a half of drills, she was allocated to the Racine Belles, a team managed by hockey legend Johnny Gottselig. Maguire enjoyed a good first season. She shared catching duties with Irene Hickson, while the Belles claimed the first Championship Title in the league's history. Racine was characterized by strong pitching, solid defense, timely hitting and speed on the bases. Mary Nesbitt posted a 26–13 record in the regular season, while Joanne Winter finished with an 11–11 mark to give Racine a strong one-two pitching staff. The offensive was led by Eleanor Dapkus, who hit a league-lead 10 home runs. The speedy Sophie Kurys stole a league-best 44 bases and scored 60 runs, while Margaret Danhauser, Maddy English, Edythe Perlick and Claire Schillace could be counted on for their bats and solid defense. In the Championship Series, the Belles defeated the Comets, winners of the second half, 3 games to 0. Maguire hit .269 in 70 games, driving in 33 runs while scoring 34 times. She also appeared in the All-Star game during the midseason, which was played between two teams composed of Belles and Comets players against Blue Sox and Peaches players. Two new teams joined the league in 1944, the Milwaukee Chicks and the Minneapolis Millerettes. Maguire started the season with the expansion Chicks as their regular catcher, appearing in 109 of the 117 games of her team. She married Tom Maguire, who was reported killed in action during wartime in the month of June. Maguire received a call just before a game from her Mother, but kept the news to herself and entered the field of play. After completing the game, she reported the news to the press. Then, she received a couple of letters from him in August from a hospital in Italy, explaining that he had not been identified for that time and was presumed dead. This event provided partial inspiration for the character of catcher Dottie Hinson, portrayed by actress Geena Davis in the film A League of Their Own. That season, Maguire dropped to .191 with 40 runs and 39 RBI, but her biggest strength was the ability to handle pitchers and call the game, while showing a solid defense and a strong throwing arm. The Chicks were a well balanced squad that counted with talented pitchers as Josephine Kabick (26-19) and Connie Wisniewski (23-10). The offensive support came from Merle Keagle, who led