Betsy Jochum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Betsy Jochum
Jochum in the 1946 South Bend Blue Sox Yearbook
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
Outfielder / Pitcher / First base
Born: (1921-02-08)February 8, 1921 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Died: May 31, 2025(2025-05-31) (aged 104) South Bend, Indiana, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
Teams
South Bend Blue Sox (1943–1948)
Career highlights and awards
All-Star Game (1943) Three playoff appearances (1946-'48) Batting crown champion (1944) Single-season leader in: Hits and Doubles (1943) Hits and Singles (1944) Tied a league record for the most stolen bases in a single game (seven, on August 2, 1944) Ohio Baseball Hall of Fame Induction (1999)

Betsy "Sockum" Jochum (born February 8, 1921 – died May 31, 2025) was an amazing American outfielder and pitcher who played professional baseball from 1943 to 1948 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). She was 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed 140 pounds, and she batted and threw with her right hand.

Discover Betsy Jochum's Baseball Journey

Betsy Jochum, originally from Cincinnati, was one of the first 60 players to join the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She was a fantastic leadoff hitter because she was one of the fastest runners in the league's early days and almost never struck out. In 2,401 times at bat, she only struck out 104 times! She also had a strong defense and a powerful throwing arm. During her six seasons, she became an All-Star, won a batting title, stole 354 bases, and even pitched for a whole season.

Early Life and Sports Beginnings

Betsy was the daughter of Frank and Katherine Jochum, who were German-speaking Hungarians. They moved to the United States through Ellis Island and settled in Cincinnati before World War I began in 1917. Her father worked as a carpenter. Betsy grew up with her older brother, Nicholas, and younger sister, Frances, in a family that valued togetherness.

Betsy started playing sandlot ball (informal baseball) when she was eight and organized softball at age 12. At Hughes Center High School, she participated in many sports for girls, including basketball, volleyball, track and field, and softball.

After high school, Jochum went to Cincinnati Business School, where she learned to use a comptometer, an early type of mechanical calculator. She worked at a meat packing house and played semi-professional softball on the company team. Her team even played in national tournaments. In 1938, during a competition in Connecticut, she threw a ball 276 feet, which was second only to the legendary Babe Zaharias, who set a national record of 296 feet. Later, Betsy got a job at a dairy company, earning $16 a week, before signing her professional baseball contract for $50 a week.

The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL)

Why Was the AAGPBL Created?

In 1942, Philip K. Wrigley, who owned the Chicago Cubs baseball team, decided to start a women's professional baseball league. He was worried that the 1943 Major League Baseball season might be canceled because of World War II. Since women mostly played softball at the time, the new league created a special game that mixed rules from both softball and baseball.

How Players Were Chosen

Wrigley sent scouts all over the United States, Canada, and even Cuba to find talented girls for tryouts. About 500 girls showed up, and 280 were invited to the final tryouts in Chicago. From those, 60 were chosen to be the very first women to play professional baseball! These players were placed on four teams: the Kenosha Comets, Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches, and South Bend Blue Sox. The first spring training began on May 17, 1943, at Wrigley Field. Betsy Jochum and Dorothy Kamenshek were two of the six girls from Ohio who made it into the new league. Betsy joined the Blue Sox, and Dorothy played for the Peaches.

Betsy's AAGPBL Career Highlights

Betsy Jochum during the 1947 Season

Betsy Jochum joined the league in 1943 and played her entire six-year career with the South Bend Blue Sox. The Blue Sox were one of only two teams (the other being the Rockford Peaches) to play in every AAGPBL season. Betsy played center field and left field, pitched, and even played first base for a long time when the regular first baseman was injured. The league's rules changed over time, with longer base paths, longer pitching distances, and smaller balls, showing Betsy's ability to adapt.

• 1943: Her Amazing Rookie Year

In her first season, Betsy hit for a .273 batting average. She led the league in several categories: at-bats (439), hits (120), singles (100), and doubles (12). She also stole 66 bases and scored 70 runs. She was so good in the second half of the season, hitting .295, that she was chosen for the All-Star Game. This game, played on July 1, 1943, was special because it was the first night game ever played at Wrigley Field!

• 1944: Batting Champion

Betsy continued to shine in 1944, leading the league with an impressive .296 batting average, which was excellent for that time in baseball history (known as a "dead-ball era" where hitting was harder). She also set personal bests in games played (112), runs (72), hits (128), and stolen bases (127). On August 2, she tied a league record by stealing seven bases in a single game!

• 1945-1946: Overcoming Challenges and Playoff Appearances

In 1945, her batting average dropped to .237, but she bounced back strong in 1946, hitting .250. She had 64 runs, 73 stolen bases, and a career-high 63 runs batted in (RBI). That year, she ranked third on her team and tenth overall in batting average for players with 90 or more games. She also tied for the fewest strikeouts (10) and was second in RBI. The Blue Sox, often a lower-ranked team, made the playoffs for the first time in 1946 but lost to the Racine Belles, who went on to win the championship.

• 1947: Adapting to New Rules

In 1947, spring training moved to Havana, Cuba, and the league introduced new rules allowing full sidearm pitching. Many players who were used to underhand pitching found it hard to adjust. Betsy's average slipped to .211, but she still had 42 RBI, 36 runs, and 44 stolen bases. For the second year in a row, South Bend made the playoffs but lost in the first round to the Grand Rapids Chicks.

• 1948: Becoming a Pitcher

In 1948, the league changed again, allowing overhand pitching. With her strong arm, Betsy was a natural choice to become a pitcher for her final season. She debuted against the Fort Wayne Daisies, allowing only two hits and striking out five batters. At one point, she had a great 13–6 record, finishing the season with 14 wins and 13 losses. When she wasn't pitching, South Bend manager Marty McManus used her in the outfield, at first base, or as a pinch-hitter. Even though her batting average was lower (.195), Betsy contributed 14 of her team's 57 victories, with an excellent 1.51 earned run average (ERA). She struck out 103 batters and walked only 58 in 215 innings. However, South Bend again lost to Grand Rapids in the first round of the playoffs.

Betsy Jochum's Career Statistics

Here's a look at Betsy Jochum's impressive stats during her time in the AAGPBL:

Batting Statistics

Fielding Statistics

Pitching Statistics

Life After Professional Baseball

Betsy Jochum left the league after the 1948 season when she was traded from the Blue Sox to the Peoria Redwings. After her baseball career, Betsy earned bachelor's and master's degrees in physical education from Illinois State University. She taught physical education to girls at Muessel Elementary/Junior High School in South Bend for 26 years, retiring in 1983.

After retiring, she enjoyed golf, bowling, and participating in "Run Jane Run" exhibition games. She also helped collect and organize AAGPBL items for the Northern Indiana Historical Society.

Legacy and Recognition

In November 1988, Betsy Jochum and her former teammates and opponents finally received the recognition they deserved. The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, created a permanent display dedicated to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. In 1999, she was inducted into the Ohio Baseball Hall of Fame. Her South Bend Blue Sox uniform has even traveled as part of an exhibition by the Smithsonian Institution called Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers.

Betsy Jochum once said in an interview, Women should have their own major league and minor leagues plus the sponsors to make it go. As of 2010, Jochum was living in South Bend, Indiana. She became a centenarian (someone who lives to be 100 or older) in February 2021.

Betsy Jochum passed away in South Bend on May 31, 2025, at the age of 104.