Magdalen "Mamie" Redman (July 2, 1930 – August 22, 2020) was a catcher and utility infielder 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 , 150 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Early life
Born in Waupun, Wisconsin, Magdalen Redman grew up in the years before
Little League Baseball
Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizationsandlot ball with the neighborhood kids. She did not start playing organized softball until age 17 in
Oconomowoc
Oconomowoc ( ) is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The name was derived from Coo-no-mo-wauk, the Potawatomi language, Potawatomi term for "waterfall." The population was 15,712 at the 2010 census. The city is partially adjacen ...
, about 37 miles away from Waupun, where she was spotted by an AAGPBL
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, sectio ...
. "They sent a tentative contract and invitation to spring training in the mail. I remember being told that I had made the final cut—I don't remember anything further about a contract," Redman said in an interview. She attended the 1948 spring training at Opa-locka, Florida, and was located to the Kenosha Comets, playing for them for two years before joining the Grand Rapids Chicks from 1950 to 1954.
AAGPBL career
Unspectacular, but quite effective, Redman enjoyed a solid career during her seven years in the league, being noted by her enthusiastic and great knowledge of the game. In her rookie season she played every fielding position except pitcher. After that she played at infield, mainly at third base, before converting to catcher for the rest of her career. She had a stellar defense, being able to catch low balls and block home plate well, which combined with a strong and secure throwing arm.
In 1949 Redman posted the best fielding average among catchers with a .978 mark. Then, she repeated her feat in 1953 after leading all-catchers with a .975 average, helping Grand Rapids win the Championship Series. Her most productive season came in 1954, when she posted a .240 batting average with 39 runs and 20
RBI
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*Reserve Bank of India
*Run batted in
RBI may also refer to:
Organisations
*Radio Berlin International
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in 75 games, all career numbers.The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
A modest .172 career hitter, she collected a notable .349
on-base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...
while batting .267 with three runs and three RBI in six playoff games. As a catcher, she committed only 40 errors in 1,345
chances
Chances may refer to:
* ''Chances'' (TV series), an Australian soap opera
* ''Chances'' (Philippine TV series), a prime-time soap opera
* '' Chances: The Women of Magdalene'', a 2006 documentary film
* ''Chances'' (novel), a 1981 novel by Jac ...
for a .970 average.
Bill Allington All-Stars
When the league was unable to continue in 1955, Redman joined several other players selected by former Fort Wayne Daisies manager Bill Allington to play in the national touring team known as the All-Americans All-Stars. The squad played 100 games, each booked in a different town, against male teams, while traveling over 10,000 miles in the manager's
station wagon
A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...
and a Ford Country Sedan. Besides Redman, the Allington All-Stars included players as
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 bor ...
Betty Foss
Betty "Fossey" Weaver-Foss (May 10, 1929 – February 8, 1998) was an infielder and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 180 lb., she was a switch-hitter and threw right-hand ...
Jean Smith
Jean Isabel Smith (born 1959) is a Canadian writer, painter and the lead singer of the Vancouver band Mecca Normal.
Career Music
Smith co-founded Mecca Normal with bandmate David Lester in 1981, while the two were working together at a Vancouv ...
Following her baseball career, Redman taught physical education at Oconomowoc High School and worked as a high school mathematics teacher for 26 years. She also traveled through the United States, Canada, and Europe to teach adult bible studies. In addition, she enjoyed many outdoor activities and was an avid golfer. "I carried an 8 or 9 handicap most of the time," she explained.
Since 1988 Redman has been 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 private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-re ...
in
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in and 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 the C ...
, which was unveiled to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League rather than individual baseball personalities.
Mamie Redman lived in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. She died in Oconomowoc on August 22, 2020.