Shirley Stovroff 'Stovie''(March 18, 1931 – September 16, 1994) was a

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 ...

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 ...

. Stovroff batted and threw right-handed. She was born in

Madison, Illinois Madison is a city in Madison and St. Clair counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is also a suburb of St. Louis. The population was 3,171 at the 2020 census, down from 3,891 in 2010. It is home to World Wide Technology Raceway at Gate ...

. Stovroff entered the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1948 with the expansion

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 ...

, playing for them part of that season before joining 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 ...

for the rest of her career (1948–1952). Her most productive season came in 1951, when she hit a .266 average in 100 games, including 81

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

, and drove in 54 runs while

scoring SCORE may refer to: *SCORE (software), a music scorewriter program * SCORE (television), a weekend sports service of the defunct Financial News Network *SCORE! Educational Centers *SCORE International, an offroad racing organization *Sarawak Corrido ...

37 times. She also was a member of the South Bend teams that clinched the Championship titles in 1951 and 1952. While catching for the Blue Sox, Stovroff formed a solid

battery Battery or batterie most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source * Battery indicator, a device whic ...

with talented

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, ...

Jean Faut Jean Anna Faut ''Winsch/Eastman(January 17, 1925 – February 28, 2023) was an American starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 137 lb., she batted and threw right-hande ...

, catching two

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

s and one perfect game for her teammate. She also led the Sox offensive with a .467 average (7-for-15) and three RBI in the 1951 final series. Stovroff is part of ''Women in Baseball'', the AAGPBL permanent display 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 inaugurated on November 5, in honor of the entire league rather than individual baseball personalities. Stovroff died in her homeland of Madison at the age of 63.Illinois Genealogy Trails – St. Johns Cemetery
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Batting statistics

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stovroff, Shirley All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Baseball players from Madison County, Illinois People from Madison, Illinois 1931 births 1994 deaths Baseball players from St. Clair County, Illinois 20th-century American sportswomen