Elizabeth B. Mahon (November 18, 1919 – September 6, 2001) was an American
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...
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 ...
. Listed at , 135 lb., Mahon batted and threw
right-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to and causing it to be stronger, faster or more Fine motor skill, dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dext ...
. She was born in
Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...
.
Early life
Lib Mahon was one of six children of David Mahon and Pearl Mahon. Her father and older brother were avid baseball fans, while her younger brother played sandlot ball and her three sisters handled most of the chores around home. At age of twelve, Mahon and her older sisters played for a local
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
team sponsored by the Brandon Cotton Mill, where their father worked as a truck driver. She also played intramural sports at Parker High, including
fastpitch softball
Fastpitch softball, or simply fastpitch, is a form of softball played by both women and men. While the teams are most often segregated by sex, coed fast-pitch leagues also exist. Considered the most competitive form of softball, fastpitch is the ...
,
field hockey
Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...
and
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
.
Mahon proved herself to be one of the most competent ballplayers in AAGPBL history. At a very early age, she got used to playing ball with her brothers in Greenville brownfields. She not only learned how to play the games, but also gained self-confidence by setting and reaching goals, self-esteem by continual growth, and respect for others and themselves. Lib, who grew up in a mill village located directly across the street from the Brandon Mills, was among the most talented of those who ever played on the improvised baseball diamonds that were usually the property of one of the area's many textile mills. It was not easy for a female ball player to hone her diamond skills in the thirties, because the high schools did offer athletic programs for female students, and the girls who liked baseball could often be seen playing with the boys.
Part of a modest and big family, Mahon decided to take a job in a cotton mill while completing her senior year in high school. Even though life at the mill meant 55-hour weeks for those who were considered full-time employees, girls' athletic teams usually were made up of employers who held jobs at their respective plants, as the games were played on weekends, though an occasional weekday game came (into the picture) from time to time. While it was common practice for men's mill teams to put talented ball players on the local payroll to shore up the strength of their lineup, the girls just played for fun. Despite being one of the better players around the Greenville area, Mahon never received payment for playing on any of these teams.
Mahon continued to work at her boring mill job following her graduation in 1937, until an aunt offered to pay her a college education at
Winthrop College
Winthrop University is a public university in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was founded in 1886 by David Bancroft Johnson, who served as the superintendent of Columbia, South Carolina schools. He received a grant from Robert Charles Winthrop, ...
. Mahon accepted the generous proposition and began her freshman year on the campus in 1938. She finished college in 1942 with a degree in physical education, and spent one year in
Whitmire, South Carolina
Whitmire is a town in Newberry County, South Carolina, Newberry County, South Carolina, United States, along the Enoree River. The population was 1,390 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town was named for George Fredrick Whitmire, ...
, teaching all subjects to a class of seventh graders. She returned to Greenville in 1944 and took a job in the U.S. Post Office.
While at college, Mahon started a close friendship with
Viola Thompson, a talented
fastpitch softball
Fastpitch softball, or simply fastpitch, is a form of softball played by both women and men. While the teams are most often segregated by sex, coed fast-pitch leagues also exist. Considered the most competitive form of softball, fastpitch is the ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
with the same passion for baseball. Eventually, Mahon played softball in Greenville on the same team with Thompson. In the same year, a talent
scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
** Scouts BSA, sect ...
offered Mahon and Thompson an invitation to come to the newly founded All-American Girls Professional Baseball League tryouts, which were to be held at
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a ballpark on the North Side, Chicago, North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charl ...
in
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. Both Mahon and Thompson managed to win full-time jobs in the AAGPBL for the 1944 season.
AAGPBL career
Mahon was assigned 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 ...
, a helpless and unfortunate franchise that did not last long in the league. She eventually was spotted by
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 ...
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
Marty McManus
Martin Joseph McManus (March 14, 1900 – February 18, 1966) was an American baseball player and manager.
A native of Chicago, Illinois, McManus spent two years in the United States Army before beginning his professional baseball career in 192 ...
, who traded three players for her during the midseason. Mahon played at outfield and took an occasional turn at one of the infield spots, but she was especially noted by her hitting ability. In her first season, she hit .211 with 38
runs batted in
A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...
and a career-high three
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
s in 107 games. She quickly established herself as a solid player and assured a return for the 1945 season. That year, McManus joined 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 F ...
and traded for her again. Mahon responded with a
hitting streak
In baseball, a hitting streak is the number of consecutive official games in which a player appears and gets at least one base hit. According to the Official Baseball Rules, such a streak is not necessarily ended when a player has at least 1 pl ...
which spanned 13 games, tying an all-time record set by
Rockford Peaches
The Rockford Peaches were a women's professional baseball team who played from 1943 to 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A founding member, the team represented Rockford, Illinois.
The Peaches were one of 2 teams to p ...
'
Mildred Warwick
Mildred Marion Warwick �Mille״(October 18, 1922 – December 9, 2006) was an infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 2", 115 lb., she batted and threw right handed.
Born in ...
in 1943.
In 1946, Mahon hit .276 for the sixth best
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 ...
and led the batters with 72 runs batted in. She also was credited for
stealing
Theft (, cognate to ) is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal short ...
114 bases out of 116 attempts, but for most of the time, Mahon was the
cleanup hitter
In baseball, a cleanup hitter is the fourth hitter in the batting order. The cleanup hitter is traditionally the team's most powerful hitter. His job is to "clean up the bases", that is, drive in base runners.
Theory
The thinking behind the ...
for the Blue Sox. She helped her team to clinch the regular pennant in 1951, after leading the league with 60 RBI while hitting .269. She also showed her offensive consistency by driving in 68 runs (second) in 1951 and 65 (third) in 1948.
Mahon spent a total of nine seasons in the league. Along the way, she was chosen for the AAGPBL All Star team on two occasions (1946, 1949), and posted a career batting average of .248 (721-for-2903), including 432
runs and 400 RBI in 837 game appearances. Her 400 RBI ties her with
Pepper Paire
Lavone A. "Pepper" Paire Davis (May 29, 1924 – February 2, 2013) was a baseball catcher and infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 138 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
...
for fourth best in the AAGPBL's all-time list, behind
Dorothy Schroeder
Dorothy "Dottie" Schroeder (April 11, 1928 – December 8, 1996) was an American shortstop who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 150 lb., Schroeder batted and threw right-handed. She w ...
(431),
Inez Voyce (422) and
Eleanor Callow
Eleanor 'Squirt' Callow (August 8, 1927 – October 28, 1974) 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 ...
(407).
Mahon quit playing during the 1952 season, but did not return to South Carolina. By then the AAGPBL had begun to go downhill as interest in the novelty of top-flight women's baseball was losing its luster, and baseball, in general, was beginning to fall in hardest times as well as the salaries, forcing club owners could get players to play at their clubs for relatively cheap. Then, Mahon accepted a well remunerated teaching position in the public school system of
South Bend, Indiana
South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...
. After earning a master's degree at
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...
, in 1960, she remained as a teacher and later a guidance counselor until her retirement in 1981.
Mahon continued to live in South Bend, where she died at the age of 81. Her final honor came posthumously, when she was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame on May 5, 2005. Mahon is one of only two South Carolina natives to play in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, the other being her longtime friend Viola Thompson, who had been inducted in the SCAHOF in 1998.
Career statistics
Batting
Fielding
Sources
*''All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book'' – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2000. Format: Paperback, 294pp. Language: English. .
*''Baseball In The Carolinas: 25 Essays On The States' Hardball Heritage'' – Chris Holaday, Clyde King. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2002. Format: Paperback, 192 pp. Language: English.
*''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. .
External links
AAGPBL Official SiteLib Mahon Biography b
Jim Sargent baseball researcher and historian
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahon, Elizabeth
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players
Baseball players from Greenville, South Carolina
1919 births
2001 deaths
20th-century American sportswomen