Babe Sanfilippo is the second of eight children. She grew up in Brighton Park on Chicago’s South Side. Growing up, Babe would gather her brothers and the neighborhood kids and go to the empty lot to play the game she loves. ”Many times we wouldn’t have enough people to play all positions. Right field would be an automatic out. That’s how I learned to hit to the opposite field.”
Babe’s skills were sharpened even further by playing against the best in the game, including sixteen-inch softball Hall of Famers Betty Kollar, Mary Walz, and Janet Carpenter-Galvin.
Babe leads a diverse life. She worked at the Board of Trade where she met her husband, Joe. She has coached t-ball and girls softball and coaches sixth-grade basketball. She also tutors at the Leadershop in La Grange and volunteers with her husband at the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
This May will mark Babe’s fortieth year of playing sixteen-inch softball. She currently plays for the Hangovers and the Shooters co-ed team. She has also played for Wilson CC, Les Girls, Carpe Diem, Pretenders, Brats, Blaze, Brat Pack, and Village People.