| Formerly | Virginia League (1939-1942) |
|---|---|
| Classification | Class D (1948–1951) |
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
| Inaugural season | 1948 |
| Ceased | 1951 |
| President | Robert S. Brenaman (1948–1950) Benjamin L. Campbell (1951) |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Most titles | 1 1948: Blackstone Barristers 1949: Petersburg Generals 1950: Emporia Nationals 1951: Elizabeth City Albemarles |
The Virginia League of 1948–1951 was a Class D level American minor baseball league. The league was the last of five professional baseball circuits to be known by that name dating to 1894. The post-World War II league revived the previous incarnation of the Virginia League that had ceased operation after concluding the 1942 season.
History
The 1948–1951 Virginia League played each of its four seasons as a six-team league. The Virginia League headquarters were in Petersburg, with teams in North Carolina and Virginia. The Washington Senators of the American League (who used Nationals as one of their nicknames for many years) sponsored the Emporia club from 1948 to 1950. The New York Yankees (Blackstone) and St. Louis Cardinals (Lawrenceville) also had affiliates in the Virginia League in 1948.[1]
Among the future Major Leaguer players who played in the Virginia League of 1948–1951, a future All-Star was shortstop Eddie Kasko, a member of the 1961 National League squad (and a future MLB manager and executive), who played for the 1950 Suffolk Goobers.
1948–1951 Virginia League cities represented
- Blackstone, VA: Blackstone Barristers 1948
- Colonial Heights, VA & Petersburg, VA: Colonial Heights-Petersburg Generals 1951
- Edenton, NC: Edenton Colonials 1951
- Elizabeth City, NC: Elizabeth City Albemarles 1950–1951
- Emporia, VA: Emporia Nationals 1948–1950; Emporia Rebels 1951
- Franklin, VA: Franklin Cubs 1948; Franklin Kildees 1949–1951
- Hopewell, VA: Hopewell Blue Sox 1949–1950
- Lawrenceville, VA: Lawrenceville Cardinals 1948; Lawrenceville Robins 1949
- Petersburg, VA: Petersburg Generals 1948–1950
- Suffolk, VA: Suffolk Goobers 1948–1951
Standings & statistics
1948 Virginia League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk Goobers | 83 | 52 | .615 | - | 60,873 | Bill Steinecke |
| Blackstone Barristers | 78 | 62 | .557 | 7.5 | 37,632 | Paul Badgett |
| Franklin Cubs | 76 | 64 | .543 | 9.5 | 54,867 | John Zontini |
| Petersburg Generals | 73 | 62 | .541 | 10.0 | 116,062 | Paul Varner |
| Emporia Nationals | 63 | 74 | .460 | 21.0 | 33,415 | Morrie Aderholt |
| Lawrenceville Cardinals | 39 | 98 | .285 | 45.0 | 21,104 | Robert Comiskey George Shearin / John Pruett |
Playoffs: Petersburg 4 games, Suffolk 2; Blackstone 4 games, Franklin 0.
Finals: Blackstone 4 games, Petersburg 3.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morrie Aderholt | Emporia | BA | .394 | Cecil Hutson | Suffolk | W | 23 | |
| Art Jacobs | Franklin | Runs | 147 | George Blair | Petersburg | W | 23 | |
| Morrie Aderholt | Emporia | Hits | 185 | George Blair | Petersburg | SO | 212 | |
| Vernon Shetler | Franklin | RBI | 150 | Al Tefft | Blackstone | ERA | 1.57 | |
| Morrie Aderholt | Emporia | HR | 31 | Al Tefft | Blackstone | PCT | .955 21-1 |
1949 Virginia League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Kildees | 80 | 48 | .625 | - | 54,282 | George Lacy |
| Petersburg Generals | 72 | 54 | .571 | 7.0 | 76,000 | Paul Varner |
| Emporia Nationals | 67 | 55 | .549 | 10.0 | 29,050 | Morrie Aderholt |
| Suffolk Goobers | 57 | 65 | .467 | 20.0 | 41,381 | Bill Steinecke / Paul Badgett |
| Hopewell Blue Sox | 52 | 75 | .409 | 27.5 | 39,600 | Joe Mills |
| Lawrenceville Robins | 45 | 76 | .372 | 31.5 | 29,000 | Garland Braxton / James Myers / Glenn Titus / Claude Weaver / Walter Wholey |
Playoffs: Franklin 4 games, Suffolk 1; Petersburg 4 games, Emporia 3.
Finals: Petersburg 4 games, Franklin 2.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Varner | Petersburg | BA | .355 | Arnold Atkins | Franklin | W | 21 | |
| John Cornwell | Franklin | Runs | 129 | Arnold Atkins | Franklin | SO | 204 | |
| James Gillette | Franklin | Hits | 181 | Arnold Atkins | Franklin | ERA | 2.70 | |
| James Gillette | Franklin | RBI | 118 | Jim Cornett | Petersburg | PCT | .706 12-5 | |
| John Garrison] | Emporia | HR | 25 |
1950 Virginia League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emporia Nationals | 71 | 57 | .555 | - | 26,380 | Morrie Aderholt |
| Petersburg Generals | 69 | 61 | .531 | 3.0 | 43,508 | Paul Varner |
| Elizabeth City Albemarles | 68 | 61 | .527 | 3.5 | 35,000 | Paul Crawford |
| Hopewell Blue Sox | 65 | 65 | .500 | 7.0 | 29,320 | Herbert Moore |
| Franklin Kildees | 65 | 65 | .500 | 7.0 | 30,249 | Paul Badgett |
| Suffolk Goobers | 50 | 79 | .388 | 21.5 | 28,638 | Buster Kinard |
Playoffs:Hopewell defeated Franklin by forfeit for fourth place. Emporia 4 games, Hopewell 1; Petersburg 4 games, Elizabeth City 2.
Finals: Emporia 4 games, Petersburg 2.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Varner | Petersburg | BA | .335 | Vernon Holland | Franklin | W | 20 | |
| LeRoy Dietzel | Emporia | Runs | 121 | Melvin Doxtator | Emporia | W | 20 | |
| John Garrison | Emporia | Hits | 170 | Herman Dowdy | Elizabeth City | SO | 176 | |
| Ken Hatcher | Petersburg | RBI | 120 | Eugene Hoberg | Franklin | ERA | 2.50 | |
| Ken Hatcher | Petersburg | HR | 32 | Edmond McClosky | Petersburg | PCT | .765 13-4 |
1951 Virginia League
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colonial Heights-Petersburg Generals | 80 | 39 | .672 | - | 35,146 | Turkey Tyson |
| Elizabeth City Albemarles | 67 | 50 | .573 | 12.0 | 34,301 | Paul Crawford |
| Edenton Colonials | 63 | 55 | .534 | 16.5 | 28,528 | Gashouse Parker |
| Suffolk Goobers | 56 | 62 | .475 | 23.5 | 26,000 | Red Treadway |
| Franklin Kildees | 49 | 70 | .412 | 31.0 | 18,299 | Carl McQuillen / Awood Holland |
| Emporia Rebels | 39 | 78 | .333 | 40.0 | 12,000 | Joe Mills / Harold Martin |
Playoffs: Colonial Heights-Petersburg 4 games, Suffolk 1; Elizabeth City 4 games, Edenton 3.
Finals: Elizabeth City 4 games, Colonial Heights-Petersburg 1.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buster Kinard | Suffolk | BA | .378 | John Brockwell | Colonial Heights/Petersburgh | W | 25 | |
| Ken Hatcher | Colonial/Peters | Runs | 109 | John Brockwell | Colonial Heights/Petersburgh | SO | 164 | |
| Buster Kinard | Suffolk | Hits | 156 | John Brockwell | Colonial Height/Petersburgh | ERA | 2.05 | |
| Ken Hatcher | Colonial/Peters | RBI | 121 | John Brockwell | Colonial Height/Petersburgh | PCT | .781 25-7 | |
| Ken Hatcher | Colonial/Peters | HR | 34 |
References
- ↑ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007
- ↑ Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.