Mary Nesbitt Wisham facts for kids

Mary Nesbitt Wisham (born January 1, 1925 – died November 17, 2013) was an American baseball player. She was a talented pitcher and first basewoman. Mary played from 1943 to 1950 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She was 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 155 pounds. Mary Nesbitt batted and threw with her left-handed arm. She was born Marie Crews Nesbitt in Greenville, South Carolina. Before she got married in 1946, she was known as Mary Nesbitt.

Mary Nesbitt's Amazing Baseball Career

Mary Nesbitt had many "firsts" in her successful career in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She was one of the 60 original players when the league started. Mary was a great fastpitch and knuckleball pitcher. Her pitches were hard to hit because they moved in unpredictable ways.

Sadly, a serious injury during a game cut short her promising pitching career. She finished with 65 wins and 49 losses. Her earned run average (ERA) was 2.44 in 120 games as a pitcher. After her injury, she became a first baseman. She was a powerful hitter for the rest of her career.

Mary was among the top 10 players in the AAGPBL for five of her six seasons. She played in the league's very first All-Star Game. She had a .422 on-base percentage and a .393 slugging average. Her .282 batting average is the sixth best of all time for players with at least 1000 at bats.

Mary's Early Life and Baseball Start

Mary Nesbitt loved playing baseball from a young age. She played in a fast-pitch softball league in her hometown when she was just 12. Later, she played for championship teams in Illinois and Florida. She even played on a men's team in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

A baseball scout named Jimmy Hamilton saw her play there. He was very impressed by her skills. He invited Mary to try out for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

Playing in the AAGPBL

For her first three seasons, Mary Nesbitt played first base when she wasn't pitching. In 1943, she played for the Racine Belles. Their manager was Johnny Gottselig. Mary helped the Belles win the first half of the season. They also won the AAGPBL championship that year.

Mary was a key pitcher, with a record of 26 wins and 13 losses. This was a .667 winning percentage, the fifth best in the league. She pitched 308 innings in 47 games. She also hit .280, scored 34 runs, and had 29 RBI in 73 games.

At one point, Mary won 11 games in a row! On July 1, 1943, the league held its first All-Star Game. This game was also the first night game ever played at Wrigley Field. Temporary lights were set up for the special event.

Besides Mary, the Belles had other strong players. Joanne Winter was another good pitcher. Players like Margaret Danhauser, Maddy English, Edythe Perlick, and Claire Schillace were great hitters and fielders. Eleanor Dapkus led the league with 10 home runs. Sophie Kurys was very fast, stealing 44 bases and scoring 60 runs.

Irene Hickson was a catcher who often got important hits. She was also a strong fielder with a good arm. Hickson was known for working well with pitchers. Mary Nesbitt and Irene Hickson were called the "Belles Chattanooga Battery." This was because scout Jimmy Hamilton found both of them in Chattanooga.

The first AAGPBL Championship Series was between the Racine Belles and the Kenosha Comets. Racine won the best-of-five series by sweeping Kenosha in three games. Mary Nesbitt pitched complete-game victories in Games 1 and 3. She also got a save in Game 2. Irene Hickson was the top hitter in the series, with a .417 average.

In 1944, Mary Nesbitt was the only Racine pitcher with a winning record. She had 23 wins and 17 losses. She also had a career-high 106 strikeouts in 45 games. Mary helped with her bat too, hitting .220 with 14 runs and 23 RBI.

Mary continued pitching until she broke her collarbone in 1945. She finished that year with 16 wins and 19 losses. But she also led the league in hitting with a .319 average in 66 games! The league's average batting average that year was only .198. This shows how good the AAGPBL pitchers were.

Mary did not play in 1946. She married Vester Wisham, who worked for the Racine team. They were living on a farm in Georgia. A scout found her and offered her a $500 bonus to return to the league.

She joined the Peoria Redwings in 1947. That year, the AAGPBL held its spring training in Havana, Cuba. After her injury, Mary found it harder to control her pitches, especially her knuckleball. So, she started playing first base regularly. She hit .261 in 110 games, with 47 runs, 58 RBI, and a grand slam.

Her best season was in 1948. She led the league with 24 doubles. She also had career highs in batting average (.292), runs (69), RBI (58), at bats (399), hits (128), and games played (126). She was in the top ten for all these hitting categories. Mary helped Peoria have their first and only winning season, with a 71–55 record. They made the playoffs but lost to the Racine Belles.

In 1950, Mary hit an impressive .340 with 25 runs and 22 RBI in just 49 games. She stopped playing baseball again because she was pregnant with her first child. Fans even threw her a baby shower on the field! Later, her family moved to Hollister in Putnam County, Florida.

Life After Baseball

Mary did play baseball for three months for a team in Miami. But it wasn't the same as the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She and her husband were married for 52 years until he passed away in 1998.

For over 20 years, Mary drove a school bus in Putnam County. But she kept playing ball! She joined local women's leagues. Her daughter, Mary Elizabeth, even played with her. They were part of a team that won the state championships for fast-pitch softball in 1975. Their team finished ninth at the national championship. Mary Nesbitt Wisham was 65 years old when she played in that tournament! A park in West Putnam has been named in her honor.

In November 1988, Mary Nesbitt Wisham and her former teammates received special recognition. The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, created a permanent display for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Mary lived in Hollister, Florida, until she passed away on November 17, 2013, in Palatka, Florida.

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