Stone, Toni (1921-1996), was a pioneering woman baseball player. She was the first woman to sign an extended contract and play in a professional men’s baseball league. 
Marcenia Lyle Stone was born July 17, 1921, in Bluefield, West Virginia. She played many sports growing up but most enjoyed baseball. In 1931, she moved with her family to St. Paul, Minnesota. There, she played on the boys’ baseball team at the family’s church. In 1937, she began playing for semi-professional Negro leagues teams. Negro leagues were baseball leagues formed for Black players, who were barred from playing alongside white players because of racial segregation.
In 1947, Jackie Robinson took the field for the Brooklyn (now Los Angeles) Dodgers, breaking the Major League Baseball (MLB) color barrier. The following year, Stone petitioned the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) for a tryout. AAGPBL officials rejected her request, choosing to keep the league segregated.
After Robinson joined the Dodgers, MLB clubs began signing star players away from Negro leagues teams. The loss of talent caused many baseball fans to lose interest in the Negro leagues. To keep the teams in business, Negro leagues owners sought out new ways to draw interest to their teams and make money. In 1953, the Indianapolis Clowns signed Stone to replace Hank Aaron, after the team sold his contract to the MLB Boston (now Atlanta) Braves. Stone rejected the Clowns’ request that she play baseball in a skirt. Though Indianapolis signed Stone as a novelty (attraction), her play was competitive, particularly on defense.
She signed with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro leagues the following year, but manager Buck O’Neil played her infrequently. Frustrated by harassment from players and fans, Stone left the league at the end of the season. She hit for a .243 average in her two years in the Negro leagues. Stone died on Nov. 2, 1996.
