Gladys Davis

Gladys Victoria "Terrie" Davis Smith ( Anthony; September 1, 1919 – October 26, 1991) was a Canadian shortstop and outfielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League between the and seasons. Listed at 5' 5", 130 lb., Davis batted and threw right handed. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Davis was one of numerous Canadians to join the league in its first season in 1943. Behind strong pitching, Davis was the only batter to hit .300 that year and won the batting title.

Career Terrie Davis was one of the 68 players born in Canada to join the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in its twelve years history. She was among the top players in the early years of the circuit, winning the first batting champion title in 1943, being selected to the first All-Star Game, and as a member of the champion team in 1944. Noted for her enthusiastic and great knowledge of the game, she excelled defensively at shortstop, second base and all three outfield positions. Basically a line-drive hitter, she had a compact swing and tremendous plate discipline, collecting a significant .336 on-base percentage and a 2.05 walk-to-strikeout ratio (113-to-55) in a span of three years.

The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League operated from 1943 through 1954 and started with four teams: the Racine Belles and the Kenosha Comets, both from Wisconsin; the Rockford Peaches from Illinois, and the South Bend Blue Sox from Indiana. League play officially began on May 30, 1943 with the teams Kenosha Comets, Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox. Each team was made up of fifteen girls.

By 1944 the AAGPBL added two teams, the Milwaukee Chicks and the Minneapolis Millerettes. Davis divided her playing time between Rockford and Milwaukee, hitting a combined .246 average with 42 runs and 34 RBI in 80 games. The Chicks then went on to win the championship, beating Kenosha in the best-of-seven series behind a strong pitching effort by Connie Wisniewski, who went 4–1 with a 0.40 ERA in five complete games, while Davis led the team with a .333 average (9-for-27), three runs, three RBI, and eight stolen bases. In 1998, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame recognized with the Canadian-born players of the league with a collective induction. She is also part of the AAGPBL permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New York, opened in , which is dedicated to the entire league rather than any individual personalities.

Career statistics

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Batting

Fielding GPPOAETCDPFA 117 353 492 115 960 29 .880