June Peppas
Encyclopedia
June Peppas is a former first basewoman and pitcher
who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
. Listed at 5' 5", 145 lb., she batted and threw left-handed
.
and grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana
. As a student she was always involved in athletics, predominantly underhand
fast pitch softball. She graduated from Elmhurst High School
in 1947, and from 1942 to 1947 played for a championship team sponsored by Harold Greiner
, owner of the Bob-Inn Restaurant in Fort Wayne. The team won state titles in 1944 and 1945, while Greiner, who scouted
for the All-American Professional Baseball League, recommended Peppas for the league's tryouts. She received contract offers from a professional softball league and the AAGPBL, but decided to join the All-Americans. She had a mother who had a bad cold all the time and had to use the money she earned to take care of her
at Opa-locka, Florida
and was assigned to the Fort Wayne Daisies
, playing for them one and a half year before joining the Racine Belles
(1949-'50), Battle Creek Belles
(1951) and Kalamazoo Lassies
(1951-'54). She spent most of her time at first base and pitching, eventually appearing at outfield
.
According to the new league's regulations, Peppas had to make the transition from underhand to overhand pitching. Her unfamiliarity with the style and the ball size caused her negative results.
In her rookie
season, Peppas posted a 4-12 record with 39 strikeout
s and 91 walks
in 113 innings for the Daisies, including a lousy 4.62 ERA
which ranked her near last place between the league pitchers. Nevertheless, she still had a respectable .264 batting average
. In 1949, she played more games at first base and overcame her pitching control problems, going 3-4 with a 2.25 ERA while hitting .150 in 50 games, though she was bothered by two knee injuries.
In 1950, once Peppas overcame her injuries, her career blossomed. She hit .268 with a career-high 52 runs batted in, including 11 doubles
, five triples
, and four home run
s. As a pitcher, she had a decent 4-4 record with a 4.57 ERA. But her control problems returned, as she walked more hitters than she struck out in 1950 (41-to-20) and 1951 (31-to-20). Her most productive seasons came with the Lassies, when she was selected at first base for the All-Star Team
in 1953 and 1954, even though she often pitched.
From 1952 to 1953, Peppas improved her batting averages from .262 to .271. In 1954 she drove in 54 runs and posted career-numbers with a .333 average, 16 home runs, and her only pitching winning season with a 6-4 record and a 3.32 ERA in 13 appearances. Her .333 average was a team’s best and the league’s fifth highest mark for girls who played at least 80 games. When Kalamazoo had to face the Fort Wayne Daisies
for the AAGPBL Championship Title, Peppas came through with a stellar performance.
, Fern Shollenberger
and Chris Ballingall
, who hit a grand slam
, also slugged one each. Katie Horstman
connected two home runs for the Daisies in a lost cause, and her teammate Joanne Weaver
slugged one. Maxine Kline
, who had posted an 18-7 record with 3.23 ERA during the regular season, gave up 11 runs in six innings and was credited with the loss.
The Daisies evened the Series against the Lassies winning Game 2, 11–4, after hitting five home runs off two pitchers. Horstman started the feat with a two-run home run to open the score in the first inning. In the rest of the game, Betty Weaver Foss
added two homers with five RBI, while her sister Joanne and Geissinger added solo shots. Nancy Mudge
and Dorothy Schroeder
homered for Kalamazoo, while Peppas, who played first base, hit a solo homer in three at-bats.
In Game 3, the Daisies won the Lassies, 8–7, fueled fueled again by a heavy hitting by Joanne Weaver, who hit a double, a triple and a three-run home run in five at bats, driving in four runs. Peppas went 1-for-4 to spark a seventh inning three-run rally, but Fort Wayne came back in the bottom of the inning with two two runs that marked the difference.
In other close score, the Lassies evened the Series in Game 4 with a victory over the Daisies, 6-5, behind a strong pitching effort by Gloria Cordes
, who hurled a complete game
. Peppas contributed with a single, a double and one RBI in four at-bats.
In decisive Game 5, Peppas pitched a clutch complete game and went 3-for-5 with an RBI against her former Daisies team, winning by a 8–5 margin to gave the Lassies the Championship title in the AAGPBL's last ever game. She received support from Balingall (3-for-4) and Schroeder, who drove in the winning run in the bottom of the eight. Peppas finished with a .450 average and collected two of the three Lassies victories, to become the winning pitcher of the last game in the league's history.
during the late 1960s. She later taught vocational-education graphic arts and operated her own printing business, retiring in 1988.
Since 1980, Peppas and a group of friends began assembling a list of names and addresses of former AAGPBL players. Her work turned into a newsletter that resulted in the league’s first-ever reunion in Chicago, Illinois in 1982. Starting from that reunion, a Players Association was formed five years later and many former AAGPBL players continued to enjoy reunions, which became annual events in 1998.
June Peppas is living currently in Jensen Beach, Florida
.
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. During the league's history, over 600 women played ball.-History:...
. Listed at 5' 5", 145 lb., she batted and threw left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
.
Early life
Peppas was born in Kansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
and grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
. As a student she was always involved in athletics, predominantly underhand
Pitch (baseball)
In baseball, a pitch is the act of throwing a baseball toward home plate to start a play. The term comes from the Knickerbocker Rules. Originally, the ball had to be literally "pitched" underhand, as with pitching horseshoes. Overhand throwing was not allowed until 1884.The biomechanics of...
fast pitch softball. She graduated from Elmhurst High School
Elmhurst High School
Elmhurst High School was a public high school with a comprehensive intake and over 1,000 students. Elmhurst High School was part of the Fort Wayne Community Schools school district, serving those living in the Waynedale area of Fort Wayne...
in 1947, and from 1942 to 1947 played for a championship team sponsored by Harold Greiner
Harold Greiner
Harold Greiner was a restaurant entrepreneur, baseball manager and softball coach.Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Greiner was the owner of Bob Inn Restaurant and Bakery...
, owner of the Bob-Inn Restaurant in Fort Wayne. The team won state titles in 1944 and 1945, while Greiner, who scouted
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
for the All-American Professional Baseball League, recommended Peppas for the league's tryouts. She received contract offers from a professional softball league and the AAGPBL, but decided to join the All-Americans. She had a mother who had a bad cold all the time and had to use the money she earned to take care of her
AAGPBL career
In 1948, Peppas attended to spring trainingSpring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
at Opa-locka, Florida
Opa-locka, Florida
Opa-locka is a city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the mid decade census, the population was 15,376 as recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau....
and was assigned to the Fort Wayne Daisies
Fort Wayne Daisies
The Fort Wayne Daisies were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, playing for them one and a half year before joining the Racine Belles
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 team played its home games at Horlick Field.-History:...
(1949-'50), Battle Creek Belles
Battle Creek Belles
The Battle Creek Belles were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
(1951) and Kalamazoo Lassies
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 Catholic Athletic Association Field, now the...
(1951-'54). She spent most of her time at first base and pitching, eventually appearing at outfield
Outfield
The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...
.
According to the new league's regulations, Peppas had to make the transition from underhand to overhand pitching. Her unfamiliarity with the style and the ball size caused her negative results.
In her rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
season, Peppas posted a 4-12 record with 39 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s and 91 walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
in 113 innings for the Daisies, including a lousy 4.62 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
which ranked her near last place between the league pitchers. Nevertheless, she still had a respectable .264 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
. In 1949, she played more games at first base and overcame her pitching control problems, going 3-4 with a 2.25 ERA while hitting .150 in 50 games, though she was bothered by two knee injuries.
In 1950, once Peppas overcame her injuries, her career blossomed. She hit .268 with a career-high 52 runs batted in, including 11 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, five triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, and four home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s. As a pitcher, she had a decent 4-4 record with a 4.57 ERA. But her control problems returned, as she walked more hitters than she struck out in 1950 (41-to-20) and 1951 (31-to-20). Her most productive seasons came with the Lassies, when she was selected at first base for the All-Star Team
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League All-Star Team
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball circuit which existed for twelve seasons from through ....
in 1953 and 1954, even though she often pitched.
From 1952 to 1953, Peppas improved her batting averages from .262 to .271. In 1954 she drove in 54 runs and posted career-numbers with a .333 average, 16 home runs, and her only pitching winning season with a 6-4 record and a 3.32 ERA in 13 appearances. Her .333 average was a team’s best and the league’s fifth highest mark for girls who played at least 80 games. When Kalamazoo had to face the Fort Wayne Daisies
Fort Wayne Daisies
The Fort Wayne Daisies were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
for the AAGPBL Championship Title, Peppas came through with a stellar performance.
1954 Championship Title
In Game 1 of the AAGPBL Series, the Lassies defeated the Daisies 17-9 behind a four-hit, seven strong innings from Peppas, who also helped herself by hitiing 2-for-4, including one home run. Her teammates Carol HabbenCarol Habben
Carol Habben was a center fielder and backup catcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 5", 135 lb., she batted and threw right-handed....
, Fern Shollenberger
Fern Shollenberger
Fern Shollenberger [Shelly] was a third basewoman who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 125 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.-Brief profile:...
and Chris Ballingall
Chris Ballingall
Chris Ballingall is a former female catcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5'6", 145 lb., she batted left-handed and threw right-handed....
, who hit a grand slam
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
, also slugged one each. Katie Horstman
Katie Horstman
Catherine Horstman [″Horsey″] is a former female utility who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
connected two home runs for the Daisies in a lost cause, and her teammate Joanne Weaver
Joanne Weaver
Joanne Weaver [″Joltin' Jo″] was a right fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
slugged one. Maxine Kline
Maxine Kline
Maxine Kline [Randall] is a former female starting pitcher who played from through with the Fort Wayne Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, who had posted an 18-7 record with 3.23 ERA during the regular season, gave up 11 runs in six innings and was credited with the loss.
The Daisies evened the Series against the Lassies winning Game 2, 11–4, after hitting five home runs off two pitchers. Horstman started the feat with a two-run home run to open the score in the first inning. In the rest of the game, Betty Weaver Foss
Betty Foss
Betty Foss [Fossey] was a infielder and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 10", 180 lb., she was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. She started her career as Betty Weaver but changed her last name to Foss after marrying...
added two homers with five RBI, while her sister Joanne and Geissinger added solo shots. Nancy Mudge
Nancy Mudge
Nancy Mudge [Cato] is a former second basewoman who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 2", 120 lb., Mudge batted and threw right handed. She was nicknamed ″Smudgie″....
and Dorothy Schroeder
Dorothy Schroeder
Dorothy Schroeder [″Dottie″] was a shortstop who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 7", 150 lb., Schroeder batted and threw right-handed...
homered for Kalamazoo, while Peppas, who played first base, hit a solo homer in three at-bats.
In Game 3, the Daisies won the Lassies, 8–7, fueled fueled again by a heavy hitting by Joanne Weaver, who hit a double, a triple and a three-run home run in five at bats, driving in four runs. Peppas went 1-for-4 to spark a seventh inning three-run rally, but Fort Wayne came back in the bottom of the inning with two two runs that marked the difference.
In other close score, the Lassies evened the Series in Game 4 with a victory over the Daisies, 6-5, behind a strong pitching effort by Gloria Cordes
Gloria Cordes
Gloria Cordes [Elliott] is a former starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, who hurled a complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
. Peppas contributed with a single, a double and one RBI in four at-bats.
In decisive Game 5, Peppas pitched a clutch complete game and went 3-for-5 with an RBI against her former Daisies team, winning by a 8–5 margin to gave the Lassies the Championship title in the AAGPBL's last ever game. She received support from Balingall (3-for-4) and Schroeder, who drove in the winning run in the bottom of the eight. Peppas finished with a .450 average and collected two of the three Lassies victories, to become the winning pitcher of the last game in the league's history.
Private life
Following her AAGPBL career, Peppas earned bachelor's and master's degrees in arts from the Western Michigan UniversityWestern Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
during the late 1960s. She later taught vocational-education graphic arts and operated her own printing business, retiring in 1988.
Since 1980, Peppas and a group of friends began assembling a list of names and addresses of former AAGPBL players. Her work turned into a newsletter that resulted in the league’s first-ever reunion in Chicago, Illinois in 1982. Starting from that reunion, a Players Association was formed five years later and many former AAGPBL players continued to enjoy reunions, which became annual events in 1998.
June Peppas is living currently in Jensen Beach, Florida
Jensen Beach, Florida
Jensen Beach is a census-designated place in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,100 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Port St...
.
Facts
- The AAGPBL folded in 1954, but there is now a permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New YorkCooperstown, New YorkCooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
since November 5, that honors those who were part of this unique experience. Peppas, along with the rest of the league's girls, is now enshrined in the Hall.
- The AAGPBL Players Association helped to bring the league story to the public eye. The association was largely responsible for the opening of the aforementioned exhibition. As it is said, all began with the newsletter published by Peppas in 1980. Of the approximately 560 women who had played in the league, most had lost touch with the others; at least not until the first reunion held in Chicago two years later.
- A League of Their OwnA League of Their OwnA League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Directed by Penny Marshall, the film stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell...
is a 1992 film about the first season of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. While the film does not use real names, filmmaker Penny MarshallPenny MarshallPenny Marshall is an American actress, producer and director.After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley...
seemed to be aiming for realism, as her film includes fake newsreel footage and pseudo-documentary present day scenes at the beginning and end of the fictitiousFictionFiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
story. A League of Their Own itself was inspired by the 1987 documentary of the same title, written and produced by Kelly Candaele, one of the five sons of Helen CallaghanHelen CallaghanHelen Callaghan Candaele St. Aubin was a left-handed center fielder who appeared in five seasons in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League , playing under the name Helen Callaghan.As a rookie with the Minneapolis Millerettes Callaghan hit a .287 average in 111...
, who in 1945 won the AAGPBL batting championship with a .299 average. Like many of her colleagues, Peppas was relatively unknown until the Marshall's film was exhibited for the first time.
Sources
- All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2000. Format: Paperback, 294pp. Language: English. ISBN 0-7864-3747-2
- Encyclopedia of women and baseball – Leslie A. Heaphy, Mel Anthony May. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2006. Format: Paperback, 438pp. Language: English. ISBN 0786421002
- The Guide to U.S. Popular Culture – Ray B. Browne, Pat Browne. Publisher: Popular Press 3, 2001. Format: Hardcover, 1010pp. Language: English. ISBN 0-87972-821-3
- Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: A Biographical Dictionary - W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2005. Format: Paperback, 295 pp. Language: English. ISBN 0-7864-3747-2