Mildred Kathryn Earp nicknamed "Mid," was an American professional baseball pitcher who played exclusively for the Grand Rapids Chicks in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) from 1947 to 1950.[1][2] Born in West Fork, Arkansas, she stood 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighed 135 pounds, and threw and batted right-handed.

Mildred Kathryn Earp (October 7, 1925 – June 27, 2017), was born in West Fork, Arkansas, to Ona Earp and Joseph McKnight.[4] She was raised primarily by her aunt Dollie and uncle Thomas McKnight in this small rural community, where extended family networks were common among early settlers who had established self-sufficient homesteads by the mid-19th century. Limited records exist regarding siblings or the precise economic circumstances of her immediate family, though West Fork's agrarian lifestyle during the 1920s and 1930s typically involved small-scale farming, livestock rearing, and seasonal labor in depleted timber and fruit industries.

Growing up in West Fork, a tight-knit town of around 350–400 residents nestled in the White River valley, Earp experienced the challenges and rhythms of rural Depression-era life, including soil exhaustion from prior agricultural booms and the impacts of events like the 1924 local bank closure.[5] Community bonds were reinforced through churches—such as the longstanding West Fork Christian Church—and basic institutions like the local school and Roy Karnes Drug Store, which served as social hubs for families.[5] Her uncle Thomas, known locally as "Toots" McKnight, was an accomplished pitcher on the town team, exposing her early to baseball in this environment of mutual support and limited opportunities.

This foundational upbringing in West Fork's resilient rural setting influenced Earp's development, fostering interests that would later lead to her athletic pursuits.

Mildred Earp's introduction to baseball began in her hometown of West Fork, Arkansas, where she was raised by her aunt Dollie and uncle Thomas McKnight, a local pitcher known as "Toots." From a young age, Earp displayed a natural affinity for the sport, receiving informal lessons from her uncle who taught her the fundamentals of overhand pitching, including how to master a curveball and control her throws with precision. These self-taught beginnings laid the groundwork for her skills, though at the time, her exposure was limited to casual family and community play rather than formal training.

Her rural Arkansas upbringing shaped her determination, fostering resilience that would later drive her to pursue professional opportunities. After graduating high school in 1943, Earp enrolled at the University of Arkansas with aspirations to become a coach or physical education teacher, harboring no initial ambitions for a professional baseball career. She possessed little prior knowledge of organized baseball, having grown up in an era when women's participation in the sport was rare and unstructured in her small community.

Earp's path to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) shifted dramatically during the summer before her senior year at the university, when she discovered the league through an advertisement in a local newspaper. Motivated by the opportunity, she contacted league representatives and attended a tryout in Racine, Wisconsin, where her raw talent impressed scouts despite her lack of formal baseball experience. The AAGPBL, which had originated with rules akin to fast-pitch softball before evolving toward traditional baseball mechanics, provided a natural transition for Earp, allowing her to adapt her fundamental pitching skills from informal play to a professional context. This invitation to join marked her initial step toward a pro career, fueled by a desire to test her abilities on a larger stage.

Mildred Earp's personal life, particularly regarding marriage and immediate family, remains largely private and sparsely documented in available records. Born to Joseph and Ona Earp, she was raised primarily by her aunt Dollie McKnight and uncle Thomas "Toots" McKnight in West Fork, Arkansas; these relatives provided a stable family environment that influenced her early interest in baseball, with her uncle teaching her pitching techniques. She was a distant relative of lawman Wyatt Earp.

Following her retirement from professional baseball in 1950, Earp relocated to California, where she established herself as a businesswoman and competitive golfer, but family obligations drew her back to her roots. In 1982, she returned to West Fork to care for her ailing aunt Dollie, underscoring the enduring importance of familial bonds in her life; she resided there for the remainder of her years, contributing to the local community while maintaining a low profile. No confirmed records exist of Earp having children, and details on any marital relationships or how they intersected with her career's travel demands are limited, highlighting gaps in biographical accounts of her adult family dynamics.

After retiring from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League following the 1950 season, Mildred Earp relocated to California, where she established herself as a successful businesswoman and pursued competitive golf.[6] In the mid-1950s, she won several club tournaments, achieved a hole-in-one, and advanced to the semi-finals of the Los Angeles City Championship, even receiving instruction from golf legend Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

Earp resided in California until 1982, when she returned to her hometown of West Fork, Arkansas, to care for her ailing Aunt Dollie, and she lived there quietly for the remainder of her life.[6] Her story gained renewed attention in 2020 through the research of baseball historian Ronny Clay, who documented her contributions in a dedicated chapter of the 2023 book Hard Times and Hardball, highlighting Arkansas's baseball heritage.[6][15] She was posthumously inducted into the West Fork High School Hall of Fame, recognizing her as a local trailblazer in women's sports.

arp died on June 27, 2017, at the age of 91 in West Fork, Arkansas.[2] She was buried in West Fork Cemetery, Washington County, Arkansas.

Her legacy endures as part of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League's permanent exhibit at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, which honors the league's pioneers and their role in advancing opportunities for female athletes amid the league's dissolution in 1954.

https://grokipedia.com/page/mildred_earp