Jane Moffet (July 2, 1930 – March 16, 2018) was an American

utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, basketball, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water ...

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 , , Moffett batted and threw right-handed. She was born in

Pitman, New Jersey Pitman is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Gloucester County, New Jersey, Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 8,780, a decrease of 231 (−2.6%) from the 2010 Un ...

and graduated from

Pitman High School Pitman High School is a comprehensive community public high school in Pitman, in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Pitman School District. ...

in 1948, where she competed in basketball and field hockey, but never played baseball. Moffet was one of the 15 players born in New Jersey to join the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in its 12-year history. She was among the most versatile players in the late years of the circuit, playing

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

and the

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In bat and ball games ...

. She made the league by mistake and ended up playing for four different teams in part of four seasons. Moffet was allocated to the travelling

Springfield Sallies The Springfield Sallies were a women's professional baseball team who were members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1948 season and became a development team. The Sallies were based in Springfield, Illinois and playe ...

and

Chicago Colleens The Chicago Colleens were a women's professional baseball team who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1948 to 1951, evolving into a development team. The team was based Chicago, Illinois and played their home gam ...

for two years to acquire more experience and better professional quality. In 1950, she played 21 games mostly as a catcher and hit .161 with 11 runs and nine RBI. She continued her college education, but joined the league at the end of each semester to play ball. In 1951 Moffett was promoted to the

Kalamazoo Lassies The Kalamazoo Lassies were a team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The team represented Kalamazoo, Michigan. Home games were initially played at Lindstrom Field, but later games were played at the ...

and she played in 94 of the 100 games of her team. Smooth at the plate, she was just as splendid in the field, turning in seemingly effortless catches between all three outfield spots. She finished her rookie season with a .205 average (64-for-312), including 11 doubles, one

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * I ...

and 23

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...

s, driving in 23 runs while scoring 35 times.All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book Moffet opened 1952 with Kalamazoo, but was dealt to the

Battle Creek Belles The Battle Creek Belles were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The Belles represented Battle Creek, Michigan, and played their home games at Bailey Park. Hist ...

during the midseason, as the league usually switched players as needed to help new teams to be competitive. She posted a combined .238 average in 56 games, while dividing her playing time at first base and the outfield. At the end of four years, Moffet quit the league and remained in New Jersey because her mother was terminally ill. Then, she finished her master's degree at

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

and worked in the education area for more than four decades. Eventually, she became a high school principal at

Saddle Brook High School Saddle Brook High School is a six-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grades from Saddle Brook, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary sch ...

until her retirement in 1994.The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Since 1988 Moffet is part of ''Women in Baseball'', a permanent display based at the

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 S ...

Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and the county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in ...

, which was unveiled to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League rather than individual baseball personalities. Retired from a position as principal of

, Moffet lived in

Rio Grande, New Jersey Rio Grande () is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Middle Township and Lower Township in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Though for the 1990 to 2010 U.S. censuses the CDP was entir ...

until the time of her death.Weinberg, David
"Weinberg: Former baseball player Jane Moffet was a pioneer"
, ''

The Press of Atlantic City ''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, New Jersey, Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The Designated marke ...

'', March 24, 2018. Accessed January 5, 2022. "Jane Moffet never intended to be a baseball pioneer. The Rio Grande resident, who died at 87 on March 16, was a 17-year-old freshman at East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania when a friend coaxed her into joining her at a tryout for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL)."Micko, Lillian
"Real 'League Of Their Own' Players Are Honored Fans Inspired By The Movie Came. So Did Two Women Who Played And Their Coach."
, ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'', July 13, 1994. Accessed October 12, 2015. "Moffet, who lived in Toms River but grew up in Pitman, retired just last month after 42 years in education."

Career statistics

Batting Collective fielding Source:

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moffet, Jane 1930 births 2018 deaths All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania alumni Rutgers University alumni People from Pitman, New Jersey Pitman High School alumni Sportspeople from Toms River, New Jersey Baseball players from Camden County, New Jersey 20th-century American sportswomen Baseball players from Gloucester County, New Jersey Baseball players from Ocean County, New Jersey