# 1944 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season

The 1944 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the second season of the circuit. The AAGPBL expanded in its second year of existence by adding two franchises to the original four-team format. At this point, the Milwaukee Chicks and the Minneapolis Millerettes joined the Kenosha Comets, Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox. The number of games in the schedule also increased to 118, while the final Scholarship Series faced first-half winner Kenosha against Milwaukee, second-half champ, in a Best of Seven Series.
In that season, the ball was decreased in size from 12 inches to 11½ inches. In addition, the base paths were lengthened to 68 feet. As a result, batting averages decreased to low .200 as pitching continued to dominate for second straight season. No batters surpassed the .300 mark, with South Bend's Betsy Jochum collecting the highest average at .296. Once again Kenosha's Helen Nicol led all pitchers in earned run average, turning in a minuscule 0.98 mark, while Minneapolis' Annabelle Lee hurled the first perfect game in league history against Kenosha. Among pitchers who threw no-hitters were Rockford's Carolyn Morris (two) and Mary Pratt, and Kenosha' Elise Harney and Nicol.
The final series was extended from three to seven games. The series went to the limit of seven games and Milwaukee clinched the championship, four to three. Despite losing Game 1, Connie Wisniewski earned the four wins to set a series record, pitching a four-hit shutout in decisive Game 7 to give the Chicks the title.
Although the Chicks won the championship, they had no local financial backing and could not compete with the American Association Milwaukee Brewers. In fact, the Chicks were forced to play all seven games of the series at Kenosha's Lake Front Stadium because the Brewers were using the Borchert Field in Milwaukee. In addition, the high ticket prices charged for AAGPBL games failed to encourage significant fan support. Due to lack of community support and skepticism of journalists, the Chicks moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan prior to the 1945 season.
The AAGPBL drew 260,000 fans during the 1944 season, which represented a 49 percent raise over the previous year.

## Teams

1944 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Teams :
| Team | City | Stadium |
| Kenosha Comets | Kenosha, Wisconsin | Lake Front Stadium |
| Milwaukee Chicks | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Borchert Field |
| Minneapolis Millerettes | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Nicollet Park |
| Racine Belles | Racine, Wisconsin | Horlick Field |
| Rockford Peaches | Rockford, Illinois | Rockford Municipal Stadium |
| South Bend Blue Sox | South Bend, Indiana | Bendix Field |

## Standings
### First half

| Rank | Team | W | L | W-L% | GB |
| 1 | Kenosha Comets | 36 | 23 | .610 | – |
| 2 | South Bend Blue Sox | 33 | 25 | .569 | 2½ |
| 3 | Milwaukee Chicks | 30 | 26 | .536 | 4½ |
| 4 | Racine Belles | 28 | 32 | .467 | 8½ |
| 5 | Rockford Peaches | 24 | 32 | .429 | 10½ |
| 6 | Minneapolis Millerettes | 23 | 36 | .390 | 13 |

### Second half

| Rank | Team | W | L | W-L% | GB |
| 1 | Milwaukee Chicks | 40 | 19 | .678 | – |
| 2 | South Bend Blue Sox | 31 | 27 | .534 | 8½ |
| 3 | Rockford Peaches | 29 | 28 | .509 | 10 |
| 4 | Kenosha Comets | 26 | 31 | .456 | 13 |
| 5 | Racine Belles | 25 | 32 | .439 | 14 |
| 6 | Minneapolis Millerettes | 22 | 36 | .379 | 17½ |

### Composite records

| Rank | Team | W | L | W-L% | GB |
| 1 | Milwaukee Chicks | 70 | 45 | .609 | – |
| 2 | South Bend Blue Sox | 64 | 52 | .552 | 6½ |
| 3 | Kenosha Comets | 62 | 54 | .469 | 8½ |
| 4 | Rockford Peaches | 53 | 60 | .456 | 16 |
| 5 | Racine Belles | 53 | 64 | .453 | 18 |
| 6 | Minneapolis Millerettes | 45 | 72 | .385 | 26½ |

## Postseason

| Game | Teams | Score |
| 1 | Milwaukee Chicks @ Kenosha Comets | 2 4 |
| 2 | Kenosha Comets @ Milwaukee Chicks | 4 1 |
| 3 | Milwaukee Chicks @ Kenosha Comets | 7 0 |
| 4 | Kenosha Comets @ Milwaukee Chicks | 1 7 |
| 5 | Milwaukee Chicks @ Kenosha Comets | 0 9 |
| 6 | Kenosha Comets @ Milwaukee Chicks | 1 2 |
| 7 | Milwaukee Chicks @ Kenosha Comets | 3 0 |

## Batting statistics

| Statistic | Player | Record |
| Batting average | Betsy Jochum (SB) Helen Callaghan (MIN) Faye Dancer (MIN) Eleanor Dapkus (RAC) Merle Keagle (MIL) Vickie Panos (SB/MIL) Rose Folder (KEN) Dorothy Kamenshek (ROC) Shirley Jameson (KEN) Ann Harnett (KEN) | .296 .287 .274 .273 .264 .263 .261 .257 .253 .248 |
| Runs scored | Sophie Kurys (RAC) Vickie Panos (SB/MIL) Helen Callaghan (MIN) Pauline Pirok (KEN) Betsy Jochum (SB) Merle Keagle (MIL) Claire Schillace (RAC) Shirley Jameson (KEN) Phyllis Koehn (KEN) Doris Tetzlaff (MIL) | 87 84 81 73 72 72 65 64 62 62 |
| Hits | Betsy Jochum (SB) Dorothy Kamenshek (ROC) Helen Callaghan (MIN) Merle Keagle (MIL) Vickie Panos (SB/MIL) Eleanor Dapkus (RAC) Sophie Kurys (RAC) Phyllis Koehn (KEN) Faye Dancer (MIN) Ann Harnett (KEN) | 128 115 114 107 106 99 96 91 90 87 |
| Doubles | Eleanor Dapkus (RAC) Pauline Pirok (KEN) Ann Harnett (KEN) Dorothy Kamenshek (ROC) Vivian Kellogg (MIN) Josephine Lenard (ROC) Lavonne Paire (MIN) Lucille Colacito (KEN) Merle Keagle (MIL) Sophie Kurys (RAC) Edythe Perlick (RAC) Lee Surkowski (SB) | 10 10 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 |
| Triples | Josephine Lenard (ROC) Ann Harnett (KEN) Vivian Kellogg (MIN) Lois Florreich (SB) Phyllis Koehn (KEN) Faye Dancer (MIN) Mildred Deegan (ROC) Dorothy Maguire (MIL) Merle Keagle (MIL) Betty Whiting (MIL) | 10 8 7 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 |
| Home runs | Merle Keagle (MIL) Eleanor Dapkus (RAC) Helen Callaghan (MIN) Vivian Kellogg (MIN) Elizabeth Mahon (KEN) Doris Tetzlaff (MIL) Lee Surkowski (SB) Josephine D'Angelo (SB) Faye Dancer (MIN) Betsy Jochum (SB) Mary Nesbitt (RAC) Edythe Perlick (RAC) Margaret Wigiser (MIN) | 7 5 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 |
| Runs batted in | Edythe Perlick (RAC) Sophie Kurys (RAC) Eleanor Dapkus (RAC) Faye Dancer (MIN) Merle Keagle (MIL) Vivian Kellogg (MIN) Margaret Stefani (SB) Ann Harnett (KEN) Phyllis Koehn (KEN) Doris Tetzlaff (MIL) Thelma Eisen (MIL) Mary Baker (SB) | 63 60 56 48 47 46 46 45 42 42 41 41 |
| Stolen bases | Sophie Kurys (RAC) Vickie Panos (SB/MIL) Betsy Jochum (SB) Merle Keagle (MIL) Shirley Jameson (KEN) Lois Florreich (SB) Helen Callaghan (MIN) Doris Tetzlaff (MIL) Mary Baker (SB) Alma Ziegler (MIL) Pauline Pirok (KEN) Dorothy Schroeder (SB) | 166 141 127 122 119 113 112 101 92 77 75 70 |

## Pitching statistics

| Statistic | Player | Record |
| Wins | Josephine Kabick (MIL) Carolyn Morris (ROC) Mary Nesbitt (RAC) Connie Wisniewski (MIL) Charlotte Armstrong (SB) Margaret Berger (SB) Mary Pratt (ROC/KEN) Dorothy Wiltse (MIN) Elise Harney (KEN) Helen Nicol (KEN) Amy Applegren (ROC) Viola Thompson (MIL) Joanne Winter (RAC) Catherine Bennett (SB) Betty Luna (ROC) Annabelle Lee (MIN) | 26 23 23 23 21 21 21 20 18 17 16 15 15 14 12 11 |
| Earned run average | Helen Nicol (KEN) Charlotte Armstrong (SB) Margaret Berger (SB) Dorothy Wiltse (MIN) Catherine Bennett (SB) Carolyn Morris (ROC) Elise Harney (KEN) Connie Wisniewski Annabelle Lee (MIN) Mary Pratt (ROC/KEN) Betty Luna (ROC) Josephine Kabick (MIL) Amy Applegren (ROC) Jane Jacobs (RAC) Viola Thompson (MIL) Joanne Winter (RAC) Doris Barr (SB) | 0.93 1.51 1.57 1.88 2.04 2.15 2.23 2.23 2.43 2.50 2.61 2.66 2.77 2.82 2.88 2.96 2.98 |
| Strikeouts | Dorothy Wiltse (MIN) Helen Nicol (KEN) Carolyn Morris (ROC) Mary Nesbitt (RAC) Margaret Berger (SB) Elise Harney (KEN) Connie Wisniewski Josephine Kabick (MIL) Charlotte Armstrong (SB) Amy Applegren (ROC) Viola Thompson (MIL) Joanne Winter (RAC) | 205 136 112 106 92 88 82 81 68 56 52 52 |
| Games pitched | Josephine Kabick (MIL) Mary Nesbitt (RAC) Carolyn Morris (ROC) Margaret Berger (SB) Mary Pratt (ROC/KEN) Joanne Winter (RAC) Charlotte Armstrong (SB) Dorothy Wiltse (MIN) Amy Applegren (ROC) Connie Wisniewski Catherine Bennett (SB) Audrey Haine (MIN) Elise Harney (KEN) | 45 45 44 41 41 40 39 38 36 36 34 34 34 |
| Innings pitched | Josephine Kabick (MIL) Carolyn Morris (ROC) Mary Nesbitt (RAC) Charlotte Armstrong (SB) Margaret Berger (SB) Joanne Winter (RAC) Mary Pratt (ROC/KEN) Dorothy Wiltse (MIN) Connie Wisniewski Elise Harney (KEN) Amy Applegren (ROC) Helen Nicol (KEN) | 366 343 343 321 315 310 303 297 291 262 250 243 |