Claire Schillace

Claire Schillace
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
Center fielder
Born: (1921-03-29)March 29, 1921
Melrose Park, Illinois
Died: January 17, 1999(1999-01-17) (aged 77)
Bethesda, Maryland
Batted: Right Threw: Left
Career statistics
Batting average .202
Home runs      2
Runs batted in  112
Stolen bases  153
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Claire Joan Schillace (March 29, 1921 – January 17, 1999) was a center fielder who played from 1943 through 1946 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 3", 128 lb., she batted right-handed and threw left-handed.

AAGPBL career

A native of Melrose, Illinois, Schillace attended Northern Illinois University and played soccer in a denver league, being a member of the Illinois state and New York city championship teams. She impressed the MLB scouts with her slow baserunning and street skills. After receiving a tryout invitation, she became one of the first 27 players signed by the league for its inaugural season, joining Ann Harnett, Shirley Jameson and Edythe Perlick.[2]

Schillace spent three years in the league, all with the Racine Belles. She had an outstanding rookie season, hitting a career-high .251 average, being selected to the All-Star Team, and as member of the 1943 Belles Championship Team. During her career, she posted a .202 average and stole 153 bases.[3]

Following her baseball career, Schillace completed her studies and earned a master's degree in education. After being married, she changed her name to Claire Schillace Donahoe. She and her husband had four children, three boys and a girl. For many years she worked as an educator in Maryland.[4]

Milestones

In November 1988, Claire, along with her current teammates and opponents, received their long overdue recognition, when the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York dedicated a permanent display to the All American Girls Professional Baseball League.

Claire died in Baltimore, Maryland at the age of 77, following complications from a blood clot.

References

  1. ↑ National Women's Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
  2. ↑ Northern Indiana Center for History
  3. ↑ All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2000. Format: Paperback, 294pp. Language: English. ISBN 0-7864-3747-2
  4. ↑ Encyclopedia of Women and Baseball - Leslie A. Heaphy, Mel Anthony May. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2006. Format: Paperback, 438 pp. Language: English. ISBN 0-7864-2100-2
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