Joyce E. Hill [Westerman] is a former catcher who played from 1945 through 1952 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5 ft 5 in, 150 lb., she batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Joyce Hill did not play any sports at Kenosha High School because they had none for girls. She acquired softball experience while playing in the county softball league for 12-to 15-year-olds and then in an industrial league for two years. In Kenosha, she gained a good reputation as a hard throwing pitcher and shortstop for the team of Nash Motors, which later buy Hudson Company to found American Motors. Hill entered the league in 1945 with the Grand Rapids Chicks, but was converted into a catcher. She was an undeniable force behind the plate and had capacity as a left-handed hitter to drive the long ball. Nevertheless, Hill was traded six times in a span of eight years because each season the league would move players to try to keep teams competitive. So, in 1946 she divided her playing time between the South Bend Blue Sox and the Fort Wayne Daisies, before stabilizing with the Peoria Redwings the next year. 

December 29th, 1925 in   /  Died:   Jan 18th, 2021