Anna L. "Pee Wee" Meyer (later Petrovic; born November 17, 1928) is a former female

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

who played 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 ...

during the 1944 season. Born in

Aurora, Indiana Aurora is a city in Dearborn County, Indiana, United States. The population was 3,479 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the 2010 census, Aurora has a total area of , of which (or 89.41%) is land and (or 10.59%) is water. History Aur ...

, she was one of the youngest players to sign a contract with the league at age 15.

Career

In 1942, chewing gum magnate and

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

owner

Philip K. Wrigley Philip Knight Wrigley (December 5, 1894 – April 12, 1977) was an American chewing gum manufacturer and a Major League Baseball executive, inheriting both of those roles as the son of William Wrigley Jr. Biography Wrigley was born in Chicago in ...

decided to start a women's pro softball league, concerned that the 1943 major-league season might be canceled because of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Play in 1943 was a hybrid of softball and baseball, and the circuit initially called the All-American Girls Softball League, though early in the first season the name was changed to All American Girls Baseball League. Meyer was one of the youngest players to sign a contract with the newly founded All-American Girls Professional Baseball League at age 15. She batted and threw right-handed and was invited to a tryout in the 1944

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

and immediately was assigned to the

Kenosha Comets The Kenosha Comets were a women's professional baseball team based in Kenosha, Wisconsin 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 ...

. Meyer earned the promotion only after her father lied about her age: The league minimum was 16, as she was eight months short of becoming eligible. During the 1944 mid-season, she was traded by Kenosha to the

Minneapolis Millerettes The Minneapolis Millerettes were an expansion All-American Girls Professional Baseball League team that played for one season in 1944 based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Millerettes played home games at Nicollet Park, home of the men's minor lea ...

in the same transaction that brought

Elizabeth Mahon Elizabeth B. Mahon (November 18, 1919 – September 6, 2001) was an American outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 135 lb., Mahon batted and threw right-handed. She was born i ...

to the Comets. Meyer hit a combined .192

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

in 142 games. Considering the league was using underhand pitching and a softball with a twelve-inch diameter, her average was acceptable for a

middle infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

, especially with sharp defensive skills. In fact, All-Star outfielder Betsy Jochum clinched the batting title that year with a .296 mark. At the end of the season, Meyer moved to a rival Chicago-based

National Girls Baseball League The National Girls Baseball League (NGBL) was a professional women's baseball league which existed from 1944 to 1954, with teams based in Chicago, Illinois. The National Girls Baseball League started a year after the All-American Girls Professio ...

to get more playing time and nearly as much money. She played for the Chicago Bluebirds for five years, and enjoyed being on the new team more because it required less travel and she also could hold down a job.

Personal life

In 1950, she married photographer George Petrovic. They raised two sons, David and George Jr.. As of 2008, she was living in

Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

.Mcauley, Jordan. ''The Celebrity Black Book 2008'', Mega Niche Media (2007), pg. 744; The

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United St ...

recognized the AAGPBL with a permanent ''Women in Baseball'' exhibit in 1988.

Statistics

Batting

Fielding

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyer, Anna All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Baseball players from Indiana 1928 births Living people National Girls Baseball League players 21st-century American women American women baseball players People from Aurora, Indiana Sportspeople from Dearborn County, Indiana