Joanne McComb

Joanne McComb was born in Avonmore, Pennsylvania on March 1, 1933. Her father taught her to play baseball. McComb recalled being a young girl and playing ball on the street with the boys. She explained that: “a neighbor came up to my mother and said, ‘Why does your daughter act like that? Why can’t she be more ladylike?’ My mother never said a word.”^[1] One of her most significant influences was growing up on a street where all her neighbors enjoyed playing baseball. Every single day, they played a game of baseball in the middle of their street. People from all over town came to watch it.

McComb earned a reputation throughout her life as being helpful to everyone,^{[citation needed]} even giving of her time to coach other women.^{[citation needed]} She was a very good friend to everyone and would often be found helping her friends and neighbors through tough times in their lives.^{[citation needed]} At the same time, she was very self-confident, most likely because of her place in the baseball league.^[2]

McComb first heard about the league from an article she read in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In that article the try-outs were mentioned.

McComb played in first base for the Springfield Sallies in 1950. This was her favorite position. Her favorite manager was Mitch Skupien and her favorite chaperone was Barbara Liebrich (whose nickname was Bobbie).^[3]

McComb's most memorable baseball-related experience was playing in a Yankee Stadium before a Yankee versus Philadelphia A’s game.

McComb earned degrees from Slippery Rock University and Penn State and served as a women's basketball coach and administrator at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.^[4]