Mountain State League
| Classification | Class D (1937–1941) Class C (1942) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
| First season | 1937 |
| Ceased | 1942 |
| President | Ray Ryan (1937–1941) Robert T. Caldwell (1942) |
| No. of teams | 7 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Most titles | 2 Beckley Bengals (1937–1938) |
The Mountain State League was a minor league baseball league that played as a six–team league from 1937 to 1942. The league franchises were based in Kentucky and West Virginia. The Mountain State League was a Class D level league from 1937 to 1941 and Class C league in 1942.[1]
Baseball Hall of Fame member Stan Musial played in the league for two seasons, as a member of the 1938 and 1939 Williamson Colts.
Cities represented
[edit]- Ashland, Kentucky: Ashland Colonels 1939–1942
- Beckley, West Virginia: Beckley Bengals 1937–1938
- Bluefield, West Virginia: Bluefield Blue-Grays 1937–1942
- Huntington, West Virginia: Huntington Boosters 1937; Huntington Bees 1938; Huntington Boosters 1939; Huntington Aces 1940–1941; Huntington Jewels 1942
- Logan, West Virginia: Logan Indians 1937–1942
- Welch, West Virginia: Welch Miners 1937–1942
- Williamson, West Virginia: Williamson Colts 1937–1938; Williamson Red Birds 1939–1942
Standings & statistics
[edit]1937 Mountain State League
The Mountain State League began play in 1937 with six charter teams: the Beckley Bengals, based in Beckley, West Virginia; the Welch Miners, based in Welch, West Virginia; the Williamson Colts, based in Williamson, West Virginia; the Bluefield Blue-Grays, based in Bluefield, West Virginia; the Logan Indians based in Logan, West Virginia and the Huntington Boosters, based in Huntington, West Virginia. The Boosters withdrew from the league on August 1.
The league originally began with a split–season format, which was eventually abandoned on August 24.
The Beckley Bengals finished first in the regular season and won the league championship.
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beckley Bengals | 68 | 36 | .654 | – | Eli Harris |
| Welch Miners | 59 | 43 | .578 | 8.0 | Eddie Krajnik |
| Williamson Colts | 54 | 46 | .540 | 12.0 | Nat Hickey |
| Bluefield Blue-Grays | 49 | 46 | .516 | 14.5 | Ernie Powell |
| Logan Indians | 37 | 61 | .378 | 28 | Bert Grimm |
| Huntington Boosters | 23 | 58 | .284 | NA | Joe Watson / Paul Ryan / Mike Broski / Doc Pricer |
Huntington withdrew August 1; Welch withdrew September 3 during the playoff series with Williamson; Williamson withdrew September 6 during the finals.
Playoffs: Beckley, bye; Welch 2 games, Bluefield 0; Williamson 2 games, Logan 0; Williamson 1 game, Welch 0
Finals: Beckley 2 games, Williamson 0.[2]
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earl Martin | Beckley | BA | .400 | Charlie Bowles | Beckley | W | 16 | |
| Raleigh Singleton | Beckley | Runs | 113 | Dixie Howell | Logan | SO | 153 | |
| Stan Arnzen | Welch | Hits | 150 | Ed Schumacher | Beckley | ERA | 2.70 | |
| Earl Martin | Beckley | RBI | 96 | Joseph Petrich | Welch | PCT | .731 19–7 | |
| Larry Steinbeck | Beckley | HR | 20 |
1938 Mountain State League
All the teams from 1937 returned to the league in 1938. Huntington became known as the Huntington Bees.
The Logan Indians finished first in the regular season. However, they lost in the league finals to the Beckley Bengals, who repeated as league champions.
Stan Musial played for the Williamson Colts in 1938.[3]
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logan Indians | 72 | 46 | .610 | – | Eddie Hock |
| Beckley Bengals | 61 | 52 | .540 | 8.5 | Eli Harris |
| Williamson Colts | 58 | 60 | .492 | 14.0 | Nat Hickey |
| Welch Miners | 56 | 64 | .467 | 17.0 | Eddie Krajnik / Charles Bowie / Carlos Ratliff |
| Bluefield Blue-Grays | 55 | 64 | .462 | 17.5 | Earl Smith |
| Huntington Bees | 50 | 66 | .431 | 21.0 | Dickie Kerr |
Playoffs: Logan 3 games, Williamson 2; Beckley 2 games, Welch 0.
Finals: Beckley 3 games, Logan 2.[2]
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moe Franklin | Beckley | BA | .439 | Earl Brinegar | Welch | W | 18 | |
| Raleigh Singleton | Beckley | Runs | 128 | John Gorszyca | Beckley | W | 18 | |
| Garfield Ganoe | Bluefield | Hits | 170 | Vern Kohler | Logan | SO | 216 | |
| Walter Sessi | Williamson | RBI | 126 | Vern Kohler | Logan | ERA | 2.24 | |
| Moe Franklin | Beckley | HR | 26 | Frank Mahon | Huntington | CG | 25 | |
| Vern Kohler | Logan | PCT | .900 18–2 |
1939 Mountain State League
1939 saw a few changes to the league. The Williamson Colts became the Williamson Red Birds, while the Huntington Bees became the Huntington Boosters again. The Beckley Bengals were replaced by the Ashland Colonels, based in Ashland, Kentucky.
The Williamson Red Birds finished first in the regular season. Williamson was defeated in the playoff finals by the Bluefield Blue–Grays.
Stan Musial played for the Williamson Red Birds in 1939.
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williamson Red Birds | 76 | 51 | .598 | – | Harrison Wickel |
| Welch Miners | 72 | 57 | .558 | 5.0 | Sam Gray |
| Huntington Boosters | 66 | 61 | .520 | 10.0 | Mike Powers |
| Bluefield Blue-Grays | 65 | 64 | .504 | 12.0 | Vic Sorrell |
| Logan Indians | 55 | 75 | .423 | 22.5 | Eddie Hock |
| Ashland Colonels | 52 | 78 | .400 | 25.5 | Harold Conn / Ray French |
Playoffs: Williamson 2 games, Huntington 1; Bluefield 2 games, Welch 0.
Finals: Bluefield 3 games, Williamson 1.[2]
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Shewey | Williamson | BA | .376 | Howard Smith | Williamson | W | 19 | |
| John Streza | Williamson | Runs | 127 | Russ Meers | Huntington | SO | 297 | |
| John Streza | Williamson | Hits | 185 | Sam Gray | Welch | ERA | 3.03 | |
| Harrison Wickel | Williamson | RBI | 142 | Howard Smith | Williamson | PCT | .731 19–7 | |
| Edison Guinther | Logan | HR | 26 |
1940 Mountain State League
For the 1940 season, the Huntington Boosters became the Huntington Aces. The Williamson Red Birds finished first in the regular season and won the league championship.
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williamson Red Birds | 76 | 45 | .628 | – | Harrison Wickel |
| Logan Indians | 75 | 51 | .595 | 3.5 | Eddie Hock |
| Bluefield Blue-Grays | 65 | 51 | .560 | 8.5 | Vic Sorrell |
| Welch Miners | 63 | 62 | .504 | 15 | Tex Stuart / Roy Hall |
| Ashland Colonels | 55 | 71 | .437 | 23.5 | Tommy Thevenow / Ray French |
| Huntington Aces | 33 | 87 | .275 | 42.5 | Pee Wee Wanninger / Russ Young / Ezra Midkiff |
Playoffs: Logan 2 games, Welch 0; Williamson 2 games, Bluefield 0.
Finals: Williamson 3 games, Logan 1.[2]
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worthington Day | Ashland | BA | .363 | Harold Sharp | Williamson | W | 18 | |
| Bill Shewey | Williamson | Runs | 134 | Joe Pennington | Logan | W | 18 | |
| Worthington Day | Ashland | Hits | 178 | Vern Bickford | Welch | So | 1.63 | |
| Tennis Mounts | Logan | Hits | 178 | Tom Triner | Welch | ERA | 2.76 | |
| Buck Etchison | Welch | RBI | 132 | Ernie Peters | Williamson | PCT | .773 17–5 | |
| Stan Wentzel | Logan | HR | 26 |
1941 Mountain State League
The league played its final season as a Class D level league in 1941. All teams from 1940 returned. The Logan Indians finished first in the regular season and won the league championship.
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logan Indians | 80 | 48 | .625 | – | Eddie Hock |
| Williamson Red Birds | 77 | 50 | .606 | 2.5 | Harrison Wickel |
| Bluefield Blue-Grays | 64 | 61 | .512 | 14.5 | Bill Averett |
| Welch Miners | 64 | 62 | .508 | 15.0 | Fred Neisler |
| Ashland Colonels | 53 | 76 | .411 | 27.5 | Ray French / Charley Carman |
| Huntington Aces | 43 | 84 | .339 | 36.5 | Fred Blake / Robert Larsen |
Playoffs: Logan 2 games, Bluefield 1; Welch 2 games, Williamson 0.
Finals: Logan 4 games, Welch 1.[2]
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don Smith | Huntington | BA | .406 | Joe Pennington | Logan | W | 21 | |
| Ray King | Williamson | Runs | 132 | Joe Pennington | Logan | SO | 229 | |
| Don Smith | Huntington | Hits | 191 | Ed Burtschy | Ashland | ERA | 2.46 | |
| Harrison Wickel | Williamson | RBI | 147 | Joe Pennington | Logan | PCT | .778 21–6 | |
| Tennis Mounts | Logan | HR | 24 |
1942 Mountain State League
The league was a Class C level league in 1942. The Huntington team became the Huntington Jewels. Huntington finished first in the regular season and lost to the Ashland Colonels in the league finals.
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huntington Jewels | 82 | 42 | .661 | – | Charles Lucas / Arthur Scharein |
| Welch Miners | 67 | 55 | .549 | 14.0 | Don Manno |
| Williamson Red Birds | 66 | 58 | .532 | 16.0 | Ollie Vanek / Jack Angle |
| Ashland Colonels | 60 | 67 | .472 | 23.5 | Eddie Hock |
| Bluefield Blue-Grays | 55 | 69 | .443 | 27.0 | Johnny Gooch / Charley Carman |
| Logan Indians | 40 | 79 | .335 | 39.5 | Grover Hartley / Charles Hoffman / Ray Ryan |
Playoffs: Ashland 2 games, Williamson 0; Huntington 2 games, Welch 1.
Finals: Ashland 4 games, Huntington 1.[2]
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don Manno | Welch | BA | .381 | Robert Peterson | Huntington | W | 17 | |
| Don Manno | Welch | Runs | 136 | Ribs Raney | Huntington | W | 17 | |
| Don Manno | Welch | Hits | 174 | Ribs Raney | Huntington | SO | 146 | |
| Kenneth Wood | Huntington | RBI | 126 | Robert Peterson | Huntington | Pct | .810 17–4 | |
| Don Manno | Welch | HR | 34 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Mountain State League (D) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
- ^ "Stan Musial Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.