Kay Rohrer

Kay Rohrer (June 29, 1922 – March 17, 1962) was a catcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Listed at , 139 lb, she batted and threw right-handed.

A member of a championship team, Kay Rohrer was one of the best hitting catchers during her only season in the league, ranking among the top 10 players in multiple offensive categories.

Born in Los Angeles, California, Kay grew up in a baseball oriented family. Her father, William Rohrer, was a minor league catcher who eventually would manage in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, while her grandfather, Ulysses Rohrer, was a 19th-century minor leaguer. At an early age, she served as a mascot and batgirl for a team managed by her father. She spent the majority of the time following her father around at the ballpark.

In 1938, her sophomore year in high school, Rohrer was 14 years old when she started playing softball in a girls team sponsored by Cantala-Tanzola, transporters of bulk petroleum company. The team was managed by her father. But she was not the only young lady whose star was on the rise. Her teammate, Dorothy Wiltse, would become one of the most dominant pitchers in AAGPBL history. Due in part to Mr. Rohrer's guidance, the girls became a key component for Cantala-Tanzala since they operated together as one well-assembled, pitcher-catcher battery.

In an interview, a mature Wiltse explained that Kay "would sit on her haunches without moving and just take her arm and, 'whoo', throw out people at second base just like that". At the time, such headlines as "Kid Battery Opposes Vets" and "Kid Battery Performs Today" raced across the sports pages in the Los Angeles newspapers. One write-up noted "The 'baby battery' swings into action tonight. Dot Wiltse and Kay Rohrer, pitcher and catcher who form the battery for Cantlay Tanzola, are fourteen years old but figure to give Bank of America a run for its money in their softball clash at Fiedler Sunset Field." She also was under contract with Paramount Pictures and later with Technicolor Corporation, before joining the league in 1945 with the Rockford Peaches.

After her AAGPBL days Rohrer moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where she achieved a distinguished career in the Arizona Softball League. She earned All-American honors in 1948 while leading the A-1 Queens of Phoenix to the national championship. She also played with the Phoenix Westerners, Mesa Premiums, Funk Gems and Phoenix Ramblers from 1954 through 1962, helping the Ramblers to three runner-up spots in national tournaments. In addition, she appeared in the American Softball Association All-Star Game held at Stratford, Connecticut in 1961.

Career statistics Batting

Fielding GPPOAETCDPFA 92 396 106 21 523 10 .960