1996 Female Player: Laura Fillipp

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Laura “Flip” Fillipp

Teams: Jamaican Gardens, Precision, Steele Sports, Hub South, Lady Blue, Cannon Illusion

Growing up in Lake Zurich, IL, Flip wanted to play softball, but given no teams were available, she tried out and played Little League. She also practiced and traveled with her high school baseball team, keeping the scorebook and stats. Softball wouldn’t be possible until Flip went to college at the College of Lake County and then Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

After graduating from college, Flip played summer ball for many successful teams over a more than 16-year career. She competed on four National Championship teams as a left-handed power hitter, hitting more than 200 home runs and accumulating a .650 lifetime batting average. She was named to All-State Teams in Illinois and Michigan five times and was named MVP at the 1985 Wisconsin Ladies Classic Softball League. Flip was the home run leader at the 1985 Women’s World Tournament in Concord, CA. And in 1987, she was awarded the Debeer Sportswoman of the Year, Richard Pollack Memorial Award. She was also selected as a part of the historic USSSA softball tour to the Soviet Union in 1990.

Flip was the first Illinois player (Female Player Category) ever to be inducted into the National USSSA Hall of Fame in 1993. She was also inducted into the College of Lake County Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.