Nancy Warren (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Nancy Warren was a pitcher
and infielder
who played from through for six different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
. Listed at 5' 5", 130 lb., she batted and threw right handed. Hank was a nickname she picked up as a youth.
, Nancy Warren used to play baseball
with her four brothers in their home's backyard at an early age. She joined her first organized fastpitch softball team after turning 14, juggling positions on the field as a pitcher
and at shortstop
. She later played softball
for the Fink and Heine Packers team in a national tournament, where she were recruited by a AAGPBL scout. Warren was given a tryout during the 1946 spring training
held at Pascagoula, Mississippi
, and was allocated to the Muskegon Lassies
as a shortstop.
most of the time. Halfway through the season she demanded an opportunity to play or be traded, and Muskegon manager
Buzz Boyle
gave her the opportunity to pitch and play at infield
. Unfortunately, Warren broke an ankle in the process and lost the rest of the season. In April 1947, all of the league's players were flown to Havana, Cuba, for spring training. After that, the teams paired off and played exhibition games, traveling by train to their home cities. That exhibition schedule helped get the players ready for the opening of regular season games in the last week of May. New Muskegon manager Bill Wambsganss
assumed he might use Warren in the pitching rotation. She did well, going 17-11 with 93 strikeout
s and a 1.13 earned run average
in 31 games.
Warren started 1948 in good form, but was dealt to the expansion Chicago Colleens
during the midseason. At the time the league shifted players in anytime as needed to help new teams stay afloat. She posted a combined 12-5 record for a .706 winning percentage
while striking out 86 batters. Chicago had a horrendous record and folded at the end of the season. She found herself on the move again, this time to the Peoria Redwings
the next year. Every time they wanted to booster a team, they'd transfer you, Warren recalled in an interview. Nevertheless, she enjoyed to play in Peoria, even though she had negative numbers with the Redwings after leading the league in losses
(16), runs allowed
(92) and earned runs (64) in 1949. She rebounded in 1950, going 18-18 with 86 strikeouts and a 2.41 ERA in 32 pitching appearances with Peoria.
. In her new team she had plenty of run support from her teammates, thanks to a lineup
that included the explosive bats of Betty Foss
, Jean Geissinger
, Katie Horstman
, Dorothy Schroeder
and Joanne Weaver
, which led to her best ever winning record of 17-6 (.739). In 1952, she went 17-7 with a 2.46 ERA and finished second in the league with 91 SO (23 behind leader Jean Faut
). Unfortunately, Warren experimented her worst season in 1953 with a 6-17 record after being traded to the helpless Muskegon Belles
.
in 1954, during what turned out to be the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League's final season. For the second time, she inadvertently found herself in an inspired team. The Lassies, with Mitch Skupien
at the helm, finished fourth of five teams with a 48-49-1 mark, earning a berth to the playoffs. In the first round, the team disposed of the South Bend Blue Sox
(48-44 record) in three games and later faced Fort Wayne in the best-of-five series. During the regular season, Warren posted a 12-9 record with 63 strikeouts and a 3.86 ERA in 26 pitching appearances, ranking seventh in the league in strikeouts while tying teammate Gloria Cordes
for the fourth-best in wins. For the first (and last) time of her career, Warren was selected for the All-Star Team. In the playoffs, Cordes hurled and lost the opener to South Bend, but Warren and Elaine Roth
won games two and three, respectively.
In the first round of the playoffs, regular-season champ Fort Wayne (54-40) won on a forfeit from the third-place Grand Rapids Chicks
(46-45). A confrontation erupted when, due to an injury to Fort Wayne’s regular catcher, the league voted to allow the Daisies to add Ruth Richard
to their roster. Richard, an All-Star catcher for the Rockford Peaches
, was available after the elimination of her team (37-55). Then the Chicks, claiming that using a new player was unfair, played the first game under protest, though they won it, 8–7. Attempting to resolve the matter the following night in Fort Wayne, Chicks manager Woody English
and Daisies pilot Bill Allington
ended up fighting at home plate. Later, the entire Chicks team voted not to play, so the Daisies advanced to the championship round to face Kalamazoo.
, who also helped herself by hiting 2-for-4, including one home run
. Her teammates Carol Habben
and Fern Shollenberger
also batted one each, and Chris Ballingall
belted a grand slam
. Warren relieved
Peppas in the eight, forcing Jean Geissinger
to hit into a double play
, and preserved the victory. Pitching star Maxine Kline
, who had posted an 18-7 record with 3.23 ERA for the Daisies during the regular season, gave up 11 runs in six innings and was credited with the loss. Katie Horstman
connected two home runs for the Daisies in a lost cause, while her teammate Joanne Weaver
slugged one.
Cordes started for the Lassies in Game 2, which featured seven home runs by both teams. Due to a mix-up over the game's starting time the umpires
did not allow Cordes to warm up (supposedly there would be a half hour delay). Starting cold, she allowed five runs before getting a batter out. After a leadoff walk to Mary Weddle, Horstman belted a home run for a 2-0 Fort Wayne lead. Then Richard and Weaver hit back-to-back singles
, and Betty Foss
followed with a three-run homer to give the Daisies a 5–0 edge. Roth relieved Cordes and completed the game. But the Lassies hit three more home runs, one each by Geissinger and Weaver and the second for Foss. Kalamazoo discounted the margin with leadoff shots by Nancy Mudge
, Peppas (playing at first base) and Dorothy Schroeder
, but the game's outcome was never in doubt.
After moving to Fort Wayne for the rest of the series, the Daisies won a close Game 3, 8-7, fueled by the heavy hitting of Weaver, who collected a double
, a triple
, and a three-run home run in five at-bats, while driving in
four runs. In the decisive seventh inning, Peppas added a base hit to spark a three-run Kalamazoo rally, capped by a Ballingall’s two-run single. But the Daisies came back in the bottom of the inning, scoring twice off Warren for the final 8–7 margin. Cordes relieved Warren with the bases loaded, but did not allow any damage for the remainder of the game.
Cordes started Game 4 of the series with her team against the wall, 2-to-1. This time properly warmed up, she pitched a complete game, allowing five runs on nine hits, to help Kalamazoo to tie the series, after a 6–5 victory over Fort Wayne. Habben drove in two runs who marked the difference and Schroeder added a solo home run, while Kline suffered her second loss of the series.
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. Peppas received offensive support from Mary Taylor (5-for-5), Balingall (3-for-4) and Schroeder, who drove in the winning run in the bottom of the eight. Besides this, Peppas finished with a .450 average in the series and collected two of the three Lassies victories, to become the winning pitcher of the last game in the league's history. In the end, the inspired Lassies rose to the challenge and batted a .337 average as a team. On the other hand, the usually heavy-hitting Daisies averaged only a modest .275.
In a seven-season career, Warren posted a mark of 114 wins with 93 losses and a 2.41 earned run average. She hit a career-average of .155 (104-for-66) and recorded a collective .939 career fielding percentage
. In her final season, did not commit an error all year to lead all pitchers in the league with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage .In addition, she was one of seven pitchers to collect 100 or more wins in the circuit, ranking 6th on the all-time list behind Helen Nicol
(163), Jean Faut
(140), Joanne Winter
(133), Dorothy Collins
(117), Maxine Kline
(116), and over Connie Wisniewski
(107). As an added value, Warren joined a softball team who won the Michigan state championship in 1956. She also worked during 25 years for the North Central Airlines
. After retiring in 1980, she was a long resident of Largo, Florida
.
Nancy Warren is part of the AAGPBL permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York
, opened in , which is dedicated to the entire league rather than any individual player. She died in Southfield, Michigan
, twelve days short of her 80th birthday.
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...
and infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
who played from through for six different teams of 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", 130 lb., she batted and threw right handed. Hank was a nickname she picked up as a youth.
Early life
A native of Springfield, OhioSpringfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
, Nancy Warren used to play baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
with her four brothers in their home's backyard at an early age. She joined her first organized fastpitch softball team after turning 14, juggling positions on the field as a pitcher
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...
and at shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
. She later played softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
for the Fink and Heine Packers team in a national tournament, where she were recruited by a AAGPBL scout. Warren was given a tryout during the 1946 spring training
Spring 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...
held at Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...
, and was allocated to the Muskegon Lassies
Muskegon Lassies
The Muskegon Lassies were one of the expansion teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in , representing Muskegon, Michigan. The team played their home games at Marsh Field....
as a shortstop.
1946-1950 seasons
Since the Lassies already had an overloaded infield, Warren was benchedDugout (baseball)
In baseball, the dugout is a team's bench area and is located in foul territory between home plate and either first or third base. There are two dugouts, one for the home team and one for the visiting team. In general, the dugout is occupied by all players not prescribed to be on the field at that...
most of the time. Halfway through the season she demanded an opportunity to play or be traded, and Muskegon manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
Buzz Boyle
Buzz Boyle
Ralph Francis Boyle , was an outfielder in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Boston Braves and Brooklyn Dodgers . Listed at 5' 11", 170 lb., Boyle batted and threw left handed...
gave her the opportunity to pitch and play at infield
Infield
Infield is a widely used term in sports terminology, its meaning depends on the sport in which it is used.- In baseball :In baseball the baseball diamond plus a region beyond it , has both grass and dirt, in contrast to the more distant, usually grass-covered outfield...
. Unfortunately, Warren broke an ankle in the process and lost the rest of the season. In April 1947, all of the league's players were flown to Havana, Cuba, for spring training. After that, the teams paired off and played exhibition games, traveling by train to their home cities. That exhibition schedule helped get the players ready for the opening of regular season games in the last week of May. New Muskegon manager Bill Wambsganss
Bill Wambsganss
William Adolf Wambsganss was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1914 through 1926, Wambsganss played for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Athletics...
assumed he might use Warren in the pitching rotation. She did well, going 17-11 with 93 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 a 1.13 earned run average
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...
in 31 games.
Warren started 1948 in good form, but was dealt to the expansion Chicago Colleens
Chicago Colleens
The Chicago Colleens were a women's professional baseball team who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The team represented Chicago, Illinois and played their home games at Shewbridge Field....
during the midseason. At the time the league shifted players in anytime as needed to help new teams stay afloat. She posted a combined 12-5 record for a .706 winning percentage
Winning percentage
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win...
while striking out 86 batters. Chicago had a horrendous record and folded at the end of the season. She found herself on the move again, this time to the Peoria Redwings
Peoria Redwings
The Peoria Redwings were a women's professional baseball team who joined the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the season. The team represented Peoria, Illinois....
the next year. Every time they wanted to booster a team, they'd transfer you, Warren recalled in an interview. Nevertheless, she enjoyed to play in Peoria, even though she had negative numbers with the Redwings after leading the league in losses
Winning percentage
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win...
(16), runs allowed
Run average
In baseball statistics, run average refers to measures of the rate at which runs are allowed or scored. For pitchers, the run average is the number of runs—earned or unearned—allowed per nine innings...
(92) and earned runs (64) in 1949. She rebounded in 1950, going 18-18 with 86 strikeouts and a 2.41 ERA in 32 pitching appearances with Peoria.
1951-1953 seasons
During the 1951 midseason Warren was sent to the Fort Wayne DaisiesFort 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...
. In her new team she had plenty of run support from her teammates, thanks to a lineup
Batting order (baseball)
The batting order, or batting lineup, in baseball is the sequence in which the nine members of the offense take their turns in batting against the pitcher. The batting order is the main component of a team's offensive strategy. The batting order is set by the manager before the game begins...
that included the explosive bats of Betty 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...
, Jean Geissinger
Jean Geissinger
Jean Louise Geissinger-Harding [″Dutch″] is a former infielder and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for the Fort Wayne Daisies and Grand Rapids Chicks...
, Katie Horstman
Katie Horstman
Catherine Horstman [″Horsey″] is a former female utility who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, 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...
and Joanne Weaver
Joanne Weaver
Joanne Weaver [″Joltin' Jo″] was a right fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, which led to her best ever winning record of 17-6 (.739). In 1952, she went 17-7 with a 2.46 ERA and finished second in the league with 91 SO (23 behind leader Jean Faut
Jean Faut
Jean Anna Faut [Winsch/Eastman] is a former female starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 137 lb., she batted and threw right handed....
). Unfortunately, Warren experimented her worst season in 1953 with a 6-17 record after being traded to the helpless Muskegon Belles
Muskegon Belles
The Muskegon Belles were a women's professional baseball team that played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the season....
.
1954 season
Warren was traded to the Kalamazoo LassiesKalamazoo 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...
in 1954, during what turned out to be the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League's final season. For the second time, she inadvertently found herself in an inspired team. The Lassies, with Mitch Skupien
Mitch Skupien
Mitch Skupien was a manager and executive in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.Very little is known about this man who worked hard for the AAGPBL during the final five years of its existence. Previously, Skupien had managed the Rayson Sporting Goods, a Chicago baseball team, and...
at the helm, finished fourth of five teams with a 48-49-1 mark, earning a berth to the playoffs. In the first round, the team disposed of the South Bend Blue Sox
South Bend Blue Sox
The South Bend Blue Sox were a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
(48-44 record) in three games and later faced Fort Wayne in the best-of-five series. During the regular season, Warren posted a 12-9 record with 63 strikeouts and a 3.86 ERA in 26 pitching appearances, ranking seventh in the league in strikeouts while tying teammate Gloria Cordes
Gloria Cordes
Gloria Cordes [Elliott] is a former starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
for the fourth-best in wins. For the first (and last) time of her career, Warren was selected for the All-Star Team. In the playoffs, Cordes hurled and lost the opener to South Bend, but Warren and Elaine Roth
Elaine Roth
Elaine Roth [E] was a female pitcher and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
won games two and three, respectively.
In the first round of the playoffs, regular-season champ Fort Wayne (54-40) won on a forfeit from the third-place Grand Rapids Chicks
Grand Rapids Chicks
The Grand Rapids Chicks were a women's professional baseball team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954, winning championships in 1947 and 1953....
(46-45). A confrontation erupted when, due to an injury to Fort Wayne’s regular catcher, the league voted to allow the Daisies to add Ruth Richard
Ruth Richard
Ruth Richard [Richie] is a former female catcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 134 lb., she batted left-handed and threw right-handed....
to their roster. Richard, an All-Star catcher for the Rockford Peaches
Rockford Peaches
The Rockford Peaches were a team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing out of Rockford, Illinois for the entire existence of the league from 1943 to 1954....
, was available after the elimination of her team (37-55). Then the Chicks, claiming that using a new player was unfair, played the first game under protest, though they won it, 8–7. Attempting to resolve the matter the following night in Fort Wayne, Chicks manager Woody English
Woody English
Elwood George "Woody" English was an American shortstop who played in Major League Baseball for twelve seasons with the Chicago Cubs and the Brooklyn Dodgers.- Early life :...
and Daisies pilot Bill Allington
Bill Allington
William Baird Allington was an American Minor league baseball player and manager. Listed at 5' 9" , 160 lb., Allington batted and threw right-handed. He was born in St. Clair County, Michigan....
ended up fighting at home plate. Later, the entire Chicks team voted not to play, so the Daisies advanced to the championship round to face Kalamazoo.
Last Championship Series
In Game 1 of the AAGPBL Series, the Kalamazoo Lassies defeated the visiting Fort Wayne Daisies 17–9 behind a four-hit, seven strong innings from June PeppasJune Peppas
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.-Early life:...
, who also helped herself by hiting 2-for-4, including one 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...
. Her teammates Carol Habben
Carol 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....
and 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:...
also batted one each, 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....
belted 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...
. Warren relieved
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
Peppas in the eight, forcing Jean Geissinger
Jean Geissinger
Jean Louise Geissinger-Harding [″Dutch″] is a former infielder and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for the Fort Wayne Daisies and Grand Rapids Chicks...
to hit into a double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
, and preserved the victory. Pitching star 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 for the Daisies during the regular season, gave up 11 runs in six innings and was credited with the loss. 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, while 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.
Cordes started for the Lassies in Game 2, which featured seven home runs by both teams. Due to a mix-up over the game's starting time the umpires
Umpire (baseball)
In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...
did not allow Cordes to warm up (supposedly there would be a half hour delay). Starting cold, she allowed five runs before getting a batter out. After a leadoff walk to Mary Weddle, Horstman belted a home run for a 2-0 Fort Wayne lead. Then Richard and Weaver hit back-to-back singles
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
, and Betty 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...
followed with a three-run homer to give the Daisies a 5–0 edge. Roth relieved Cordes and completed the game. But the Lassies hit three more home runs, one each by Geissinger and Weaver and the second for Foss. Kalamazoo discounted the margin with leadoff shots by 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″....
, Peppas (playing at first base) 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...
, but the game's outcome was never in doubt.
After moving to Fort Wayne for the rest of the series, the Daisies won a close Game 3, 8-7, fueled by the heavy hitting of Weaver, who collected a double
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....
, a triple
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 a three-run home run in five at-bats, while driving in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
four runs. In the decisive seventh inning, Peppas added a base hit to spark a three-run Kalamazoo rally, capped by a Ballingall’s two-run single. But the Daisies came back in the bottom of the inning, scoring twice off Warren for the final 8–7 margin. Cordes relieved Warren with the bases loaded, but did not allow any damage for the remainder of the game.
Cordes started Game 4 of the series with her team against the wall, 2-to-1. This time properly warmed up, she pitched a complete game, allowing five runs on nine hits, to help Kalamazoo to tie the series, after a 6–5 victory over Fort Wayne. Habben drove in two runs who marked the difference and Schroeder added a solo home run, while Kline suffered her second loss of the series.
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. Peppas received offensive support from Mary Taylor (5-for-5), Balingall (3-for-4) and Schroeder, who drove in the winning run in the bottom of the eight. Besides this, Peppas finished with a .450 average in the series and collected two of the three Lassies victories, to become the winning pitcher of the last game in the league's history. In the end, the inspired Lassies rose to the challenge and batted a .337 average as a team. On the other hand, the usually heavy-hitting Daisies averaged only a modest .275.
In a seven-season career, Warren posted a mark of 114 wins with 93 losses and a 2.41 earned run average. She hit a career-average of .155 (104-for-66) and recorded a collective .939 career fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
. In her final season, did not commit an error all year to lead all pitchers in the league with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage .In addition, she was one of seven pitchers to collect 100 or more wins in the circuit, ranking 6th on the all-time list behind Helen Nicol
Helen Nicol
Helen Nicol is a Canadian former baseball pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Listed at 5' 3", 120 lb., Nicol batted and threw right-handed...
(163), Jean Faut
Jean Faut
Jean Anna Faut [Winsch/Eastman] is a former female starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 137 lb., she batted and threw right handed....
(140), Joanne Winter
Joanne Winter
Joanne Emily Winter [Jo] was a pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 8", 138 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.-Overview profile:...
(133), Dorothy Collins
Dottie Wiltse Collins
Dorothy Wiltse Collins [Dottie] was an American pitcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which was in existence from 1943–54....
(117), 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...
(116), and over Connie Wisniewski
Connie Wisniewski
Constance Wisniewski was a starting pitcher and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
(107). As an added value, Warren joined a softball team who won the Michigan state championship in 1956. She also worked during 25 years for the North Central Airlines
North Central Airlines
North Central Airlines was founded as Wisconsin Central Airlines in 1944 in Clintonville, Wisconsin. It was headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Early history:...
. After retiring in 1980, she was a long resident of Largo, Florida
Largo, Florida
Largo is the third largest city in Pinellas County, Florida, USA and is part of the Tampa Bay Area. Centrally located, it is the crossroads of the county. As of the 2000 census, the City had a total population of 69,371. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau was...
.
Nancy Warren is part of the AAGPBL permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown 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...
, opened in , which is dedicated to the entire league rather than any individual player. She died in Southfield, Michigan
Southfield, Michigan
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which 0.04% is water. The main branch of the River Rouge runs through Southfield. The city is bounded to the south by Eight Mile Road, its western border is Inkster Road, and to the east it is bounded by Greenfield Road...
, twelve days short of her 80th birthday.
Pitching statistics
| W | L | W-L% | 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... | IP Innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two... | H Hit (baseball) In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice.... | RA Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured... | ER 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... | BB 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... | SO 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.... | WHIP Walks plus hits per inning pitched In baseball statistics, walks plus hits per inning pitched is a sabermetric measurement of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched. It is a measure of a pitcher's ability to prevent batters from reaching base... | SO/BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 114 | 93 | .527 | 2.41 | 1428 | 1134 | 580 | 382 | 422 | 626 | 1.089 | 1.48 |