- Olive Little
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Olive Bend Little [Ollie] (May 17, 1917 - February 2, 1987) was a female pitcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League between the 1943 and 1946 seasons. Listed at 5' 3", 135 lb., Little batted and threw right-handed. She was born in Poplar Point, Manitoba, Canada.
Little was renowned for her strong fastball and for pitching four no-hitter games.
As a founding member, Little entered the AAGPBL with the Rockford Peaches in 1943. She won 21 games and pitched the league's first no hitter on June 10 of that year in a nine inning game, even though she was tagged for two runs on that game. She also made the All Star team with 151 strikeouts to her credit. Little was out in 1944 to have a baby, but returned in 1945 to win 22 games. She went 14-17 in 1946, her last season.
In a three-season career, Little posted a 57-57 record with 381 srikeouts and a 2.23 ERA in 112 pitching appearances.
Little is a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, and gained induction into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1985. She died at the age of 69.
Since 1998, the Olive Little Memorial Award is presented to The Manitoba Softball Association's Top Senior Female Player.
Sources
- All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2000. Format: Paperback, 294pp. Language: English. ISBN 0786437472. ISBN 9780786437474
- Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: A Biographical Dictionary - W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2005. Format: Paperback, 295 pp. Language: English. ISBN 0786437472. ISBN 9780786422630*Biographical Dictionary of American Sports. Vol. 3: Baseball, Q-Z - David L. Porter. Publisher: Greenwood Pub Group, 1987. Language: English. ISBN 0313311765. ISBN 9780313311765
- Olive Little Memorial Award
External links
- 1943 Rockford Peaches
- BR Bullpen
- Olive Little’s biography at Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
- Famous Canadians
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Teams Battle Creek Belles • Chicago Colleens • Fort Wayne Daisies • Grand Rapids Chicks • Kalamazoo Lassies • Kenosha Comets • Milwaukee Chicks • Minneapolis Millerettes
• Muskegon Belles • Muskegon Lassies • Peoria Redwings • Racine Belles • Rockford Peaches • South Bend Blue Sox • Springfield SalliesAwards and Recognitions All-Star Team • Player of the Year • Batting records • Pitching records
Articles related A League of Their Own • List of managers • Arthur Meyerhoff • Philip K. Wrigley
Categories:- All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players
- Canadian baseball players
- 1917 births
- 1987 deaths
- Baseball people from Manitoba
- Canadian baseball biography stubs
- Baseball pitcher stubs
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