Career
Listed at 5" 3", 128 pounds, she batted right-handed and threw left-handed. She impressed the AAGPBL scouts with her speedy baserunning and fielding skills. After receiving a tryout invitation, she became one of the first four players signed by the league for its inaugural season, joining Ann Harnett, Shirley Jameson and Edythe Perlick.
Schillace spent four years in the league, all with the Racine Belles.
During her career, she posted a.202 average and stole 153 bases. Following her baseball career, Schillace completed her studies and earned a master"s degree in education.
After being married, she changed her name to Claire Schillace Donahoe. Foreign many years she worked as an educator in Maryland.
In November 1988, Claire, along with her former teammates and opponents, received their long overdue recognition, when the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York dedicated a permanent display to the All American Girls Professional Baseball League.
In 1999, she joined Charlene Wright as the two first inductees in the National Women"s Baseball Hall of Fame. Claire died in Bethesda, Maryland at the age of 76, following complications from a blood clot.
