Agnes Zurowski (February 21, 1920 – June 25, 2013) was a pitcher for 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 ...

(AAGPBL) in 1945. She both threw and batted right-handed.

Early life and family

She was born on a family farm, five miles north of

Edenwold, Saskatchewan Edenwold ( 2016 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Edenwold No. 158 and Census Division No. 6. It is located north of the City of Regina. History Edenwold incorporated as ...

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. Her parents were: Maria Theresia (née Kwasnicki) and Leon Zurowski. They were both immigrants from the

Bukovina Bukovinagerman: Bukowina or ; hu, Bukovina; pl, Bukowina; ro, Bucovina; uk, Буковина, ; see also other languages. is a historical region, variously described as part of either Central or Eastern Europe (or both).Klaus Peter BergerT ...

region of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. They were known for being the first Catholics to settle in the district, arriving in 1907, just two years after the creation of the province of Saskatchewan.

Pre-league baseball

Before joining the AAGPBL, she played for the Regina Bombers. In 1940 and 1941, she played in the Canadian Championship. In 1944, while she was playing for the Bombers, the team won the city championship.

Baseball league

Zurowski played professional baseball for the league in two teams: 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 Fi ...

and the Fort Wayne Daisies, both in 1945. She was signed up by league President

Max Carey Maximillian George Carnarius (January 11, 1890 – May 30, 1976), known as Max George Carey, was an American professional baseball center fielder and manager. Carey played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1910 through 1 ...

along with six other Canadian baseball players in 1945. Together with Marie Menheer, Zurowski made her debut for Racine on the road in Kenosha, Wisconsin. As reported by the Racine Journal Times, "Zurowski was the losing pitcher, although she only survived into the third inning. The Comets slammed 10 hits from her offerings, and she saw six runs cross the plate before giving up to Menheer, a Kenosha native, who passed out five more safeties." The team was defeated by 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 List of defunct amusement parks#Wisc ...

, 12-2. The next game she appeared in was the fourth inning against 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 ...

. Agnes surrendered a further five runs (including a home run) in the 15-3 loss. Those two performances resulted in her being put on waivers by the Belles; she was then put on the roster for use in long relief by the Fort Wayne Daisies. All in all, she pitched 12 innings in four games, surrendered 17 earned runs and issued nine bases on balls with two strikeouts.

Post-league-baseball

After her professional baseball career, Zurowski went back to Canada and pitched for the Edmonton Mortons. In 1988, its 1945–52 roster was inducted into the Softball Alberta Hall of Fame. In 1991, Zurowski was inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame.

Post-baseball career

She worked at Regina's Army & Navy Department Store for 48 years. She retired in 1989.

Pitching records

Batting record

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zurowski, Agnes 1920 births 2013 deaths Canadian Roman Catholics All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Baseball people from Saskatchewan Canadian baseball players 21st-century American women