Gloria Schweigerdt

Who is Gloria Schweigerdt?

Gloria June Schweigerdt [״Tippy״] is a former pitcher who played from 1950 through 1952 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 4 in, 120 lb, she batted and threw right-handed.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Gloria Schweigerdt started playing sandlot ball with her brother and the boys of her neighborhood at age seven. When turned fifteen, she went to a league tryout held at Thillens Stadium in Skokie. Then, in 1950 she was assigned to the Chicago Colleens/Springfield Sallies rookie touring teams to work things out. She traveled all over the country and posted a 8–7 record while pitching for the Colleens. During the trip, she hurled a no-hitter at the old Yankee Stadium. No other woman had ever pitched off that mound before me, she remembered in an interview.

Schweigerdt was promoted to the Grand Rapids Chicks in the 1951 season and ended up pitching for the Battle Creek Belles during the midseason. In all, Schweigerdt went 3–4 with a 2.72 earned run average in 14 games. She also remembered winning a pitching duel against the legendary Jean Faut of the South Bend Blue Sox in the course of the year.

Gloria had her best statistical season in 1952 with Battle Creek, when she compiled a 10–10 record and a 2.95 ERA. She also set personal bests in strikeouts and innings, while tying for fourth in the league for the most games pitched.