The Muskegon Lassies were one of the expansion teams of 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 ...

in the 1946 season, representing

Muskegon, Michigan Muskegon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Muskegon County, Michigan, United States. Situated around a harbor of Lake Michigan, Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, and boating. It is the most populous city along Lake Michigan' ...

. The team played their home games at Marsh Field. The league, its teams, and its story were later depicted in

A League of Their Own ''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). It stars Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Ma ...

History

The 1946 Muskegon Lassies posted a 46–66 record in their first year, and placed sixth in the eight–team league. They improved to 69–43 in

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

, to win a close pennant race with the Grand Rapids Chicks. Muskegon was led by OF/ P Doris Sams, who ranked in several offensive categories and also collected 11 victories, including a perfect game, good enough to win the

Most Valuable Player Award In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

. Notably, the team counted with three of the top four pitchers in

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

, Sams (0.98), Amy Irene Applegren (1.06) and Nancy Warren (1.13), but lost to 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 F ...

in the

best-of-five There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...

, first-round matchup 3–1. Muskegon went 66–57 in

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

to gain a playoff berth, but lost to the

Fort Wayne Daisies The Fort Wayne Daisies were a women's professional baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana that played from through as members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. History The Daisies represented Fort Wayne, Indiana, and ...

in the

first round First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

, three to zero games. The team dropped to 46–66 in

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

but was able to reach the playoffs for the third consecutive year. Muskegon disposed of 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 ...

in the first round, 3–1, being swept by 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 ...

in the

semifinals A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...

, 3–0.

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...

became a nightmare for Muskegon, after registering the worst record in the league (36–73) and a relocation during the midseason to

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

, where the team was renamed 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 ...

All-time roster

:''Bold denotes members of the inaugural roster'' * Gertrude Alderfer * Beatrice Allard * Melba Alspaugh * Amy Applegren * Norene Arnold * Doris Barr * Patricia Barringer *

Erma Bergmann Erma M. "Bergie" Bergmann (June 18, 1924 – September 13, 2015) was an American baseball pitcher and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 155 lb., she batted and threw right ...

* Jaynne Bittner * Shirley Burkovich * Phyllis Carlson * Ann Cindric * Donna Cook * Gloria Cordes * Gladys Davis * Betty Degner * Pauline Dennert * Peggy Fenton * Alva Jo Fischer * Anita Foss * Betty Francis * Genevieve George *

Julie Gutz Julie Kathleen Gutz (December 4, 1926 – April 26, 2021) was an American baseball catcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 5", 155 lb., Gutz batted and threw right handed. She was dubbed 'Gutzie' b ...

*Miss Hack * Helen Hannah * Josephine Hasham * Alice Hohlmayer * Margaret Holgerson *

Anna Mae Hutchison Anna May Hutchison Hutch"(May 1, 1925 – January 29, 1998) was a female pitcher and catcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 149 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Sometimes s ...

* Arleene Johnson * Marilyn Jones * Glenna Sue Kidd * Theresa Klosowski * Arlene Kotil * Marie Kruckel * Josephine Lenard * Sarah Lonetto * Therese McKinley * Dorothy Maguire * Pauline Martin * Naomi Meier * Norma Metrolis * Dorothy Montgomery * Eve Mytrysak * Eileen O'Brien * Joanne Overleese * Barbara Payne * Marguerite Pearson * Betty Petryna * Charlene Pryer * Sara Reeser * Mary Rini * Juanita Roylance * Doris Sams * June Schofield * Delores Seigfried * Dorothy Stolze * Doris Tetzlaff * Kathryn Vonderau * Betty Wagoner * Helen Walulik * Nancy Warren * Marion Watson * Evelyn Wawryshyn * Marie Wegman * Margaret Wenzell * Elizabeth Wicken * Renae Youngberg

Managers

References

Sources

*''The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book'' – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2000. Format: Hardcover, 302pp. Language: English. *''Encyclopedia of Women and Baseball – Leslie A. Heaphy, Mel Anthony May. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2006. Format: Paperback, 438pp. Language: English.

External links

Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame
{{All-American Girls Professional Baseball League All-American Girls Professional Baseball League teams 1946 establishments in Michigan 1950 disestablishments in Michigan Baseball teams established in 1946 Baseball teams disestablished in 1950 Lassies Defunct baseball teams in Michigan Women's sports in Michigan