Colorado Silver Bullets History
This now-defunct professional baseball team offered hope for women
Mar 13, 2009
Opening Day was held on Mother’s Day, May 8, 1994 against the Northern League All-Stars at Knights Stadium in Fort Mill, South Carolina. The Bullets lost 19-0, but in the process they launched a unique chapter in the history of professional baseball.
Manager and Coaches of the First Women's Baseball Team
Pitcher Phil Niekro was selected as Manager because of his outstanding career as a player and because of his love of the game. Also a pitcher, Phil’s brother Joe Niekro became pitching coach. One more member of the Niekro family, Phil’s son John, was tapped to become an assistant to Joe and a jack-of-all-trades. Tommy Jones and Paul Beckham rounded out the coaching staff.
First Lineup of the Colorado Silver Bullets
The final roster of 24 young women for the first year included the following:
Jeanette Amado of Los Angeles, CA
Kim Braatz of Santa Ana, CA
Elizabeth Burnham of Norfolk, CT
K.C. Clark of Sacramento, CA
Melissa Coombes of San Gabriel, CA
Julie Croteau of Berkeley, CA
Michelle Delloso of Lansdale, PA
Allison Geatches of Mt. Clemens, MI
Toni Heisler of Sacramento, CA
Lee Anne Ketcham of Tallahassee, FL
Keri Kropke of Montebello, CA
Lisa Martinez of Stockton, CA
Michelle McAnany of Inglewood, CA
Shannan Mitchem of Decatur, GA
Gina Satriano of North Hollywood, CA
Pam Schaffrath of Chicago, IL
Shae Sloan of Huntsville, TX
Deb Sroczynski of Providence, RI
Stacy Sunny of San Bernardino, CA
Bridget Venturi of Highland Park, IL
Ann Williams of Vero Beach, FL
The Silver Bullets Played a Variety of Teams
The Silver Bullets challenged men’s baseball teams of all varieties. They played minor league teams, college teams, military teams and amateur teams. They played in stadiums all over the country, from Candlestick Park and the Oakland Coliseum to the Seattle Kingdome and Mile High Stadium. They lost a lot of games, but they showed their adaptability as well as their athletic prowess in switching from softball to baseball and back again. They were winners in the larger sense of the term.
The Final Game of the Silver Bullets Ended a Chapter in Baseball History
The Bullets played their final game at Fenway Park in Boston. They lost to the Yawkey League’s McKay Bulldogs by a score of 5-2 on July 12, 1998. The team was disbanded when Coors withdrew its sponsorship, and the ladies scattered far and wide. Many of them went back to their home states and continued with their previous lives. Undoubtedly all of them felt richer for having had the experience, and they still serve as inspiration to generations of little girls everywhere.
References:
The Colorado Silver Bullets: For the Love of the Game, by Dave Kindred. Published by Longstreet Press 1995
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