Out at the Plate: The Dot Wilkinson Story

“Dot Wilkinson is the greatest female catcher ever to play softball. A bold, pioneering athlete, she refused to let others define her and instead defined herself. Her story is an inspiration to people everywhere.” —Billie Jean King, Sports Icon and Champion for Equality It’s not simply that Dot is one of the most decorated women’s softball players, bowlers, and athletes of all time and the only living original player from the three-time-world-champion PBSW Phoenix Ramblers softball team (1933–1965). Nor is it the length of her time here on Earth—a century and counting—although any of these things by themselves would be impressive. The magic of Dot’s story is in the details. It’s the tale of a childhood spent in poverty, an indomitable, unbreakable spirit, a determination to be the very best to play whatever sport she undertook, the independence to live her personal life on her own terms, and her tremendous success at all of it. Over more than a decade of countless conversations and interviews, Dot has shared all of it with her dear friend, author Lynn Ames. Dot has held nothing back. Out at the Plate, told through the lens of Dot and Lynn’s friendship, is the story of a forgotten era in women’s history and sports, and one extraordinary woman’s place at the center of it all.