Women in Baseball

Located on the club level at Target Field, outside the Town Ball Tavern in left field.

From the beginning, women have been involved in baseball – as players, coaches, fans, front office staffers, broadcasters and every role in between. From the women’s teams in Thief River Falls, Minnesota in the 1890s to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, from visiting barnstorming teams to women in major league front offices, their presence has defined our national pastime for more than a century. Here at Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins, we honor a few of the many women who helped shape the game either in the Upper Midwest – the region our team calls home - or whose roots are here as their accomplishments elsewhere resonate with women and girls of all ages.

The Twins’ Women in Baseball installation was conceptualized and designed by women, for women. The Twins Women’s Initiative Network, the club’s female-focused business resource group, led the process, in conjunction with Art Partners Group (a female-owned St. Louis Park, MN company), the club’s Senior Leadership Team, the club’s IDEA Council (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Action – Council is employee-led and guides many of the organization’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives) and the Brand Marketing team. Along the way, the group consulted with historians, members of the local baseball community and others to define and determine what the final art would look like and what story it would tell. The end result is a piece of living history, a dynamic expression of the past, present and future of women in baseball in the Upper Midwest that celebrates our accomplishments while encouraging the next generation of women to strive to be the first or the next.

This installation does not comprise a comprehensive list of every woman who had an impact on the sport of baseball in the Upper Midwest. Instead, it is intended to be a summary of some of the accomplishments. The Twins will continually reassess who is depicted in the art and why, with plans to expand the list as needed.

The central theme of the installation is in bold font across the top – striving to be the first or the next. This theme relates to the criteria used to select the women (see below for more info on that) while simultaneously infusing the idea and inspiration that while the foundations are set by those who come first, the future belongs to those who come next. It is intended to be a call to action, a challenge to generations of baseball-loving women to be their best selves, whatever that may be or look like.

The final part of the installation makes a bold statement – that WOMEN BELONG IN BASEBALL. The illustration of the four girls wearing each of our new uniforms was inspired by an actual photo taken at a Twins Girls Baseball Camp at Target Field in summer 2022. The space in the middle is for “you” and the intention is for fans who come by the installation to take a photo standing side-by-side with these strong and powerful girls. The hashtag within the silhouette of Target Field relates to the central theme of the installation, striving to be the first or the next.

The criteria for being included in the art were threefold and all of the women had to qualify under at least one, to warrant inclusion.

1a. Historical significance – Doing something that women didn’t typically do at a particular time in history.

1b. Milestone – The first of something or the first to do something/hold a certain position.

1c. Impact – Paving the way for other women, either through longevity, advocacy or some other means.

(1) Krissy Wendell-Pohl

Krissy Wendell-Pohl was the first girl to start as a catcher in a Little League Baseball World Series game in 1994. She was the fifth girl and one of 19 girls to play in the LLBWS, as well as the first and only female LLBWS graduate to be enshrined into Little League Hall of Excellence (one of six females to earn Little Leagues highest honor). The Brooklyn Park, MN native was also an elite women’s ice hockey player and received various accolades such as 2000 Minnesota Ms. Hockey, 2005 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award (while at the University of Minnesota; award is given annually to the best women’s collegiate ice hockey player in the country), 2002 and 2006 Olympian, ’06 Team USA Captain. Krissy won one gold medal, six silvers and one bronze in international competitions. She was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019.

(2) Amanda Clement

Amanda Clement was an umpire in men’s amateur and semipro leagues in the early 1900s across Minnesota, the Dakotas, Iowa and Nebraska. Born in 1888 in Hudson, South Dakota (the year before SD became a state), she started umpiring in 1904 at age 16, becoming the first woman to be paid to ump a game, and went on to work for six years. Billed as the “World Champion Woman Umpire,” she wore a full-length blue skirt, black necktie, and white blouse with UMPS stenciled across the front of a peaked cap. She worked 50+ games a summer to pay her way through college. A capable ballplayer herself, she was relegated to umpiring because she was not allowed to play. She remained a baseball fan throughout her life, cheering for the Twins from 1961 until her passing. She was elected to the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame in 1964 and passed away in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 1971.

(3) Andrea Hayden

Andrea Hayden was the first female strength and conditioning coach in Major League Baseball, working for the Twins from 2019-21. She was originally hired by the Twins as a fellow for the 2019 season and was promoted to assistant strength and conditioning coach in 2020. Hayden began her career as a graduate assistant at Lindenwood University. Afterwards, she worked as a strength and conditioning coach for USA Hockey development camps and completed internships at EXOS in San Diego and at the University of Louisville. Andrea left the Twins prior to the 2022 season to work as the Associate Olympic Sports Performance Coach for the women’s golf and women's basketball teams at Stanford University.

(4) Betty Piper

Betty Piper worked for the Twins from 1985-1994 as the Director, Community Relations and Executive Director, Minnesota Twins Community Fund. She was instrumental in the creation and vision of the Minnesota Twins Community Fund, which remains a key part of the Twins’ identity as an organization. In addition, she served as the liaison for Twins players and families and their charitable organizations. She helped orchestrate iconic club events such as TwinsFest, Twins Autograph Party, youth baseball clinics and Winter Caravan. Betty later worked for both Delta Air Lines and United Airlines and continues to work in the Twins Box Office at Hammond Stadium during spring training.

(5) Marcenia Lyle “Toni” Stone Alberga

Toni Stone (born Marcenia Lyle Stone) was the first woman to play professional baseball regularly in a major men’s professional baseball league. She played for the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League (now recognized by Major League Baseball as a major league) in 1953 and retired in 1954 after one season with the Kansas City Monarchs. When she joined the Clowns, she replaced a player who had signed a contract with a major league organization – Hank Aaron. She hit .243 in two seasons in the Negro American League. She began playing for the San Francisco Sea Lions of the West Cost Negro Baseball League in 1946. In 1949, she moved east and played for the New Orleans Black Pelicans and New Orleans Creoles of the Negro Southern League. Stone was born on July 17, 1921, in Bluefield, West Virginia. She grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota and at age 16 joined the semi-pro Twin Cities Colored Giants club, an all-male team. In 1990, St. Paul declared March 6 Toni Stone Day, which is celebrated every year; there is also a field in St Paul named after her. Toni was inducted into the Women’s Sports Hall of Fame and International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. She passed away in 1996.

(6) Eloise Pohlad

Eloise Pohlad was an owner of the Twins and one of the strongest proponents of her husband Carl’s decision to purchase the team in 1984. Born Eloise O’Rourke on January 26, 1917 in Dubuque, Iowa, she was the youngest of 10 children in a proud Irish-American household. She attended Mundelein College in Chicago and returned to Dubuque after graduation, working as a receptionist, teller and bookkeeper for the American Trust and Savings Bank. Eloise and Carl Pohlad met on a blind date at a University of Iowa/University of Minnesota football game and were married in 1947. Eloise was known for her devotion to her family as well as her kind and generous spirit, which set the tone for many of the Twins’ ongoing community initiatives. She passed away in 2003 but her spirit lives on across the Twins organization.

(7) Minneapolis Millerettes

The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League began in 1943 and ran until 1954. It was founded by Philip K. Wrigley to keep baseball in the public eye while men were serving overseas during World War II. The AAGPBL was the first women’s professional sports league in the United States and over 600 women played in the league, which consisted of eventually 10 teams located across the Midwest. In 1948, league attendance peaked at over 900,000 spectators. The AAGPBL was segregated, similarly to Major League Baseball at the time. The Minneapolis Millerettes played one season in the AAGPBL, 1944, with home games at Nicollet Park, a home they shared with the Minneapolis Millers, a men’s minor league team.

Full Roster:

(8) Sarah Johnson

Sarah Johnson was the first female official scorer in Twins history and seventh in MLB history. She worked Opening Day 2022 and was one of four women to work Opening Day that year, the first time one woman – much less four – scored Opening Day in MLB history. Sarah continues to serve as one of the Twins’ official scorers and also is one of the Triple-A St. Paul Saints official scorers (she worked their home opener in 2022).

(9) Laura Day

Laura Day originally joined the Twins in 1991 and she stepped away from her current role at the end of 2022 as the teams Executive Vice President, Chief Business Officer, a title she held since 2016. Day spent 27 seasons with the organization in a variety of roles including Director of Corporate Marketing, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. During her tenure, she played a central role in the planning, development, sales and marketing of Target Field’s opening in 2010, as well as providing guidance and leadership for the club’s ticket sales and service, premium seating, customer loyalty and retention programs, brand partnerships and non-baseball event initiatives. In between her stints with the Twins, Day was also one of the first Minnesota Wild employees, helping launch Xcel Energy Center as Vice President of Corporate Partnerships from 1999-2002.

(10) Kris Rone

A Minnesota native and University of Minnesota alum, Rone has had a long career as a business and marketing executive. She worked at the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1999-2004, starting as the Chief Marketing Officer before transitioning to the Executive Vice President of Business Operations. During her tenure with the Dodgers, she played a crucial role in the club’s season ticket holder program and cross-cultural marketing initiatives, particularly involving the Latinx community of the Los Angeles area. Prior to she served as the President of Fox Sports One, working with sponsorship revenue for Staples Center, the Los Angeles Kings, the LA Galaxy and the Dodgers.

(11) Mary Giesler

Mary Giesler is the current Twins Senior Vice President, General Counsel, a position she’s held since December 2016. She was named the first general counsel in club history when she was hired in 2014. Since joining the Twins, Giesler has led the club’s legal efforts for the public-private development of Target Field Station, a unique transit hub with public gathering spaces immediately adjacent to Target Field; the construction of a new player-development Academy in the Dominican Republic, which opened in January 2017; and significant affiliate transactions resulting from 2020’s restructuring of the Major and Minor League Baseball player development model. In 2021, she was named Notable General Counsel by Twin Cities Business. Prior to joining the Twins, she worked for law firm Kaplan, Strangis and Kaplan, where she was instrumental in the negotiation and preparation of many agreements that were integral to the approval, design, construction and opening of Target Field. Prior to joining KSK, Mary spent eight years at the Minneapolis firm of Lindquist & Vennum. In 2014, she was named an Attorney of the Year by Minnesota Lawyer. She received her law degree from William Mitchell College of Law and her B.A. from Gustavus Adolphus.

(12) Raenell Dorn

Raenell Dorn retired in December 2020 after 47 seasons in the Twins front office. She was Vice President, Workplace Diversity and Inclusion for two years prior to her retirement after serving for 20 years as VP of Human Resources and Diversity. She helped to drive the vision and direction of the club’s workforce diversity strategy, collaborating with the senior leadership team, club employees and members of the community to advance diversity and inclusion. During her tenure, Raenell partnered with Major League Baseball’s broader diversity and inclusion outreach efforts and established a Sports Career Fair held toward the end of each season, which offered participants access to many sports teams and sports divisions of the Twins’ media partners. Dorn served as the liaison to the Twins’ wives group for many years, helping spearhead the group’s fundraising and in-kind giving efforts. A native of New Prague, Minnesota and Metropolitan State University graduate, she was named Industry Leader and received the Women in Business award in 2008 by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

(13) Meka Morris

Meka Morris joined the Twins in August 2021 as the first-ever Senior Vice President, Chief Revenue Officer and was promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief Business Officer in January 2023, a role she held until her departure from the organization in April 2024. She led the Twins’ collaborative efforts to drive continued business growth and development, with a specific focus on the exploration and optimization of potential new and evolving revenue streams. Morris’ key responsibilities were aimed at aligning and advancing the organization’s revenue-generating platforms inclusive of Twins Baseball and Target Field while expanding beyond the ballpark and traditional industry boundaries. Prior to joining the Twins, Morris served as Chief Revenue Officer for Tappit, a global payment and data ecosystem for events, sports stadiums and venues. An established sports and entertainment executive, Meka also built an extensive track record of success working in sales and marketing-focused leadership roles for LEARFIELD, Legends Hospitality, Live Nation Entertainment, the Charlotte Hornets, the Oakland Raiders and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

(14) Ila Borders

Ila Borders was the first female pitcher to start and win a men’s professional game and has been an outspoken advocate for women in the sport ever since. A left-handed pitcher, she played one season for the St. Paul Saints (1997) and two seasons for the Duluth-Superior Dukes (1997-1999) in Minnesota. In four seasons, from 1997-2000, she appeared in 52 games and had a 2-4 record, 6.75 ERA and 36 strikeouts. Prior to her pro career, she became the first female pitcher to start a men’s NCAA and NAIA college baseball game, and the first woman to earn a win in men’s college baseball, playing collegiately at Southern California College (now Vanguard University of Southern California) and Whittier College.

(15) Terrie Robbins

Terrie Robbins held a variety of marketing positions at the Star Tribune from 1979-1997, including innovations director in charge of marketing, branding and new product development. She led the team that created Homer Hanky, a key part of Twins history and iconography. Robbins has gone on to serve in many different marketing roles in the St. Louis area after her career in Minnesota.

The history of women in baseball continues to evolve. This installation is intended to be a dynamic representation of that change and women’s accomplishments in the game of baseball. As new history is created and new milestones reached, this installation will evolve to reflect that change.

• Baseball For All
• Twins Girls Baseball Camps
• Women in Baseball at the National Baseball Hall of Fame
• Negro League Women in Baseball at National Baseball Hall of Fame
• All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
• Minneapolis Millerettes in All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
• The Stop-and Start of Women in Baseball
• City of Baseball Museum at CHS Field in St. Paul (featuring Ila Borders)