 5, 1985) was a Canadian infielder/outfielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She batted and threw right handed. Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Ethel McCreary was one ...

* Marie Mansfield * Hazel Measner *

Naomi Meier Naomi Meier ��Sally″(November 17, 1926 – July 15, 1989) was an outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 115 lb., Meier batted and threw right-handed. She was born in Fort Wayne, ...

Berith Melin Berith "Berry" Ahlquist (later Melin; May 2, 1918 – December 11, 1977) was an outfielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She batted and threw right-handed. Berith Ahlquist was one of the Rockford Peaches foun ...

Bernice Metesch Bernice Metesch or Metesh (born August 9, 1929) is an American former baseball outfielder and pitcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6" and 132 lb, Metesch batted and threw right-handed. She was du ...

* Ruth Miller * Anne "Annie" (Mihelich) Henry * Betty Moczynski *Dorothy Moon * Mary Moore *

* Doris Nelson * Helen Nelson * Helen Nicol * Helen Nordquist * Cynthia Normine * Anna Mae O'Dowd * Pauline Oravets *

Shirley Palesh Shirley Palesh (November 23, 1929 – March 1, 2017) was an American baseball player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League between 1949 and 1950. She both batted and threw right-handed. She earned herself two nicknames while play ...

* Suzanne Parsons * Barbara Payne * Migdalia Pérez * Marjorie Peters * Betty Jean Peterson * Hattie Peterson *

* Mary Pratt * Donna Reid *

* Ruth Ries *

Kay Rohrer Kay Rohrer (June 29, 1922 – March 17, 1962) was a catcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 139 lb, she batted and threw right-handed. A member of a championship team, Kay Rohrer was one of the best ...

Jenny Romatowski Jenniffer A. Romatowski ��Romey″(September 13, 1927 – March 12, 2014) was an American baseball utility player who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 145 lb., she batted and threw righ ...

* Irene Ruhnke * Margaret Russo * Sarah Jane Sands * Dorothy Sawyer * Edna Scheer * Marilyn Schmidt * Violet Schmidt * Minnie Simons * Josephine Skokan * Helen Smith * Mae Starch * Jackie Stallings * Elma Steck *

Margaret Stefani Margaret Stefani 'Marge''(December 18, 1917 – January 13, 1964) was an infielder and chaperone in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Summary Born in Detroit, Michigan, Stefani was one of the sixty original players of the All ...

* Lee Surkowski * Rella Swamp *

Georgia Terkowski Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

* Barbara Thompson * Gene Travis * Betty Tucker * Joan Tysver * Virginia Ventura * Zonia Vialat * Helen Waddell * Betty Warfel * Mildred Warwick * Rossey Weeks * Marie Wegman * Helen Westerman * Margaret Wigiser * Hazel Wildfong *

Janet Wiley Janet M. Wiley ''Sears(October 12, 1933 – July 10, 2010) was an infielder and pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 112 lb, she batted and threw right-handed. A member of a c ...

* Vilma Williams * Verna Wilson * Lorraine Wuethrich * Betty Yahr
''The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: A Biographical Dictionary'' – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2005. Format: Paperback, 295 pp. Language: English.

Managers

''A League of Their Own''

The Rockford Peaches feature in the

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

film ''

A League of Their Own ''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The film stars Tom Hanks, Geena ...

'' by

Penny Marshall Carole Penny MarshallBorn Carole Penny Marshall in 1943, as per ''My Mother Was Nuts, a Memoir'', p. 10; . Copyright 2012 (October 15, 1943 – December 17, 2018) was an American actress, director and producer. She is known for her role as ...

. However, all of the characters in the film are fictitious. The team did not play in the 1943 league championship, as depicted in the film. In real life, the

Racine Belles The Racine Belles were one of the original teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing from through out of Racine, Wisconsin. The Belles won the league's first championship. The team played its home games at Horlick F ...

faced the

Kenosha Comets Based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Kenosha Comets were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The team played their home games at Kenosha's Lake Front Stadium, but l ...

in 1943; the Peaches won their first title in 1945. The formation of the AAGPBL and the Rockford Peaches are also centered in the 2022 TV series ''

References

External links

Official Website of the AAGPBL
{{All-American Girls Professional Baseball League All-American Girls Professional Baseball League teams 1943 establishments in Illinois 1954 disestablishments in Illinois Baseball teams disestablished in 1943 Baseball teams disestablished in 1954 Defunct baseball teams in Illinois Professional baseball teams in Illinois Women in Illinois