Name Joan Holderness | ||
Joan Holderness (born March 17, 1933) played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1949 to 1951. She both threw and batted Right-handed..
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Early life
Joan was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Both her father and grandfather played a lot of ball. So she played with them. She had a bat and a ball and they had flat gloves and she remembers playing as a child. She first heard about the league when her mother took her a ball game when she was in 5th or 6th grade for the Kenosha Comets. She loved it and immediately wanted to be one of them. But her mom was strict and she didn't go to any more ball games. So she just watched them practice and got to meet several ball players who would play catch with her.
In 1947, at the age of 14, she was asked if she wanted to be their batgirl. She got a uniform and that's what she became, while going to school, in the summer. A year later a farm system began for the league, playing in Chicago and Joan's dad agreed to drive her down there once a week to play. There were four teams so she got to play shortstop which she enjoyed for the whole year.
Joan begins league training
In 1949, Joan was invited to go to Spring training in Indiana. It was there she got a contract which her father signed as she was only 16 (under age). But her mom wouldn't let her travel so half the year she didn't do much. But she was very well-liked and by 1950, she played more, sometimes right-field. She had a good arm and was asked to join the Grand Rapid Chicks which was in town playing against Kenosha.
Teams
Throughout her baseball career, Joan played for the Kenosha Comets (in 1949, and 1950), the Battle Creek Belles (in 1951) and the Grand Rapids Chicks (in 1950 and 1951). She played in the positions of outfield, shortstop, utility infield and batboy/girl.
After baseball
Following her time with the league, Joan's hobbies included fishing and bowling. In 1963, she joined the National Ladies Professional Bowling Association. In 1981, she was inducted into the Florida Women's Bowling Association Hall of Fame. A year later, she was inducted into the St. Petersburg, Florida Women's Hall of Fame and 2 years later, the Clearwater, Florida Women's Hall of Fame.