Doris Sams was the greatest female baseball player in Muskegon history. During the Muskegon Lassies memorable four and one-half seasons in the All-American Girls Baseball League at Marsh Field, Sams was the team’s top player and one of the premier players in the league’s 11-year run.

Sams was a star at the plate and on the mound, earning league player of the year honors in 1947 and 1949. She led the Lassies to their best-ever season in 1947, notching 11 wins with an 0.98 ERA as the team finished 69-43 and edged out the rival Grand Rapids Chicks in the pennant race. Sams was named to the AAGBL all-star team for six straight seasons from 1947 to 1952.

Sams is the first recipient of the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame’s Legacy Award, which was established in 2026 as a way for the hall to honor greats of the past who may have been forgotten, but deserve to be recognized and remembered.