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Tar Heel League

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Tar Heel League
FormerlyNorth Carolina State League
ClassificationClass D (1939–1940, 1953–1954)
SportMinor League Baseball
First season1939
Ceased1954
PresidentM. C. Campbell (1939–1940)
Walter H. Woodson, Jr. (1953)
Lawson Brown (1954)
No. of teams13
CountryUnited States of America
Most titles1 Gastonia Cardinals (1939)
Statesville Owls (1940)
Lexington Indians (1953)
Hickory Rebels (1954)
Related
competitions		Western Carolina League

The Tar Heel League was a mid-20th century Class D level professional minor baseball league, based in North Carolina in the United States. It operated during the full seasons of 1939, 1940 and 1953, and from the opening of the season through June 21, 1954.[1]

The first incarnation of the league began and ended the 1939 season with six clubs, but the following year saw the Shelby Nationals and Newton-Conover Twins — one third of the Tar Heel League — drop out on July 19, 1940. The entire league then shut down for 1941 and through World War II.[1]

During the postwar boom in minor league baseball, the Tar Heel circuit remained dormant, while the Class D level North Carolina State League resumed play in 1945 and a new Class D circuit, the Western Carolina League, entered organized baseball in 1948. When the 1950s brought dwindling attendance to minor league baseball and clubs and leagues began to contract, the North Carolina State and Western Carolina leagues merged into a revived Tar Heel League for 1953. A large, ten–club circuit, the 1953 THL shed two teams on June 11 and relocated a third.[2] The 1954 Tar Heel League fielded four teams, before permanently folding 50 games into the season.[3] The Western Carolina League returned to baseball in 1960, and still plays as the Class A level South Atlantic League.[1]

Cities represented

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Yearly standings & statistics

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1939 Tar Heel League

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1939 Tar Heel League Teams
Team name W L PCT GB Managers
Gastonia Cardinals 72 36 .667 -- Al Unser
Lenoir Indians 61 46 .570 10.5 Clarence Roper
Statesville Owls 56 51 .523 15.5 Stuffy McCrone
Shelby Nationals 50 59 .459 22.5 Edward Montague
Hickory Rebels 48 62 .436 25.0 Louis Viau
Newton-Conover Twins 36 69 .343 34.5 Mack Arnette

Playoffs: Gastonia 3 games, Shelby 1.
Statesville 3 games, Lenoir 0. (1 tie.) Finals: Gastonia 4 games, Statesville 3.

Player statistics

Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Hooper Triplett Gastonia BA .391 Ralph Fox Newton/Conover W 17
James Guinn Shelby Hits 161 Miles Gardner Gastonia W 17
Birch Douglas Lenoir Runs 127 Lefty Guise Lenoir ERA 2.82
Hooper Triplett Gastonia RBI 115 William Skinner Hickory SO 212
Hooper Triplett Gastonia HR 27 Miles Gardner Gastonia PCT .773 17–5 [1]

1940 Tar Heel League

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1940 Tar Heel League Teams

schedule

Team name W L PCT GB Managers
Statesville Owls 73 37 .664 -- Stuffy McCrone
Gastonia Cardinals 64 44 .593 8.0 Milt Bocek
Hickory Rebels 54 52 .509 17.0 Woodrow Traylor
Lenoir Reds 53 55 .491 19.0 Ray Rice
Newton-Conover Twins 27 45.0 .375 NA Arthur Hauger / Ginger Watts
Shelby Colonels 16 54 .229 NA Lou Haneles / Art Patchin

Newton-Conover and Shelby disbanded July 19.
Playoffs: Hickory 3 games, Gastonia 0. Statesville 3 games, Lenoir 2.
Finals: Statesville 4 games, Hickory 1.
Player statistics

Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Milt Bocek Gastonia BA .364 Herman Drefs Statesville W 17
Milt Bocek Gastonia Hits 157 Frank Motley Newton-Conover SO 174
Milt Bocek Gastonia Runs 98 Robert Bailey Lenoir ERA 1.99
Milt Bocek Gastonia RBI 109 Price Ferguson Statesville PCT .824 14–3
Frank Shoue Lenoir HR 16
Robert Traylor Hickory HR 16 [1]

1953 Tar Heel League

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1953 Tar Heel League Teams

schedule

Team name W L PCT GB Attend Managers
Marion Marauders 74 35 .679 -- 35,322 Bob Beal
Forest City Owls 72 40 .643 3.5 48,812 Len Cross / Boger McGimsey
Shelby Clippers 60 49 .550 14.0 19,247 David Coble
Lexington Indians 59 54 .522 17.0 39,453 Alex Monchak
Mooresville Moors 58 55 .513 18.0 19,413 Jim Mills
Lincolnton Cardinals /
Statesville Sports		 47 64 .423 28.0 27,866 Burl Storie / Hugh Rudisill /
Jr. Dodgin/ Charley Knight
Hickory Rebels 46 66 .411 29.5 22,742 William Parker
Salisbury Rocots 44 67 .396 31.0 21,690 Sheriff Robinson
High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms 13 28 .317 NA 5,862 Jim Gruzdis / John Lybrand
Statesville Blues 13 28 .317 NA 20,925 Fred Chapman / Charley Knight

High-Point-Thomasville & Statesville disbanded June 11.
Lincolnton moved to Statesville July 12.
Playoffs: Marion 4 games, Shelby 2. Lexington 4 games, Forest City 2.
Finals: Lexington 4 games, Marion 2.[1]

Player statistics

Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Don Stafford Hi-Toms/Lexington BA .374 Kelly Jack Swift Marion W 30
Bob Barker Marion Hits 166 Kelly Jack Swift Marion SO 321
Carl Miller Marion Runs 129 Jose Nakamura Shelby ERA 2.40
Don Stafford Hi-Toms/Lexington RBI 124 Jim Smiley Marion PCT .857 12–2
Carl Miller Marion HR 21

1954 Tar Heel League

[edit]
1954 Tar Heel League Teams

schedule

Team name W L PCT GB Attend Managers
Hickory Rebels 34 18 .654 -- 8,598 Charlie Teague
Marion Marauders 26 26 .500 8.0 8,203 Robert Knoke
Forest City Owls 24 24 .500 8.0 8,147 Woody Rich / Richard McKeithan
Shelby Clippers 16 32 .333 16.0 12,000 Harold Kollar

The League disbanded June 21.[1]

Player statistics

Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Mike Yaremchuk Hickory BA .376 Russell Wingo Hickory W 11
Mike Yaremchuk Hickory Hits 74 John Cathey Forest City SO 95
Mike Yaremchuk Hickory RBI 45 Leo Davis Hickory ERA 1.82
Lou McCotter Hickory Runs 52 Russell Wingo Hickory PCT .733 11–4
Joe Cristello Forest City HR 5
Harold Kollar Shelby HR 5

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
  2. ^ "1953 Tar Heel League | Baseball-Reference.com".
  3. ^ "1954 Tar Heel League | Baseball-Reference.com".
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