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IN A LEAGUE OF HER OWN In 1905 Dr. Weiss established a local High School so
that Alta could play on its baseball team. He also built Weiss Ball
Park, where she played on the town's younger second team. In the summer of 1907 the family was vacationing in
Vermillion, Ohio. It was here that Alta asked a couple of boys to
"play catch." They decided to let the girl play and when their
gloves stopped smoking and their hands stopped burning they were in awe.
The Mayor of the town, himself an ardent baseball fan, saw her and
suggested to the manager of the semipro Vermillion Independents that he
should sign the seventeen year old. The manager wanted nothing to do
with women who played baseball, so Mayor Williams arranged for a game
between two local teams, with Alta pitching for one of them. Alta struck
out fifteen men in that game and amazed the large crowd that had come to
see her play. The Manager of the Independents quickly changed his mind
and asked Alta to join his team. She agreed. She pitched in her first semipro game
wearing a long blue skirt. She threw for five innings, giving up four
hits and one run. She played the rest of the eleven inning game at first
base. The Independents won, 4-3. Throughout northeast Ohio news of the "Girl
Wonder" spread quickly. Alta pitched the remainder of the 1907
season, appearing in seven games and attracting more that thirteen
thousand people. Special trains were made available to transport the
fans to the stadium to see her play. When the Independents challenged
the Vacha All-Stars of Cleveland to a game, Cleveland newspapers sent
staff sports writers to see Alta in action. The game was played in
League Park, Cleveland’s big league ball yard, in the fall of 1907.
With Alta pitching the Independents won the game 7 to 6. In 1908, Dr. Weiss bought a half-interest in the
Vermillion team and changed the name to Weiss All-Stars. He outfitted
his daughter in a black uniform to contrast with the white suits worn by
men. That same year, Alta graduated from the Auburn Township two-year
high school. The commencement date was changed so that Alta could
graduate on a date that didn't conflict with one of her All-Star
pitching engagements. Touring Ohio and Kentucky, the Weiss All-Stars played
to record crowds of appreciative fans. Because Alta was the star
attraction she would pitch five inning of every game and then move to
first base. The fans often threw money on the field to show their
appreciation after a particularly good play. After the 1908 season Alta attended the Wooster
Academy in Ohio in preparation for college. Two years later she entered
the Starling College of Medicine, now Ohio State University Medical
College in Columbus. During her college days she played in some baseball
games but after 1910 her pitching appearances were infrequent. In 1914
she graduated as a Doctor of Medicine, the only female in the class. Dr. Alta Weiss Hisrich died in 1964 in Ragersville
and is buried in West Lawn Cemetery in Winesburg, Ohio with her mother. PHOTOS: From top to bottom Alta pitching in the early days Dr. Weiss The Weiss All-Stars. Alta is seated center in
the black uniform. Her sister, Miss Irma Weiss is standing in the
back row. She was not a member of the team. More than likely she was
the team’s trainer |
Her
father Dr. George, realizing he had a star on his hands, built a big
gymnasium where Alta could practice during the winter. John Berger, who
worked for Dr. Weiss, was her catcher. Alta worked out with weights to
increase her strength and improve her speed.
