Players

JOAN JOYCE, Pitcher

The name Joan Joyce is synonymous with women’s softball as the Falcons’ ace pitcher and coach is largely responsible for the development of the sport on the amateur level as well as the formation of the BIC-International Women’s Professional Softball Association.

The Waterbury native launched her spectacular career at the age of 16 with the Raybestos Brakettes and enjoyed 18 outstanding seasons with the Stratford club as well as three campaigns with the Orange (Calif.) Lionettes. Her pitching statistics during that 21-year span are incredible-a 494-32 record, 123 no-hitters, 37 perfect games, 6,648 strikeouts and only 897 hits and 105 earned runs allowed in 3,972-1/3 innings for an amateur career ERA of 0.19.

However, her talents are not confined to the mound alone. She also posted a career amateur batting average of .325 with 534 runs batted in. Joan still holds ASA National Tournament records for most innings pitched (70), most strikeouts (134) and most doubles (5) as well as most strikeouts in a single game (40 in 18 innings).

The hard-throwing righthander has continued her mastery in her three years in the BIC-IWPSA, compiling an overall 86-8 mound log with 878 strikeouts and allowing just 310 hits and 52 earned runs in 728 innings for a sizzling 0.50 ERA.

Last season marked a typical one for the Falcons’ superstar as she registered an 18-1 regular-season ledger, 125 strikeouts and a 0.69 ERA in 142-1/3 innings while limiting the opponents to 65 hits, 14 earned runs and 12 walks. Offensively, she was the team’s fourth-leading hitter with a .307 average, rapping seven homers and driving in 29 runs.

Joan, who flipped a one-hitter and seven two-hitters in 1978, added a triumph in the World Series with a four-hitter, striking out six and walking one, while batting a .375 in the three-game set. The three-time BIC-IWPSA All-Star pick has been the main catalyst in Connecticut’s three world championships while being named the league’s Most Valuable Player in 1976 and Most Valuable Pitcher the past two seasons.

Having recently been inducted into the Women’s Sports Hall of Fame in Galveston, Ind., Joan is the owner of Joan Joyce’s All-Star Travel Agency in Trumbull and an active member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour.

RAYLA JO ALLISON, Catcher

A native of Fort Worth, Texas…Enjoyed her finest campaign in the BIC-IWPSA last summer, batting .289 with 11 runs batted in and posting a beaming .980 fielding percentage…Only struck out eight times in 121 at-bats…Starred as an amateur with the Fort Worth Rebelettes for two years and the Fort Worth Rebels for seven seasons…Bats right, throws right…Was acquired by the Falcons in the 1977 dispersal draft from the Chicago Ravens…Holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington…A qualified trainer, serving in that capacity with the college football team as an undergraduate and the Ravens in 1976…Currently a physical education instructor and head women’s basketball and track coach at Wesleyan University in Middletown…A versatile performer who can also play the infield and outfield as well as pitch…Adept at handling pitchers…Has shown steady improvement in her three professional seasons and is hoping to top the .300 mark offensively in 1979.

JOYCE COMPTON, Infield

The Falcon’s All-Star first baseman for the past three seasons…Enjoyed her best campaign as a professional in 1978, posting a lofty .355 batting average during the regular season and .300 ledger the World Series play…Topped the team last summer in at-bats (287), hits (102), doubles (26), triples (7), total bases (172), runs batted in (57) and fielding percentage (.990)…Called “J.C.” by her teammates…Bats left, throws left…Raised in Robbinsville, J.M., but presently resides in Stratford…Can be found skiing, playing tennis or riding motorcycles in her spare time…A good base-runner…Was a standout for three seasons with the Raybestos Brakettes, recording an overall .338 batting average with 142 runs batted in…A graduate of Trenton State…Women’s athletic director and volleyball, basketball and softball coach at Mattatuck Community college in Waterbury…Her volleyball squads captured the National Junior College Athletic Association New England crown in 1975 and 1976…Directed all other teams to NJCAA New England Tournament berths during the past year.

SANDY FISCHER, Pitcher

Appeared in 19 games on the mound last season, recording a 12-6 record with a 1.44 ERA…Had 43 strikeouts, second to Joan Joyce on the mound corps…Added a victory in the World Series to keep her three-year post-season log perfect, scattering 10 hits in the Falcons’ 4-2 triumph…Started playing softball at the age of 10 and advanced to ASA competition in only four years…Bats left, throws left…Earned her Bachelor’s degree in recreation and park administration in 1975 from Western Illinois University…Hurled for the WIU women’s softball team for four years, leading the squad to the AIAW World Series in Omaha three times…An Illinois All-State collegiate pick as a senior…Hails from Quincy, Ill, and makes her summer home in Springfield, Mass…A physical education instructor and women’s softball coach at Oklahoma State…A former assistant at Michigan State…Tossed a two-hitter last July at St. Louis in a 1-0 win…Conducted softball clinics in Central America in 1978…Her hobbies include writing poetry, horseback riding and racquetball.

ANNETTE FORTUNE, Outfield

Enjoyed her most productive year as a Falcon in 1978, appearing in 32 contests and batting .174 in a reserve role…Often called upon as a pinch-runner…Granville, Mass., is her hometown…an all-around athlete…Launched her playing career in 1957 in the Western Massachusetts recreation league…Earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in physical education from Appalachian State University…Starred for four years on the women’s softball and field hockey teams at ASU, earning Deep South Field Hockey All-Star honors as a senior in 1971…Full of spirit and displays a pleasant personality…Bats right, throws right…Earned a berth on the Connecticut roster in the 1976 open tryouts…Collected a double last summer for her first professional extra base hit. Her hobbies include all outdoor sports and sewing…Intramural director and women’s softball coach at the University of Hartford…One of the team’s top spokesmen.

KAREN GALLAGHER, Infield

Last season marked her best in the BIC-IWPSA as she registered an impressive .284 batting average with 14 extra-base hits and 26 runs batted in…Played in 86 of the Falcons’ 88 regular-season contests a year ago at shortstop…Bats left, throws right…Obtained by Connecticut in the 1977 dispersal draft from the Chicago Ravens…Was a league All-Star selection as a 17-year-old rookie with the Ravens in 1976…A Chicago native…will be a senior at Texas Women’s University in the fall…A teammate of Linda McMorran on the TWU women’s basketball squad last winter…Collected three hits in a game on three occasions last summer…Topped the Falcons in 1978 with 13 sacrifices…Hopes to improve on her defensive play this season…Has proven to be a tough opponent for rival pitchers, striking out only 12 times in 261 at-bats last year…Only 20 years old.

AUDREY KUJALA, Outfield

Batted .222 last season with 20 runs batted in…A speedy and adept outfielder, as evidenced by her .967 fielding percentage in 1978…Known to her friends as “Audi”…Had her best game last June against San Jose, rapping three hits with an RBI while also scoring run…Came to Connecticut in the 1977 amateur draft…Was a standout for two seasons with the University of Delaware women’s softball team, sparking the blue Hens to a fifth-place finish in the Eastern Regionals as a sophomore in 1976…Named the outstanding woman athlete in field hockey and softball at Delaware in 1976-1977 and was selected the Outstanding Senior Athlete before graduating in 1978…Was a BIC-IWPSA All-Star in 1977 when she batted .310…Played as an amateur with the Delaware Shamrocks in 1975, pacing the team to the state championship and a berth in the Eastern Regionals…Bats left, throws left…Native of Camden, N.J….Currently resides in Newark, Del….Likes backpacking, camping, cross country skiing, sewing, music and bicycling during the winter months.

JACKIE LEDBETTER, Catcher

Batted a respectable .265 with 18 runs batted in as a first-year Falcons’ performer last summer…Acquired by Connecticut in the 1978 dispersal draft from the Santa Ana Lionettes…Earned a berth with Santa Ana through its open tryouts…Can also play the outfield and first base…Attended the University of California at Sacramento….Starred for two years on the women’s basketball team and for one season on the volleyball squad…Bats let, throws left…Former three-sport standout at Granite Hills High, being named to the All-Grossmont League, softball, basketball and volleyball teams and gaining All-County softball honors…Compete as an amateur with Navajo of the California Girls Softball Association, pacing the team to the Yuma Softball Tournament crown and earning MVP laurels…Lists woodworking, fishing and camping among her hobbies…Presently the assistant women’s softball coach at the University of California at Berkeley…Will mark her 21st birthday on Aug. 3rd.

LINDA McMORRAN, Infield

Compiled a sparkling .307 batting average with 11 home runs and 54 RBIs in her initial season with the Falcons last summer…Also starred defensively at third base, registering a .943 fielding percentage…Can also play shortstop…A three-year BIC-IWPSA veteran, having played with the Southern California Gems in 1976 and the Santa Ana Lionettes in 1977…Bats right, throws right…Came to Connecticut in the 1978 dispersal draft…Attended Grossmont Community College and the University of California at Fullerton. Presently enrolled at Texas Women’s University…Was a teammate of Karen Gallagher on the TWU women’s basketball team during the past winter…Native of San Diego…Was a scholastic softball and basketball standout at Claremont High School…Selected the MVP of her high school softball squad three times…Presently resides in Ramona, Calif…Surfing is the main hobby for this enthusiastic 23-year-old performer…Connected for consecutive three-run homers last July against St. Louis…A fan’s favorite.

SNOOKY MULDER, Outfield

Had a disappointing season in 1978 as her batting average dipped to .191…Rapped three doubles and four triples a year ago while swiping eight bases…A product of Eustis, Fla…Was a member of the Orlando Rebels for six seasons and the Orlando Suns for one year as an amateur…Gained All-southern Region All-Star honors five times and competed in six national tournaments…Bats let, throws right…Possesses excellent speed and a strong throwing arm as well as good control of the bat…a former probation officer after studying law enforcement at Lake County Vocational School in Florida…Presently a teacher’s aide at Umatilla (Fla.) Elementary School…came to Connecticut as part of a three-team, four-player trade in 1976…Owned a .954 fielding percentage last summer…Her hobbies include swimming and riding motorcycles.

MARGARET REBENAR, Pitcher

Registered an 11-5 record and a 1.77 ERA mound appearances last season, her first as a Falcon…Flipped a two-hitter, striking out six and walking three, in blanking San Jose 3-0 in August…Gained another triumph in last year’s World Series with a six-hitter, striking out eight and allowing only one walk… Came to Connecticut in the 1978 dispersal draft from the Bakersfield Aggies…A three-year league veteran, having played with the Phoenixbird in 1976…Received her Bachelor’s degree in physical education this year from Cal Poly University in Pomona…Native of Phoenix… Bats right, throws right…Her fastball has been clocked at over 80 miles per hour…Had her best game offensively last June against San Jose, rapping two doubles and a single with an RBI…Earned BIC-IWPSA All-Star honors in 1977…Should see more action this year with the departure of Donna Terry and Kathy Neal…Enjoys all outdoor sports, especially fishing, hunting and golfing…Coach of the Chaffey (Calif.) Junior High girls softball team…Launched her active career with the Sun City Saints of Phoenix in 1975.

WILLIE ROZE, Infield

Continued her consistent play in 1978, batting .286 with five home runs and 29 runs batted in…Added a double and triple along with a .300 offensive effort in the World Series…The Falcons’ All-Star second baseman for the past three campaigns…Holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in physical education from Southern Connecticut State College…Enjoyed an outstanding 10-year career as an infielder and outfielder with the Raybestos Brakettes, batting .342 in her final season with the club…Bats right, throws right…Has the distinction of belting the first home run in BIC-IWPSA history in Connecticut’s 1976 season opener against Buffalo…Presently a physical education teacher and women’s softball coach at Hand High in Madison…In her six-year coaching career, she has guided the Hand girls to a pair of Shoreline Conference Championships and a state tournament berth every season, including the state finals in 1978…Rapped two homers in one game against the Bisons last July…Born in Germany…Currently resides in Hamden…Likes reading in her spare time.

KATHY STILWELL, Outfield

Racked up a respectable .289 batting average last season, leading the Falcons in runs scored (64), stolen bases (13) and walks (44)…An all-around player who can also handle shortstop and second base…Bats right, throws right…Had 25 extra-base hits, including seven homers, in 1978…Attended Valencia (Fla.) Junior College on a tennis scholarship and was ranked sixth in the state on the junior college level…Went on to Florida Technological University on a volleyball scholarship and sparked the netters to a ninth-place ranking nationally as a senior…Graduated from FTU in 1977…Starred with the Orlando Rebels in 1974 and the Orlando Suns in 1975 as an amateur, batting .310 with the latter club…A native of Garnet, Kan., but presently calls Orlando home…Prefers all outdoor sports, especially fishing and racquetball, in her free hours…Highly personable…Could win her heart with tacos and hot fudge cake…Joined Connecticut in August, 1976…The Falcons’ top hitter in 1977 with a .352 batting average…A teacher and women’s coach at Westridge Junior High in Orlando.

GINNY WALSH, Infield

Earned a berth on the Connecticut roster through this year’s open tryouts…Can play shortstop and second base as well as the outfield…Will be mainly utilized by the Falcons as a utility infielder…Native of Milford, Mass…Launched her softball career in the Suburban Massachusetts Softball League in 1975…Played shortstop with the Newton Sunsets in 1976 and the Bridgeport Coeds the past two seasons…A former three-year softball standout at Franklin (Mass.) High…Presently attends Bridgewater State…Has played with the women’s softball team at Bridgewater in the past three years…Her versatility should prove to be a great asset with the Falcons this summer…Bats right, throws right…Only 21 years old…A fine defensive player with a strong throwing arm.