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OTHER - BASEBALL
All images & research on this site are the copyright & possession of Adam Chu / nationalgirlsbaseballleague.com. DO NOT claim any images or research on this site as your own, alter the image files in any way, or remove / attempt to remove the copyright / watermarks from images. Written permission will be given on a case-by-case basis to those who request use. By using any image or research, you are agreeing to properly give credit & link back to Adam Chu / nationalgirlsbaseballleague.com.
LEAGUES
American Girls Baseball Conference (AGBC) - New York Metropolitan Area
1945-1954
The American Girls Baseball Conference (AGBC) began in 1945 as the American Girls Softball League. The organization, based in the New York metro area, switched from playing softball to baseball in 1949. The AGSL/AGBC was also fully integrated almost from the very beginning. The West New York (NJ) Traders (1945), New York/Staten Island Farmerettes (1946), & Long Island Clovers/Hostess Girls/Freeport Forest Jewels (1947-1951) featured Yvonne "Coky" Coker on their team. She played in 1952, however I can't verify for which team. I do know that she played for an AGBC All-Star team in '52. In 1953, her final season of play, she was a member of the Bronx Alpines.
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The AGBC is therefore the first major women's softball/baseball league in the U.S. that featured African-American ballplayers on their teams.
California Girl's Professional Baseball League (CGPBL) - Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
1946
In 1946, Marty Fiedler, the "Ziegfeld of Softball", started a four-team women's baseball league in Southern California. Based in three ballparks (Lakewood Stadium, Montebello Ball Park, & Santa Monica Municipal Stadium), the cities of Long Beach, Los Angeles, Montebello, & Santa Monica were represented. The California Girl's Professional Baseball League lasted one season.
Central Indiana Girls' Baseball League (CIGBL) - Indiana
1948-1949
The AAGPBL had a five-team minor league based in Indiana for two seasons (‘48-’49). The Alexandria Smart Aleks, Anderson Squaws, Middletown Gardens (Muncie), Muncie VFW, & Upland Manufacturing Company Girls made up the circuit. Upland (‘48) & Middletown (‘49) won both championships of the Central Indiana Girls Baseball League.
Chicago Girls Baseball League (CGBL) - Chicago Metropolitan Area
1948-1950
Eastern Girls' Baseball League (EGBL) - Pennsylvania
1950
For one season (1950) a semi-pro women's baseball league existed in Pennsylvania. The Eastern Girls' Baseball League, featuring teams such as the Allentown Chicks, Norristown Nifties, & Perkiomen Demons, acted as a feeder circuit to the AAGPBL.
Japan Woman's Baseball Association (JWBA) - Japan
1950-1951
Four teams formed the Japan Women's Baseball Association in 1950. The Tokyo Romance Bluebirds, created in 1949, were joined by the Homers, Pearls, & Red Sox for a series of games on April 10th at Tokyo's Korakuen Stadium. More teams joined the league throughout the summer & several corporations began to sponsor individual ballclubs. The Romance Bluebirds left the Japan Women's Baseball Association in August & formed a new league in September called the All-Japan Women's Baseball Association with 10 other teams. The AJWBA folded in November. The Japan Women's Baseball Association held the final tournament of the 1950 season in November with the Red Sox winning the title. The following year, several teams folded, & the league was left with six clubs. Okada Batteries, the former Pearls ballclub, won the 1951 championship. The league changed from "professional" to amateur before the 1952 season, marking the end of women's pro baseball in Japan until the 21st century.
