Virginia League (1948–1951)
Formerly | Virginia League (1939-1942) |
---|---|
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: |
Classification | Class D (1948–1951) |
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: 1950–1951
- Emporia, VA: Emporia Nationals 1948–1950; 1951
- Franklin, VA: 1948; 1949–1951
- Hopewell, VA: Hopewell Blue Sox 1949–1950
- Lawrenceville, VA: Lawrenceville Cardinals 1948; 1949
- Petersburg, VA: Petersburg Generals 1948–1950
- Suffolk, VA: 1948–1951
1948–1951 Virginia League standings[]
1948 Virginia League
President: Robert S. Brenaman
Team Standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
83 | 52 | .615 | - | 60,873 | Bill Steinecke | |
Blackstone Barristers | 78 | 62 | .557 | 7.5 | 37,632 | Paul Badgett |
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.
1949 Virginia League
President: Robert S. Brenaman
Team Standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
57 | 65 | .467 | 20.0 | 41,381 | Bill Steinecke / Paul Badgett | |
Hopewell Blue Sox | 52 | 75 | .409 | 27.5 | 39,600 | Joe Mills |
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.
1950 Virginia League
President: Robert S. Brenaman
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 |
68 | 61 | .527 | 3.5 | 35,000 | Paul Crawford | |
Hopewell Blue Sox | 65 | 65 | .500 | 7.0 | 29,320 | Herbert Moore |
65 | 65 | .500 | 7.0 | 30,249 | Paul Badgett | |
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.
1951 Virginia League
President: Benjamin L. Campbell
Team Standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colonial Heights-Petersburg Generals | 80 | 39 | .672 | - | 35,146 | Turkey Tyson |
67 | 50 | .573 | 12.0 | 34,301 | Paul Crawford | |
Edenton Colonials | 63 | 55 | .534 | 16.5 | 28,528 | Gashouse Parker |
56 | 62 | .475 | 23.5 | 26,000 | Red Treadway | |
49 | 70 | .412 | 31.0 | 18,299 | Carl McQuillen / Awood Holland | |
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.[2]
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
- ^ "Virginia League - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
External links[]
- The Virginia League (1948–1951) at Baseball Reference
- Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States
- Baseball leagues in Virginia
- Baseball leagues in North Carolina