They came from across the globe to play the game they loved.
Between 1943 and 1954, more than 600 women took to the field as members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
In 1998, the Canadian contingent was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Originally, 64 were honoured but that number was later revised to 68. The AAGPBL website lists 26 players and two chaperones as being from Saskatchewan, while we found two listed as being from Alberta who were born and grew up here.
By far, Saskatchewan had the largest impact on the circuit from a Canadian perspective.
In honour of International Women’s Day, we wanted to single out all of the players with connections to our province and give you a brief history on their contributions to the game of baseball.
Flora Velma Abbott entered the AAGPBL with high praise, having helped the Alameda softball team capture two world championships in 1938 and 1939. The Regina native turned into a bit of a traveler, splitting the 1946 season between the Kenosha Comets, Peoria Redwings and Rockford Peaches. She hit .178 with five runs batted in and 13 stolen bases. “Abby” was then sent over to the Fort Wayne Daisies in 1947, where she hit .141 with a homer, 15 RBI and 18 swipes. She also became known for her glove, leading the league’s second basemen in fielding average at .978.
Doreen (Petryna) Allen and Mullins
The product of Liberty, Saskatchewan, Doreen (Petryna) Allen and Mullins spent the 1948 season with the Grand Rapids Chicks before moving onto the Fort Wayne Daisies the following season. While “Betty” was a good hitter in the league, she was known best for her defence and holds the AAGPBL record for most assists in a game with 12. Interestingly, she says she was a late-bloomer to baseball. “I didn’t ever really play softball until high school,” she told The Mid-Week News in Illinois. “I’d sit on the back porch and watch my brothers practice. One was a pitcher and one was a catcher and I was just mesmerized, but I was never allowed to touch their mitts.” She passed away in September 2020.
Perhaps the most well-known Canadian to suit up in the AAGPBL, it’s been said that Geena Davis’ character in “A League Of Their Own” most resembled Mary “Bonnie” Baker. The Regina native was the league’s most publicized player, often referred to as “Pretty Bonnie Baker” by the press. She was an all-star catcher for the South Bend Blue Sox from 1943-1949 before managing the Kalamazoo Lassies in 1950 and continuing to play through 1952. She also holds the title of first female sports broadcaster, working with Regina radio station CKRM in 1964-1965. A Heritage Minute was also created about her in 2023. Baker passed away in 2003.
After five years playing with the Regina Army and Navy Bombers in Class ‘A’ softball, Christine (Jewitt) Beckett found her way to the AAGPBL and was a solid outfielder during her two seasons. She hit .216 with three home runs, 35 RBI and 51 stolen bases in 117 games for the Kenosha Comets. Her second season wasn’t as strong, but she sported a .206 batting average with 15 RBI and 17 stolen bases. “Chris” was also traded to Peoria during the campaign. “We had good fan support and I believe they enjoyed the games,” Beckett said in a 2005 interview. She passed away in April 2018.
Another athlete who spent a couple of years in the AAGPBL, not a lot has been published about Catherine Bennett. The product of Regina split the 1943 season between Kenosha and the South Bend Blue Sox, she went 8-13 with a 3.81 ERA in 31 appearances, striking out 53 hitters in 189-plus innings. She returned to South Bend the following year and continued to be a workhorse on the mound, delivering a 14-9 record with a 2.04 ERA in 34 games, striking out 69 in 229 innings.
Aside from farming near Tessier, the Coben family was deep into baseball. So it came as no surprise that Muriel took a liking to the sport as well. Considered one of the best out of Saskatchewan, she helped many teams win regional, provincial and national championships before joining the AAGPBL during the inaugural 1943 season. Despite her talents, she struggled in the U.S., going 4-16 with a 4.74 ERA in 37 appearances split between the South Bend Blue Sox and Rockford Peaches. She passed away in Saskatoon in 1979.
A two-team pitcher during the 1944 season, Regina’s Marguerite (Jones) Davis played for both the Minneapolis Millerettes and the Rockford Peaches. The righthander went 6-12 in 28 games, posting a 3.70 ERA, interestingly only striking out one batter in 175 innings. She helped her cause offensively as well, hitting .162 but walking 25 times while swiping 27 bases. Davis passed away in Moose Jaw in 1995 at the age of 77.
There were a few sister pairs who played in the AAGPBL and the Surkowskis from Saskatchewan were among them. Hailing from Moose Jaw, Lena was the younger of the two and had a lengthy career in the league, spanning 1944-1948 with the South Bend Blue Sox and Fort Wayne Daisies. “Lee” had her best offensive season in 1944, hitting .212 with three home runs, 29 RBI and 37 stolen bases in 100 games. The outfielder’s numbers were fairly steady throughout her time in the league. She passed away in 2012 at the age of 86.
The older of the two Surkowski sisters, Anne’s time in the AAGPBL wasn’t as long or celebrated as Lena’s. The two played together with the Blue Sox in 1945, where Anne hit just .103 with an RBI and four stolen bases in 21 games. She passed away in 2020.
The product of tiny Melaval, southwest of Moose Jaw, Terry Donahue had a lengthy career with the Peoria Redwings from 1946-1949. Known for her hustle and cheerful personality, the catcher became a fan favourite while posting a .127 batting average with 50 RBI and 44 stolen bases in 287 games. Back home in 1947, she met and fell in love with Pat Henschel. They moved in together in the Chicago area for nearly six decades before coming out to their families in 2009. Their story was told in the Netflix documentary, “A Secret Love,” which was released in 2020. Donahue passed away a year earlier in Edmonton at the age of 93.
Another Regina product who was noticed by scouts while she was playing softball, Julianna (Sabo) Dusanko was a right-handed infielder who caught on with the Minneapolis Millerettes and the Racine Belles in 1944. She hit .167 with 16 RBI and 29 stolen bases in 76 games that season. “Julie” stayed in the US afterwards, suiting up in the National Girls Baseball League of Chicago with the Parichy Bloomer Girls before coming home to Canada, where she played fastpitch and won two championships. She moved back to Arizona in 1963 and passed away in 2003 at the age of 81.
With a population of just 35, the village of Zelma can proclaim one of the AAGPBL’s players as their own. Elsie (Wingrove) Earl grew up on a farm near the community, playing every sport she could between chores. She moved to Saskatoon after high school and played on a softball team while working as a bank teller. That’s where “Windy” was spotted by an AAGPBL scout, and she signed on in 1946, spending the next two seasons between the Fort Wayne Daisies and Grand Rapids Chicks. She hit a combined .181 with 15 RBI and 28 stolen bases in 119 games. Earl passed away in Estevan at the age of 92.
A multi-sport athlete, June Emerson also kept herself busy as a newspaper reporter at the Toronto Star after graduating high school. The Moose Jaw native played in 47 games for the Springfield Sallies in 1948, hitting .182 with five RBI and six stolen bases. The oufielder then went to Peoria the following season, collecting a .122 average with one stolen base in 21 games. Emerson passed away in her hometown in 1990 at the age of 66.
A talented softball player while growing up in Regina, Ethel (McCreary) Gould was one of the first players to be recruited for the AAGPBL. As part of the original Kenosha Comets in 1943, she hit .251 with a homer, 36 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 71 games. That winter, she returned to Canada and married air force member and sportsman Leo Gould. Little is written about Gould after her career, but it’s believed she passed away in 1985.
A ladies fastball hurler from Saskatoon, Irene Headin only pitched in one inning for the South Bend Blue Sox in 1945. The Saskatoon Ladies’ Fastball League MVP was “plainly nervous in making her debut,” according to the Journal Times of her Aug. 30 start, forcing in a run with a walk and left the bases loaded without an out. A few days later, the South Bend Tribute reported that Headin’s fiancé had just returned to Saskatoon from five years of service with the Canadian navy and she was looking to stay at home.
Another farm girl, Agnes (Zurowski) Holmes grew up just outside Edenwold and moved to Regina to work at the Army and Navy Department Store. It was during her off-time that she would partake in baseball and was recruited for the 1934 season. The right-hander had two rough outings with the Racine Belles before being put on waivers, then signed on with the Fort Wayne Daisies where she was used as a long reliever. In all, she made four appearances, allowing 17 earned runs while striking out two. “Aggie” came back to Canada and pitched for the Edmonton Mortons and was part of the team that was inducted into the Softball Alberta Hall of Fame. She passed in 2013 at the age of 93.
Born on the family farm near Domremy, south of Prince Albert, Thelma (Grambo) Hundeby became a teacher out of high school and played softball in Saskatoon. That’s where she was discovered by an AAGPBL scout. However, as several newspapers reported, “If you look for her home town on the map, it’s a three-day run by dog sled to the railroad at Saskatoon.” She ended up using her own huskies to reach the train and arrived in the U.S to serve as a backup catcher with the Grand Rapids Chicks in 1946. Unfortunately, her career was cut short by a hand injury. “Thel” and her husband established a farm near Elbow, and she passed away in Central Butte in 2001.
For some young women being recruited by the AAGPBL, there was some apprehension because of the life they were building back home. Daisy (Knezovich) Junor falls in the category of “almost didn’t go,” as she turned down the initial offer to go to training camp in Chicago as she had just gotten married. However, her sister Ruby went, and after a couple of years, Daisy’s husband said he would never be able to afford to take her to the US, so she might as well go. It worked out well as she was an all-star in more than three seasons with the South Bend Blue Sox, Springfield Sallies and Fort Wayne Daisies, hitting a combined .152 with 51 RBI and 77 stolen bases in 296 games. The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame member and golfing champion passed away in Regina in April 2012.
Just like her days in the AAGPBL, Martha (Rommelaere) Manning was no stranger to the road as she was growing up. She grew up on a family farm near LaFleche before moving to Moose Jaw at the age of 17. She was originally ignored by AAGPBL scouts until she was named Most Valuable Player with an Edmonton team and won a trip to South Bend, Indiana to try out. During the 1950 season, she played for the Chicago Colleens, Kenosha Comets and Springfield Sallies, hitting .225 with 25 runs batted in and 18 stolen bases. Manning passed away in May 2011.
Despite her strong performances in her home province, Ruby (Knezovich) Martz faced a bit of a bottleneck at her position when she joined the Racine Belles in 1943. The Regina-raised catcher had to share her duties with Irene Hickson and Anna May Hutchison, so playing time was at a premium. She didn’t get an at-bat during her debut season in 1943, and hit .146 the following season with two RBI and a stolen base in 17 games. She passed away in August 1995.
One of those athletes where little has been written about her time in the AAGPBL or her life after baseball. She was a much-heralded pitcher who frequently suited up for her hometown Moose Jaw teams and played in 10 games for the Grand Rapids Chicks in 1953. She also played for the Bloomer Girls in the Chicago League as well as the Miami Beach Belles in the International Pro Softball League.
An athlete in every sense of the word, Mildred (Warwick) McAuley played everything from basketball and volleyball to speed skating and gymnastics. She was also a star baseball player, helping her team win the Saskatchewan Ladies Softball championships three times. She was also one of the best hitters to be recruited to the AAGPBL, as she set an all-time hitting streak record with the Rockford Peaches in 1943-1944. “Millie” hit a combined .236 with two home runs, 67 RBI and 103 stolen bases in 189 games during those two seasons. She later went on to marry New York Rangers goaltender Ken McAuley and settled in Edmonton, where she starred for the Edmonton Mortons, who won a national championship in 1951. She passed away in 2006 at the age of 84.
It wasn’t just players from Saskatchewan who made their way south to serve with the AAGPBL. Regina’s Lex McCutchan was the team chaperone for the Kenosha Comets during the 1944 season. “I was a friend, a trainer, a disciplinarian,” she told the Evansville Courier and Press in a 1988 interview. “You don’t know how many scraped knees, how many strawberries on the hip, I’ve helped doctor.” She said her primary duty was to help keep players in line, whether it be through their attitudes or with their uniforms. She passed away in February 2003.
The baby in a family of nine kids, Genevieve (George) McFaul was the sister of Mary “Bonnie” Baker. She, too, loved playing sports, and spent one year in the AAGPBL, hitting .154 with two RBI for the Muskegon Lassies in 1948. “Gene” came back to Saskatchewan and married Saskatchewan Roughriders lineman James McFaul, continuing to play baseball while helping to develop sport in several communities including North Battleford and Swift Current. She passed away in March 2002.
Considered one of the best defensive third basemen in league history, Arleene (Johnson) Noga set a single-season field average record of .942 in 1947, with a career mark of .934. She was also nicknamed “The Iron Lady” as she suited up in more than 300 consecutive games with the Fort Wayne Daisies and Muskegon Lassies. At the plate, she hit .164 with three home runs, 103 RBI and 123 stolen bases in 354 games. The keystone sacker came back home and was a member of nine provincial softball championship teams and five Western Canada titles. She has been named to the Class of 2025 for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
When many baseball fans think of speed in baseball, they may think back to Rickey Henderson and his amazing 130 stolen bases in 1982. Believe it or not, he had nothing on a woman by the name of Vickie Panos. Panos was born in Moose Jaw and moved to Edmonton to play baseball, where she was recruited for the AAGPBL for the 1944 season. With the Milwaukee Chicks and South Bend Blue Sox, Panos stole 141 bases and scored 83 runs in 115 games. Both were actually second-most in the league, with Sophie Kurys stealing 166 bases and scoring 87 runs. Panos also mustered a .263 batting average with 31 RBIs that season, as the Chicks went on to win the AAGPBL title over Kenosha. Panos passed away in Australia in April 1986.
Born in Montreal, Janet (Anderson) Perkin grew up in Bethune. While teaching, she also plied her skills on the baseball field, earning the attention of AAGPBL scouts ahead of the 1946 season. A two-way player, she hit .173 with two RBI and two stolen bases in 36 games, while going 0-6 in 10 games as a pitcher. Her real talent was discovered when she came back to Regina, as she served as skip to win the first Western Canada Women’s Curling Championship in 1953 and three provincial champion teams. She was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.
Like McCutchan, Virginia (Carrigg) Piersol served as a chaperone with the Racine Belles in 1944. She as very involved in sports in her hometown including the boat, skating and tennis clubs. She was also a teacher before working at Hotel Saskatchewan until 1951, when she moved to the U.S. She passed away in February 1984.
“Elizabeth Berthiaume has one of the most unusual strides as she walks that fans here have ever seen, but she can play ball like all get-out, which is what counts,” wrote the South Bend Tribune in June 1945. It was an odd observation, but the author was correct as the Regina native had a solid two years in the AAGPBL. She hit .182 with 34 RBI and 26 stolen bases in 117 games for the Grand Rapids Chicks and Muskegon Lassies in 1945-1946. After her career, which included several nicknames including “Betty”, “Bobo” and “Wiggles,” she came back to Canada and worked as a newspaper office manager and school secretary, passing away in Vancouver in April 2011.
Throughout her baseball career in Saskatchewan, Hazel (Measner) Wildfong’s name was a fixture in local newspaper reports about softball games. So it came as no surprise when she was scouted by the AAGPBL as a pitcher who could also hit. However, that success didn’t translate when she headed south, as she went without a hit in her lone at-bat for the Rockford Peaches in 1946.
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Some other great resources and stories regarding the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and the connections to Saskatchewan:
Society for American Baseball Research – Canadians in the AAGPBL
Home Runs and Dirt Roads – The AAGPBL and the Saskatchewan connections which inspired the latest Heritage Minute
CBC – Play tells pro-baseball story of 1940s Saskatchewan women
Tales of Baseball 