In March 1946, Gloria was a rookie pitcher who started play in Chicago's National Girls Baseball League, which was a professional softball league.  By mid-June, 1946, she switched to the AAGPBL and was assigned to the Racine Belles.  A week later, she was fortunate enough to join her teammates as the first group of Belles to fly across Lake Michigan to play the Muskegon, Michigan Lassies.  It was a 40 minute trip as opposed to a day long road trip by car.