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OTHER - WOMEN'S BASEBALL
All images and research on this site are the property and copyright of Adam Chu / nationalgirlsbaseballleague.com. Do not claim any content as your own, alter image files in any way, or remove/attempt to remove any copyright notices or watermarks. Permission for use may be granted on a case-by-case basis upon request. By using any image or research from this site, you agree to provide proper credit and a 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) was founded in 1945 as the American Girls Softball League. Based in the New York metropolitan area, the league transitioned from softball to baseball in 1949. From its inception, the AGSL/AGBC was fully integrated. Marie Roach began the 1945 season with the Greenwold/Long Island Jewels, becoming the first Black woman to play in the league. She was soon followed by Yvonne 'Coky' Coker, who joined in August of that same year. Coker went on to become one of the league’s early stars, playing for several teams: the West New York (NJ) Traders (1945), the New York/Staten Island Farmerettes (1946), and the Long Island Clovers—later known as the Hostess Girls and Freeport Forest Jewels (1947–1951). She also played in 1952, though her regular-season team that year is unconfirmed. However, records show she appeared with an AGBC All-Star team that season. In 1953, her final year, she played for the Bronx Alpines.
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The AGSL/AGBC was the first major women’s softball or baseball league in the U.S. to feature African-American players on its teams.
California Girl's Professional Baseball League (CGPBL) - Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
1946
In 1946, Marty Fiedler, known as the 'Ziegfeld of Softball', launched a four-team women’s baseball league in Southern California. The California Girls’ Professional Baseball League played at three venues: Lakewood Stadium, Montebello Ball Park, and Santa Monica Municipal Stadium. Teams represented the cities of Long Beach, Los Angeles, Montebello, and Santa Monica. The league lasted only one season.
Central Indiana Girls' Baseball League (CIGBL) - Indiana
1948-1949
The AAGPBL operated a five-team minor league in Indiana for two seasons (1948–1949). The league, known as the Central Indiana Girls Baseball League, featured the Alexandria Smart Aleks, Anderson Squaws, Middletown Gardens (Muncie), Muncie VFW, and Upland Manufacturing Company Girls. Upland claimed the 1948 championship, while Middletown won in 1949.
Chicago Girls Baseball League (CGBL) - Chicago Metropolitan Area
1948-1950
The four-team Chicago Girls Baseball League (CGBL) was formed in 1948 as a farm system for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Mel Thillens, owner of Thillens Stadium on Chicago’s North Side, sponsored two teams: the Northtown Co-eds and Northtown Debs. The Blue Island Recreation Commission, from Blue Island, Illinois, sponsored the other two: the Blue Island Dianas and Blue Island Stars. In 1949, Rayson's Sports took over sponsorship of the Northtown Co-eds. The CGBL lasted for three seasons.
Eastern Girls' Baseball League (EGBL) - Pennsylvania
1950
For one season in 1950, a semi-pro women’s baseball league operated in Pennsylvania. The Eastern Girls’ Baseball League, featuring teams such as the Allentown Chicks, Norristown Nifties, and Perkiomen Demons, served as a feeder circuit to the AAGPBL.
Japan Woman's Baseball Association (JWBA) - Japan
1950-1951
In 1950, four teams formed the Japan Women's Baseball Association (JWBA). The Tokyo Romance Bluebirds, founded in 1949, were joined by the Homers, Pearls, and Red Sox for an opening series on April 10 at Tokyo’s Korakuen Stadium. Over the summer, more teams joined the league, and several corporations began sponsoring individual clubs.
In August, the Romance Bluebirds withdrew from the JWBA and, along with 10 other teams, established a rival organization, the All-Japan Women’s Baseball Association (AJWBA), in September. However, the AJWBA folded just two months later, in November. That same month, the JWBA concluded its season with a final tournament, where the Red Sox captured the championship.
By 1951, several teams had disbanded, reducing the league to six clubs. Okada Batteries, the team formerly known as the Pearls, won that year’s title. Ahead of the 1952 season, the league reclassified from professional to amateur, marking the end of women’s professional baseball in Japan until its revival in the 21st century.