#womensbaseball

It’s not everyday you get a visit like this in the conservation lab. Cardboard cutout legend, Jean Faut, was the star pitcher of the South Bend Blue Sox from 1946-1953. Jean’s claim to fame was pitching not one, but two perfect games during her career with the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). 

Formidable 2-D figure that she is, it has been hard to find just the right home for her, and overtime a lack of support has caused her figure to slump. Injections of wheat starch paste, and a kozo tissue mend were added to brace the damage to her neck. Then a very large enclosure was made to give her support and protection during storage, and to make it easier for our curators to transport Jean wherever she needs to go. We’re happy to give this local great a better home to keep her around for many more years to come.

before treatment

before treatment

after treatment 

The Windup and the Pitch - A Baseball Story - FOREWORD (on Wattpad) https://my.w.tt/hpv8DKaUPT After three seasons in the revived All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, Tess Valenzuela is heralded as the best female baseball pitcher in the world - so much that she's garnered the attention of MLB scouts. When MLB announces a plan to integrate players from the women's league, Tess's world is turned upside down when she's signed by the Milwaukee Brewers. With a media circus and obsessive fans following her, alongside a tumultuous family life and a budding romance with a disarming teammate, Tess's rookie season is one that will truly go down in history.

 **NOTE: This is a completed work, but chapters will be posted over the next few days** 

Listen to Windup and the Pitch's official soundtrack on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2eEQsdxNQnXiUoUSvNOyKK

UPDATE: Now with a foreword, more chapters, and....a Spotify playlist....

It’s about 50% posted! I’m still working on posting the chapters and making it a little easier to read. 

Did you know that this week is the first annual Women in Baseball Week? Women and girls have been playing baseball since the game was invented and this week was created in order to help raise awareness of the importance of women and girl’s inclusion in the sport. In recognition, Special Collections will be highlighting materials throughout the week with a focus on women in baseball. Be sure to check out the International Women’s Baseball Center (IWBC) and Pitt’s resource guide for more information.

These two books from the 1940′s were written to encourage women’s participation in sports. Each book has a specific purpose. Team Sports for Women is intended as a guide for coaches to instruct girls in the playing of sports. The focus is on technique and the value in particular of playing sports on a team. Chapter 6 is all about softball and includes illustrations of the right techniques.

You may be wondering why, if it is National Women in Baseball Week, are we talking about softball? It is actually quite difficult to find older books with on women and baseball. Interestingly, Sports for Women, written to be a guide for implementing a successful women’s sports program at universities and colleges included content on baseball. The desire was to support the “recreational needs of sports-minded young women” and to make sure they are competing at the highest level for their skill. In this book there is a photograph of two girls playing baseball for their school team.

https://youtube.com/shorts/dhHPCM4KPc8?is=gRRjWIhRmY3CK3DN