Women's Baseball Great and All-Star

August 31, 1915 – September 9, 2004

Rose Gacioch (1915-2004) was a skilled athlete who spent her formative years playing baseball and other sports at Pulaski Field at 46^th Street in South Wheeling. During WWII, while working in a local factory, Rose heard that the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (organized by Chicago Cubs owner P.K. Wrigley because so many male major leaguers were away at war) was holding a tryout at Pulaski. She made the team and excelled, becoming one of the league’s best players as a right fielder and pitcher for the Rockford Peaches. A three-time all-star, Rose hurled a no-hitter in 1953. The inspiration for Rosie O’Donnell’s character in the 1992 feature film, A League of Their Own, Rose was profiled in the book, Women at Play by Barbara Gregorich. For some forgotten reason (perhaps because non-Poles couldn’t pronounce her name) she was widely known as “Rosie Gaspipe” in Wheeling. (Seán Duffy for Legendary Locals of Wheeling)

▶ Read Rosie's Wheeling Hall of Fame biography.

YouTube Video:

Baseball Card

Rose Gacioch's AAGPBL (All-American Girls Professional Baseball League) Baseball Card.
[© 1996 Larry Fritsch Cards, official baseball card of the AAGPBL Players’ Association]
 - from the collections of the Ohio County Public Library Archives

Related resources in our library

LOCATION:	▼ Regular Stacks (circulating) ▼
	The origins and history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (Fidler, Merrie A., 2006) CALL NUMBER:  796.357 F449o 2006
	A Whole New Ball Game : the story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (Macy, Sue, 1995) CALL NUMBER:  J 796.357 Macy 1995
	The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League : a biographical dictionary (Madden, W. C., 2005) CALL NUMBER:  796.357 M263w 2005
	Legendary Locals (Duffy, Sean; Carney, Brent, 2013) CALL NUMBER:  975.414 Duff 2013
	Remembering Rosie Gacioch (Lunch With Books Series, 2011) CALL NUMBER:  DVD 796.356 G115
LOCATION:	▼ Wheeling Room (non-circulating - public access) ▼
	Wheeling Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony [2005] (Wheeling Hall of Fame Board, 2005) CALL NUMBER:  (Vertical File) VF Wheeling Hall of Fame