Baker, Mary (1918- 2003)

An outstanding catcher, batter and base runner, Mary Baker epitomized the AAGPBL's image of athleticism and wholesome glamour.

maureen baker

Born in Regina on July 10, 1918, Mary Baker (née George) was internationally renowned as an outstanding softball player. Since major league Baseball was postponed during World War II, Chicago Cubs owner P.K. Wrigley started the All-American Girls’ Professional Baseball League, which Baker joined in 1943. She played back catcher for the South Bend Blue Sox in Indiana and was a three-time all-star. Baker played nine seasons in the league (1943–50, 1952) and in 1950, she became the league’s only full-time female player-manager for the Kalamazoo Lassies. Noted for her attractive appearance and softball skills, Baker was the league’s most publicized player and was referred to as “Pretty Bonnie Baker” by the press. She later returned to Regina and led the city’s Legion softball club to provincial, Western Canadian, and World Ladies Softball titles. In addition, Mary Baker worked for Regina’s CKRM in 1964–65, becoming the first female sports broadcaster in Canada. She also managed the Wheat City Curling club for twenty-five years. She is a member of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Baker died on December 17, 2003.

Daria Coneghan, Holden Stoffel