Helene Machado

Helene Machado [Van Sant] (April 17, 1926 – February 13, 2019) was an outfielder who played from 1946 to 1947 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Listed at 5' 11", 148 lbs., she batted and threw right-handed.

Upbringing Machado was born and raised in Venice, California, being the only girl of five siblings.

In the mid-nineties, Helene remained an advocate for women's sports and sent a petition to the mayor of San Bernardino to start a local women's baseball club. She hoped for the best for players like the legendary Ila Borders and the all-female Colorado Silver Bullets, who were barnstorming across the United States, challenging men's pro, semi-pro, and amateur teams from coast to coast, as they tried to find their places in organized baseball.

Machado Van Sant died in 2019 in San Bernardino, California, at the age of 92.

Personal life Machado married George Van Sant in the late 1940s. They had three sons and three daughters, before George died of a heart attack in 1969.

AAGPBL statistics Batting

Fielding PO A E TC DP FA 261 14 17 292 2 .943