Irene Kotowicz

Irene K. Kotowicz
(Ike)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 5", Weight 128 lb.

• Born December 10, 1919 in Chicago, IL USA
• Died January 24, 2002 in Elk Grove Village, IL USA

Biographical Information

Pitcher/outfielder Irene Kotowicz played five seasons in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She broke in with the 1945 Rockford Peaches, hitting .154/~.237/.188 in 52 games. The next year, she hit .190/~.279/.215 in 37 games for the Fort Wayne Daisies. She only struck out 4 times in 154 AB in 1945 and once in 121 AB in 1946.

Transferred to the mound in 1947, Irene went 8-10 with a 2.61 ERA for Fort Wayne and the Kenosha Comets. Moving to the Chicago Colleens, a 1948 expansion team, she was went 18-17 on a team that otherwise was 29-60. She tied for 7th in the league in wins, was third in innings (296) and strikeouts (197, trailing Joanne Winter and Lois Florreich. She also walked 167, allowing 193 hits.

The 29-year-old hurler was only 8-13 with a 2.32 ERA for the 1949 Racine Belles, walking 109 in 190 innings. She fell to 0-5, 4.67 the next year for Racine and walked 73 in 54 innings while fanning only 19 to finish her career.

Overall, she was 42-47 with a 2.73 ERA on the mound, walking 413 in 702 innings, allowing 503 hits and striking out 315.

After leaving baseball, she worked for Sears in Chicago for 30 years.

Principal source: The AAGPBL Record Book by W.C. Madden