Battle Creek Belles

The Battle Creek Belles were a women's professional baseball team that played from 1951 through 1952 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The Belles represented Battle Creek, Michigan, and played their home games at Bailey Park.

Michigan baseball fanatics had their first chance to enjoy All-American Girls Professional Baseball League action in 1945 when the Chicks team moved from Milwaukee to Grand Rapids. The only team to make the playoffs every year in AAGPBL history, the Chicks was one of the most successful franchises of the circuit. A year after the Chicks came to Grand Rapids, Muskegon joined the league with its Lassies. In 1950 the Lassies moved to Kalamazoo, and Battle Creek joined the list of AAGPBL host cities in 1951 when the original Belles moved to Battle Creek from Racine, Wisconsin, and kept the same nickname.

In 1951, the Belles finished last in the first half of the season with a 11-45 record before improving to 19-35 in the second half for a 30-80 overall. The team posted a 43-67 record in 1952, and finished in last place. Joe Cooper served as manager in both years.

The club moved to Muskegon for the 1953 season and was renamed the Muskegon Belles.

All-time roster

Agnes Allen Isabel Alvarez Phyllis Baker Fern Battaglia Erma Bergmann Rita Briggs Patricia Brown Marge Callaghan Jean Cione Donna Cook Bonnie Cooper Betty Jean Cornett Pauline Crawley Gloria Cordes Betty Jane Cornett

Pauline Crawley Gertrude Dunn Mary Froning Josephine Hasham Beverly Hatzell Ruby Heafner Jean Holderness Frances Janssen Marilyn Jones Erma Keyes Glenna Sue Kidd Jaynie Krick Sophie Kurys Noella Leduc Shirley Luhtala

Marie Mansfield Mirtha Marrero Betty McKenna Naomi Meier Ruth Middleton Jane Moffet Mary Moore Nancy Mudge Dolly Niemieck Anna Mae O'Dowd Barbara Payne Marguerite Pearson June Peppas Migdalia Pérez Ernestine Petras

Marjorie Pieper Janet Rumsey Margaret Russo Gloria Schweigerdt Doris Shero Helen Waddell Margaret Wenzell Betty Whiting Manager Joe Cooper Chaperone Patricia Barringer

Sources

• All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company. Format: Paperback, 294pp. Language: English. ISBN 0786437472