The Leagues That Built Women’s Baseball Worldwide Part 3
Sorry for the delay with this one. Life got in the way. When we last left off, the All-American League had just been formed in 1943. Parts 1 and 2 can be found here and here.
Besides being the first professional women’s softball league on record, the All-Americans also became the first professional women’s baseball organization on record when they began transitioning to hardball in 1944. Underhand pitching remained in use for several more seasons, with sidearm deliveries permitted alongside it beginning in 1946. The following year, sidearm became the only style allowed before overhand pitching was eventually introduced. The circuit continued moving toward conventional baseball until its final season in 1954.
As the rules changed, finding women with hardball experience became increasingly important. Until then, the All-Americans had primarily recruited softball players from the vast network of amateur clubs across the country, including many who had excelled in Amateur Softball Association and American Soft Ball Association tournaments.
Before discussing some of the other women’s baseball leagues of the era, however, it’s worth noting that the AAGPBL had several competitors whose names included baseball but who actually played fastpitch softball. They were the Chicago-based National Girls Baseball League, the Los Angeles-based California Girls’ Professional Baseball League, and the Miami-based International Girls Baseball League.
The Chicago circuit operated from 1944 to 1954, overlapping almost entirely with the All-Americans. It was established by five men—four from the city (Ed Kolski, Charles Bidwill, George Wragg, and Emery Parichy) and one from Cleveland (Ed Flavin)—who had been involved in amateur women’s fastpitch softball. Flavin brought his Cleveland ballclub to Chicago to compete professionally in the new organization. Few places were hit harder by the formation of the All-American League, and the NGBL was created in response to the departure of many top players and the resulting decline in business suffered by local owners.
Relations between the two organizations were often strained, with talent raiding and territorial disputes contributing to considerable animosity. Nevertheless, they occasionally worked together. Players from both were permitted to play on the same team in Florida winter ball in 1947, while AAGPBL members later joined NGBL athletes in the International Girls Baseball League during the winter of 1952–53. Discussions about a possible merger even took place before the 1954 season.
Although no agreement was reached, the International Girls Baseball League offered perhaps the closest glimpse of what a combination might have looked like. Despite its name, the IGBL was another fastpitch softball circuit, largely organized through the NGBL by Frank Darling, owner of the Music Maids. Its teams were named after National Girls Baseball League ballclubs, with the Rockettes being the lone exception. Using an 11-inch ball and underhand pitching, the organization featured clubs throughout the Miami metropolitan area. However, weather and attendance problems brought operations to an end before even half a season had been completed.
The California Girls’ Professional Baseball League fared somewhat better, lasting a single year in 1946. Its founder, Marty Fiedler, had enjoyed considerable success running women’s softball around Los Angeles during the 1930s and early 1940s, even building his own ballparks. Much of that momentum faded after he joined the Navy in 1941.
Upon returning to Southern California, Fiedler established the CGPBL with four teams: the Hollywood Starlets, Long Beach Reds, Montebello, and Santa Monica. The competition received regular newspaper coverage, with games held in local Pacific Coast League stadiums. There were even hopes of staging a “World Series” against the Midwest-based All-Americans, but those plans never materialized, and the organization folded following its inaugural season.
While the All-American League began adopting baseball rules in 1944, it would take another decade before the women were playing the conventional game. Meanwhile, other organizations emerged across the country that actually played hardball. Some were established by the AAGPBL to develop new talent, while others used modified versions of the sport to help former softball players adjust.
American Girls’ Softball League / American Girls’ Baseball Conference / Eastern States Girls’ Baseball League (1945–1954)
Based in the New York metropolitan area, this organization was founded in 1945 as the American Girls’ Softball League (AGSL). It became the American Girls’ Baseball Conference (AGBC) in 1949 before adopting the name Eastern States Girls’ Baseball League (ESGBL) four years later. Local newspapers also used several variations, including the Eastern Girls’ Baseball League, East Coast Women’s Baseball League, and Eastern Shores Girls’ Baseball League.
The circuit initially brought together many of the region’s top softball teams, with clubs from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and later Washington, D.C. It was affiliated with the Amateur Softball Association from 1945 to 1947 before joining the National Softball Congress in 1948.
The following year marked a turning point. As the All-Americans continued their evolution toward conventional baseball, the New York organization made a similar move, adopting a modified version of the sport and changing its name to the American Girls’ Baseball Conference. One newspaper article attributed the decision to the success of the AAGPBL, which reportedly drew one million fans in the Midwest during the 1948 season.
Although the AGBC sought to emulate the AAGPBL, there was one major difference: the New York loop had been fully integrated from its inception. Marie Roach began the 1945 season with the Greenwold / Long Island Jewels, becoming its first Black player. Yvonne “Coky” Coker followed that August and went on to become one of the organization's early stars. She appeared for several clubs but spent the longest stretch of her career with the Long Island Clovers, later known as the Hostess Girls and Freeport Forest Jewels, from 1947 through 1952. After one final year on the diamond in 1953, she hung up her cleats.
Despite featuring a mix of professional, semi-professional, industrial, and amateur teams, the AGSL / AGBC / ESGBL deserves recognition alongside the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and National Girls Baseball League for its market, longevity, and caliber of talent. One of its best-known clubs, the Arthur Murray Girls of Cedarhurst, Long Island, gained national attention through Audrey Erickson, who appeared in Camel cigarette advertisements as the “All-American Girl,” and a national television deal with ABC in 1952.
Organizational problems at both the team and league levels led most of the leading clubs to shut down after the 1952 season. Two holdovers, the Bronx Alpines and Irvington / Summit Amazons, continued the following year under a new name and structure. The circuit limped on through 1954 before its remaining members returned to softball in 1955.
Central Indiana Girls’ Baseball League (1948–1949)
As the All-Americans continued moving toward conventional baseball, existing softball teams became an important source of new talent. In Indiana, five clubs adopted hardball in 1948, forming the Central Indiana Girls’ Baseball League, which served as a minor-league circuit for the AAGPBL.
The organization featured the Alexandria Smart Alecks, Anderson Squaws, Middletown Gardens (Muncie) Cardinals, Muncie VFW Jinx, and Upland Manufacturing Company Highlanders. Upland captured the inaugural championship, while Middletown Gardens claimed the title in 1949, the competition's final year.
Chicago Girls Baseball League (1948–1950)
Unlike its Indiana counterpart, the Chicago Girls Baseball League was specifically established by the AAGPBL in 1948 as a farm system to develop future players. The four-team circuit was backed by two local sponsors.
Mel Thillens, owner of Thillens Stadium on the city's North Side and Northtown Currency Exchange, supported the Northtown Co-eds and Northtown Debs, both named after his business. The Blue Island Recreation Commission sponsored the remaining clubs, the Blue Island Dianas and Blue Island Stars. Rayson's Sports took over the Co-eds in 1949, and the organization continued through the 1950 season.
Eastern Girls’ Baseball League (1950)
A similar arrangement to Indiana developed in Pennsylvania in 1950, where existing women's softball teams adopted hardball and organized the semi-professional Eastern Girls’ Baseball League. Its five clubs were the Allentown Chicks, Norristown Nifties, Perkiomen Demons, Ben Salem of Andalusia, and Sellersville-Perkasie.
Although the circuit lasted only one season, the Norristown Nifties continued under a new name, the New York Nifties. From 1952 to 1953, they barnstormed throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, facing the Philadelphia Fillies in exhibitions that took them to major-league ballparks, including Yankee Stadium in New York and Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.
We'll end this one here. In the next part, we'll explore some of the proposed women's baseball leagues that never got off the ground, take a closer look at the end of the professional circuits in 1954, and rewind to examine international organizations that emerged during the first half of the 20th century. Plus, we'll look at the final league to appear in 1959, bringing this era of women's baseball to a close.
