Hammond Berries

The Hammond Berries were a minor league baseball franchise based in Hammond, Louisiana from 1946 to 1951. The Berries played exclusively as members of the Evangeline League and captured Evangeline League Championships in 1947, 1949 and 1951. The Hammond Berries played at Berry Stadium on the campus of Southeastern Louisiana University.

History[]

Minor league baseball began in Hammond, Louisiana in 1946, when Hammond began play as members of the eight–team league Class D level Evangeline League in 1946, as the league was reforming. Joining Hammond in 1946 league play were the Abbeville Athletics, Alexandria Aces, Baton Rouge Red Sticks, Houma Indians, Natchez Giants, New Iberia Cardinals and Thibodaux Giants.^[1][2][3]

The Hammond Berries finished their first season of play in 8th place. With a 44–87 record in 1946, Hammond placed last in the eight–team league, finishing 48.0 games behind the 1st place Houma Indians, playing under manager Joe Valenti.^[4][1][5][6]

The 1947 Hammond Berries won the Evangeline League Championship. After placing 4th with a 73–60 regular season record, finishing 6.5 games behind the 1st place Alexandria Aces, the Berries qualified for the playoffs. In the first round playoff, Hammond defeated Alexandria 4 games to 1 in the series to advance. In the Finals, the Hammond Berries swept the Thibodaux Giants in four games to win the championship. Hammond was managed to the championship by Babe Benning and Paul Bruno. Home season attendance in 1947 was 59,126.^[7][2][8][9]

In 1948, Hammond finished with a 79–58 record, placing 2nd in the Evangeline League regular season standings, finishing 2.5 games behind the Houma Indians. Hammond played under returning manager Paul Bruno. The first round playoff series with the Thibodaux Giants was tied 2 games to 2 when the entire postseason was cancelled due to bad weather. Hammond had season home attendance of 62,346.^{[10][2][3][11][12]}

Playing for the Berries in 1948, Ray Sanner won the Evangeline League Triple Crown. Sanner, nicknamed "Tex" hit .386 with 34 home runs and 126 RBI on the season.^[3]

The 1949 Hammond Berries won their second Evangeline League Championship, as the league became a Class C level league. Hammond finished the regular season in 3rd place with a 73–63 record, finishing 5.0 games behind the 1st place Houma Indians and qualifying for the playoffs. In the first round of playoffs the Berries defeated the Lafayette Bulls 4 games to 1 to advance. In the Finals, Hammond beat the Alexandria Aces 4 games to 2 to capture the championship under manager Paul Bruno. Hammond drew 51,071 for the season at home.^{[13][2][14][15]}

The 1950 Berries finished with a 71–65 record and advanced to the finals. Finishing in 4th place, 13.5 games behind the Lafayette Bulls, the Hammond Berries qualified for the playoffs under managers Joe Kracher and player/manager Joe Powers. In the regular season, Ray Dunn hit 39 home runs to lead the league. In the playoffs, the Berries defeated the Lafayette Bulls 4 games to 1, before being swept by the Baton Rouge Red Sticks 4 games to 0 in the Finals. Season attendance in Hammond was 38,500.^{[16][2][17][18][19]}

In their final season, the 1951 Hammond Berries captured their third Evangeline League Championship only to fold after the season. Their championship run was led by pitcher Jack Cardey, who led the Evangeline League with both 25 wins and a 2.67 ERA. Under returning manager Joe Powers, Hammond finished 3rd with a 73–64 record in the regular season, 2.5 games behind the 1st place Thibodaux Giants. In the first round playoff series, the Berries defeated the New Iberia Pelicans 4 games to 3. In the Finals, the Hammond Berries defeated the Baton Rouge Red Sticks 4 games to 2 to win the championship. Despite the success on the field, Hammond franchise folded after the 1951 season, where they drew 28,230 fans for the season. Hammond was replaced by the Abbeville Athletics in the 1952 season.^{[20][2][1][21][22][23]}

The ballpark[]

The Hammond Berries were noted to have played minor league home games at Berry Stadium. Berry Stadium was located in Southeastern Park, which is present location of the present Southeastern Louisiana University baseball ballpark. Berry Stadium had a capacity of 1,800 in 1949 and expanded to 3,500 in 1950. Berry Stadium was located at 300 SW Railroad Avenue, Hammond, Louisiana. The ballpark site is across from Strawberry Stadium. ^{[24][25][26][27][28]}

(2019) Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field Hammond, Louisiana

Timeline[]

Year–by–year records[]

Notable alumni[]

• John Burrows (1948)
• Joe Kracher (1950, MGR)
• Irv Stein (1947)

See also[]

Hammond Berries players

References[]