Viola Thompson

Viola Thompson [Griffin] (January 2, 1922 – December 31, 2017) was a pitcher who played from 1944 through 1947 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Listed at 5 feet 5 inches (165 cm), 120 pounds (54 kg), she batted and threw left-handed.^[1]

A hard-throwing, underhand pitcher, Thompson had a brief but solid career during her four years in the AAGPBL. Since the only organized ball for women in the country was softball, the AAGPBL created a hybrid game which included both softball and baseball. Over the 12 years of history of the league, the rules were gradually modified to more closely resemble baseball. Throwing underhand, Thompson was unable to make the transition to full sidearm in 1947 and overhand pitching in 1948. Throwing multiple underhands, Thompson went on to play in the National Girls Baseball League of Chicago where she played until 1951.^[2]