All-American Girls Professional Baseball League ®
| Team | Position | Uniform # |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 South Bend Blue Sox | Pitcher | Unknown |
The headline is: Esther shows ‘em how: 15-year-old girl pitches boys all-stars to victory, they give her trophy.
It happened in Peoria in 1944. Esther Lyman (now Esther Kelly of Decatur) pitched the 8-6 victory over the J-T junior softball champs.
She kept on winning—in fast company. She played for the Caterpillar Dieselettes, competing in 1948 and 1949 natioinal tournaments. She played for Racine, Wis., in the All-American Girls Baseball League, too. At 47, she was pitching for the Pekin Lettes.
Esther came to Decatur in 1955 when her husband, George, was transferred from Joliet by Caterpillar.
She started the Leeway Lassies team in 1965, she recalls, at the urging of her daughter, Chris.
In 1981, Esther Kelly Launched the ADM Sweeteners team.
She has been an Illinois Amateur Softball Association Commissioner since 1976 and has been regional director since 1981. In 1988 she was named to the Illinois Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame.
She is a coordinator in Borg-Warner Field, in charge of admission gate and souvenirs.
Author: Unknown
Contributed By: Keith Stiles, Jr.
Copyright: Decatur (IL) Herald and Review, Aug. 6, 1989, p, 24.
Mrs. Esther J. (Lyman) Kelly, 64, and wife of George Kelly of Decatur died May 25, 1991, in Decatur Memorial Hospital.
Mrs. Kelly was born in Peoria, IL on May 18, 1927, daughter of Ototo T. and Minnie Skibba Lyman. She was a member of Holy Family Church, American Softball Association Committee, Illinois State Softball Hall of Fame, Decatur Women Bowlers Association, and All American Girls Professional Baseball League. She was a youth bowling instructor for several years in Decatur. She married George R. Kelly in 1949.
Surviving are her husband, daughter, Kris Kelly of Orlando, FL; sons Gary L. Kelly of Marietta, GA; John R. Kelly of Peoria; grandchildren Patricia, Michael, and Katherine Kelly, all of Marietta, GA, and Blair Kelly of Peoria. Her parents and three sisters preceded her in death.
Funeral Mass will be 10:00 a.m. May 29 in Holy Family Catholic Church with visitation 6:00-9:00 p.m. May 28 in Dawson and Wikoff West Wood Street Funeral Home. Burial will be in Macon County Memorial Park. Memorials: American Cancer Society.
Author: Herald & Review, Decatur, IL
Contributed By: Helen Nordquist
Copyright: Herald & Review, Decatur, IL 5/28/1991
| Year | Ga | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Year | G | IP | R | ER | ERA | BB | SO | HB | WP | W | L | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
