Rita Briggs

Rita Briggs
("Maude")

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 3", Weight 120 lb.
• High School Ayer High School
• Born March 27, 1929 in Ayer, MA USA
• Died September 11, 1994 in Kalamazoo, MI USA

Biographical Information

Rita Briggs was a catcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

Briggs joined the AAGPBL in 1947 when she was 18 and stayed with the league through 1954. She played with the Rockford Peaches, the Chicago Colleens, the South Bend Blue Sox, the Peoria Redwings, the Battle Creek Belles, and the Daisies.

She debuted in 1947 with Rockford, hitting .215. She batted .200 with 7 triples in 1948, tying for 7th in three-baggers. She also stole 43 bases. Playing for three clubs in '49, she batted .222/~.274/.226 and stole 22 bases. In 1950, she settled in with Peoria as a regular and hit .216/~.312/.257. In 1951, she hit .275/~.371/.298 for the Redwings, also stealing 20 bases.

Briggs moved to Battle Creek for 1952 and hit .185/~.257/.214 with 20 steals. She spent her last two years with Fort Worth, hitting .231/~.355/.257 in 1953 and .213/~.344/.266 in 1954. Overall, she batted .206/~.296/.238 in 757 games and was 0 for 13 in the playoffs.

In May 2009, Ayer High School in Ayer, MA dedicated their new softball field to Briggs. In 1945, Briggs was the full-time catcher for the Ayers baseball team - their first and only female player.