Schillace spent four years in the league, all with the Racine Belles. She had an outstanding rookie season, hitting a career-high .251 average, being selected to the All-Star Team, and as member of the 1943 Belles Championship Team. During her career, she posted a .202 average and stole 153 bases.[3]
Following her baseball career, Schillace completed her studies and earned a master's degree in education. After being married, she changed her name to Claire Schillace Donahoe. She and her husband had four children, three boys and a girl. For many years she worked as an educator in Maryland.[4]
Claire served as a consultant for A League of Their Own, the 1992 film about the AAGPBL starring Geena Davis and Madonna, both of whom were novices to the sport. At one point, director Penny Marshall told Claire to teach Madonna "everything you know about baseball in a half an hour".[5]
Milestones
In November 1988, Claire, along with her current teammates and opponents were dedicated in the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York with a permanent display to the All American Girls Professional Baseball League.
^All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Record Book – W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2000. Format: Paperback, 294pp. Language: English. ISBN0-7864-3747-2
^Encyclopedia of Women and Baseball - Leslie A. Heaphy, Mel Anthony May. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2006. Format: Paperback, 438 pp. Language: English. ISBN0-7864-2100-2
^Hetrick, J. Thomas. "Donahoe, Clara (Schillace)". All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Retrieved 1 May 2020.