Big State League

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The Texas-based Big State League had one of the longer lifespans for a circuit formed after World War II. Getting its start in 1947, it ran through 1957 as a class B league. It did see a lot of transition in its 11-year lifetime, with no team serving as a member in every single season. Waco came the closest, serving from 1947-1956. The league was known as an offense-oriented circuit,

J. Walter Morris served as League President from 1947 through 1950, Howard Green, took over from 1951 through 1955 and Hal Sayles was in charge the final two years, 1956-57.


Contents

[edit] Cities Represented

[edit] Teams and Statistics

[edit] 1947-1952

1947 Season

Team StandingsWonLostPctGBAttendManagers
Texarkana Bears10153.6550140,333Vern Washington
Greenville Majors10054.6491154,356Harry Davis, Jr.
Wichita Falls Spudders9261.6018-92,553Bobby Goff
Paris Red Peppers8074.51921112,449Lloyd Rigby
Sherman-Denison Twins6985.4483281,550Guy Sturdy
Gainesville Owls6587.4283560,971Leroy Gilchrist
Austin Pioneers5599.35746106,099Beau Bell
Waco Dons52101.34048-52,577Red Barkley
Total Attendance 800,888

Season Highlights

Vern Washington of the Texarkana Bears led all hitters with a .404 batting average. Buck Frierson of the Sherman-Denison Twins led the league in four categories: 188 runs scored, 248 hits, 197 RBI and 58 home runs. Vallie Eaves, Texarkana Bears pitched his team to 25 wins and Nathaniel Love of the Greenville Majors struck out 192 opposing batters. Jim Walkup of the Paris Red Peppers led the league with a 3.72 ERA.

In the league playoffs: Texarkana Bears beat the Paris Red Peppers 4 games to 0.
Wichita Falls Spudders over the Greenville Majors 4 to 2.
Texarkana Bears win 4 games to 2 over the Wichita Falls Spudders for the championship.


1948 Season

Team Standings Won Lost Pct. GB Attend Managers
Sherman-Denison Twins9451.6480117,046Jose Rodriquez
Wichita Falls Spudders8462.57510-130,138Marcus Carrola
Waco Pirates8264.56212-82,762Buster Chatham
Austin Pioneers7967.54115-163,666Prince Oana
Gainesville Owls6977.47325-80,479Babe Peebles/Jackie Reid
Paris Panthers6285.4223372,636Homer Peel
Texarkana Bears6083.4203370,508Ed Borom
Greenville Majors5293.3594267,334Buddy Hancken / Nat Love
Total Attendance 784,569

Season Highlights
Vern Washington of the Texarkana Bears again led the league in hitting, this time with a .384 average. Donald Cena of the Waco Pirates scored 142 runs to lead that stat. The trio from Wichita Falls of Paul Brotherton with 218 hits, Jack Bradsher with 152 RBI and Albert McCarty with 32 HR, led those departments. Thomas Finger of Wichita Falls garnered 21 wins to lead all pitchers and Glenn Blackwood who split time with the Greenville Majors and the Wichita Falls Spudders led the league with 176 strikeouts. Rafael Rivas of the Sherman-Denison Twins had a 2.33 ERA.

League Playoffs:
Sherman-Denison Twins 4 wins Austin Pioneers 1 win.
Wichita Falls Spudders 4 wins Waco Pirates 0 wins.
Sherman-Denison Twins 4 wins Wichita Falls Spudders 3 wins.


1949 Season

Team Standings Won Lost Pct GB Attend Managers
Wichita Falls Spudders9058.6080128,400Jack Bradsher
Texarkana Bears8661.5853-96,522George Archie
Austin Pioneers8662.5624188,193Prince Oana
Waco Pirates7672.5141495,825Buddy Hancken
Sherman-Denison Twins7078.4732077,474Lloyd Brown,Pete Appleton
Greenville Majors6682.4462458,500Red Davis
Gainesville Owls5989.3993166,544Ray Taylor, Lon Goldstein
Temple Eagles5889.39531-72,624Barney White, Homer Peel
Total Attendance 784,082

Season Highlights

Frank Saucier of the Wichita Falls Spudders led the league in hitting with an unbelieveable average of .446 and his team mate Al McCarty scored 132 runs. Frank Carswell of the Texarkana Bears had the most hits with 229 and also led in RBI with 145. Conklyn Meriwether of the Greenville Majors had 27 HR. 3 pitchers had an even 20 wins, Elwood Moore and George Estock of the Austin Pioneers and also Sidney Peterson of Wichita Falls Spudders. William Pierro of the Waco Pirates struck out 275 would be hitters and John Whitehead of the Sherman-Denison Twins led with an 2.73 ERA.

League Playoffs:
Waco Pirates over the Wichita Falls Spudders 4 games to 2.
Texarkana Bears over the Austin Pioneers 4 games to 1.
Waco Pirates 4 games to 1 over the Texarkana Bears.


1950 Season

Team Standings Won Lost Pct GB Attend Managers
Texarkana Bears9351.646083,604George Archie
Gainesville Owls8263.56611-56,890James Adair
Wichita Falls Spudders8066.54814103,439Hack Miller
Temple Eagles7470.51419105,081Lou Finney
Greenville Majors7571.5141950,511Bill Gann
Waco Pirates7276.4862385,173Buddy Hancken
Sherman-Denison Twins5491.37239-48,762Homer Peel
Austin Pioneers5294.35642116,941Prince Oana, David Sarver
Total Attendance 650,401

Season Highlights:
Frank Carswell of the Texarkana Bears was the leading hitter with an even .400 average. His teammate Lou Fitzgerald scored 138 runs and their teammate Milan Vacelich had 144 RBI. The Waco Pirates slugger John Powers busted 39 four baggers. Junior Bunch had 19 wins for the Temple Eagles. The strikeout leader, Jodie Phipps of the Texarkana Bears struck out 173 batters. Carmen Ferullo of the Wichita Falls Spudders came up with a 2.89 ERA.
The Playoffs:
Texarkana Bears over Temple Eagles 4 to 2.
Greenville Majors over Wichita Falls Spudders 4 to 2.
Finals: Texarkana Bears over Greenville Majors 4 to 2.


1951 Season

Team Standings Won Lost Pct GB Attend Managers
Gainesville Owls8958.605050,771Hal Van Pelt
Temple Eagles8860.5951-112,022Bill Herring,Jack Bradsher
Sherman-Denison Twins7968.5371060,059Bill Capps
Austin Pioneers7572.51014147,161Thomas Jordan
Waco Pirates7573.50714-61,371Walt Tauscher
Texarkana Bears7177.48018-57,640Prince Oana,Joe Phipps,Gabby Lusk
Wichita Falls Spudders6682.44623-73,415Bruce Ogrodowski, Cecil McClung
Tyler East Texans47100.3204241,541Hal Epps, Joe Kracher, Gale Pringle
Total Attendance 604,100

Season Highlights:
Les Goldstein of the Temple Eagles led all hitters with a .376 average and his teammate Frederick Bell had 216 hits. Bobby Phillips of the Wichita Falls Spudders scored 128 runs and Dean Stafford of the Sherman-Denison Twins led the league in both RBI, with 151 and home runs with 32. Lee Roy Jones of the Austin Pioneers and George O'Donnell of the Waco Pirates had 22 wins each, to their credit and Robert Upton of the Gainesville Owls led in strikeouts with 209 and also had an ERA of 2.54.
Playoff Results:
Gainesville Owls 4 games, Austin Pioneers 2.
Sherman-Denison Twins 4 games, Temple Eagles 1.
Finals: Gainesville Owls 4 games, Sherman-Denison Twins 1.


1952 Season

Team Standings Won Lost Pct GB Attend Managers
Temple Eagles8562.5780101,906Salty Parker
Tyler East Texans8463.571173,337Bill Capps
Texarkana Bears8265.559379,275Tony York
Austin Pioneers8166.5514149,601Thomas Jordan
Paris Indians7968.537677,761Red Davis
Wichita Falls Spudders7770.524895,240Frank Mancuso
Longview Cherokees7176.4831459,913Clem Hausmann, Lou Fitzgerald
Waco Pirates29118.1975632,966Tedd Gullic
Total Attendance 669,999

Season Highlights:
Bob Van Enman of the Wichita Falls Spudders led in hitting wit a .387 avr. His team mate Billy Queen scored 157 runs while Buck Frierson of the Paris Indians had 222 base hits. Roy Sanner of the Texarkana Bears had 165 RBI and Dean Stafford of the Paris Indians /Tyler East Texans busted 47 home runs. John Andre of the Austin Pioneers led the league with 25 wins and Gale Pringle of the Tyler East Texans had 164 strikeouts and added a 2.93 ERA to go with them.
Playoffs:
Austin Pioneers 4 games, Temple Eagles 1.
Tyler East Texans 4 games, Texarkana Bears 2.
Finals: Tyler East Texans 4 games, Austin Pioneers 0.

[edit] 1953-1957

1953 Season

Team Standings Won Lost Pct GB Attend Managers
Wichita Falls Spudders8558.594071,247Whitey Wietelmann
Tyler East Texans8163.5634-50,273Bill Capps
Texarkana Bears7868.5348-89,604Chuck Hawley
Waco/Longview7768.531932,646Buster Chatham
Temple Eagles7273.4971466,341Salty Parker, Len Goldstein
Greenville Majors/Bryan Majors7077.4761730,051Jim Adair,Clyde McDowell
Austin Pioneers6977.47317-73,229Al Unser
Paris Indians4896.33347-40,658Red Davis
Total Attendance 454,049

Season Highlights:
Waco moved to Longview, May 22
Greenville moved to Bryan, June25
Albert Neil of the Wichita Falls Spudders led five different categories in the offensive department, .356 BA, 185 hits, 126 runs, 137 RBI and 39 home runs. Pat Scantlebury of the Texarkana Bears won 24 games and struck out 177 swingers. Jodie Phipps of the Bryan Majors came in with a solid 2.19 ERA.
The Playoffs:
Wichita Falls Spudders 4 games, Longview Cherokees 0.
Tyler East Texans 4 games, Texarkana Bears 1.
Wichita Falls Spudders 4 games, Tyler East Texans 3.


1954 Season

Team Standings Won Lost Pct GB Attend Managers
Waco Pirates10542.714079,201Jack Paepke
Tyler Tigers9255.6261356,361Salty Parker
Corpus Christi Clippers8760.5921897,255Bill Capps
Austin Pioneers7967.54125-85,119George Hausmann
Galveston White Caps7373.50031-34,205Chase Riddle, Henry Robinson
Bryan/Del Rio Indians5393.36351-34,217Ray Taylor/Al LaMacchia/Chuck Hawley
Harlingen Capitals5394.3615247,825Earl Caldwell,Sam Harshaney
Temple Eagles44102.30160-31,673Fred Martin/Campbell/Moyer
Total Attendance 465,856

Season Highlights:
Bryan moved to Del Rio, July 28
Dean Stafford of the Galveston White Caps and the Corpus Christi Clippers led the league in hitting with a .362 avr., hits with 212, had 171 RBI to go with 38 home runs. John Wilkinson of the Temple Eagles and Corpus Christi Clippers scored 151 runs. James Vitter of the Corpus Christi Clippers had 23 wins on the mound, while Gayle Pringle of the Tyler Tigers fanned 212 batters on the way to a 2.58 ERA.
The Playoffs:
Waco Pirates 4 games, Austin Pioneers 2.
Corpus Christi Clippers 4 games, Tyler Tigers 1.
Waco Pirates 4 games, Corpus Christi Clippers 3.


1955 Season

Team Standings Won Lost Pct GB Attend Managers
Corpus Christi Clippers9348.6600102,788Connie Ryan
Waco Pirates7469.5172053,961Stan Wentzel
Texas City Texans7167.51420-35,402Bones Sanders
Port Arthur Sea Hawks6474.46427-71,063Fitzgerald,Earl Perry,Jack Bumgarner
Harlingen Capitals6579.45129-55,418Ford Garrison,
Austin Pioneers5885.4063650,536George Hausmann
Tyler Tigers3637.493NA26,443Jodie Phipps
Galveston White Caps2830.483NA19,600Jodie Beeler
Total Attendance 415,211

Season Highlights:
Galveston withdrew June 12.
Tyler withdrew July 1.
Lynn Vandehey of the Texas City Hubbers led the league with a batting average of .377 and also led in base hits with 195.The Corpus Christi Clippers trio of Ed Charles with 135 runs scored, Dean Stafford had 159 RBI and Keith Little belted 47 home runs to lead those stats. Rene Vega also of the Corpus Christi Clippers had 28 wins and an 2.69 ERA. Don Rowe of the Waco Pirates had 226 strike-outs to his credit.
The Playoffs:
Corpus Christi Clippers 4 games, Harlingen Capitals 1.
Waco Pirates 4 games, Texas City Hubbers 3.
Finals: Corpus Christi Clippers 4 games, Waco Pirates 0.


1956 Season

Team Standings Won Lost Pct GB Attend Managers
Corpus Christi Clippers8357.5930112,625Sibby Sisti
Port Arthur Sea Hawks7862.557557,117Lloyd Gearhart,Al Barillari
Waco Pirates7862.557539,096Monty Basgall
Wichita Falls Spudders7664.543760,891Danny Ozark
Abilene Blue Sox7367.5211083,700Alfred Evans,
Lubbock Hubbers/Texas City5981.4212453,900Bill Krueger (minors),Jay Haney
Beaumont Exporters5783.4072635,000Ford Garrison
Victoria Eagles5684.4002735,639J.Basso/Fitzgerald/H.Greer
Total Attendance 477,968

Season Highlights:
Lubbock transferred to Texas City July 8.
Beaumont moved to Texas City July 2, but returned, July 8.
James Kirby of the Port Arthur Sea Hawks was the league's leading contact hitter with a .358 average and also had 190 base hits. Joe Christian of the Corpus Christi Clippers scored 119 runs and also had 142 RBI. Danny Ozark of the Wichita Falls Spudders homered 32 times and tied with Rudolph Mayling of the Abilene Blue Sox in the home run battle. Leverette Spencer of the Port Arthur Sea Hawks had 21 pitching victories to go with his league best 2.37 ERA. Ramon Salgado with the Waco Pirates and Herman Greene of the Corpus Christi Clippers also had 21 pitching wins. Evans Killeen of the Abilene Blue Sox had 236 Strikeouts to lead the league in that area.
The Playoffs:
Corpus Christi Clippers 4 games, Wichita Falls Spudders 1.
Port Arthur Sea Hawks 4 games, Waco Pirates 3.
Finals:Port Arthur Sea Hawks 4 games, Corpus Christi Clippers 3.


1957 Season

Team Standings Won Lost Pct GB Attend Managers
Victoria Rosebuds7549.605042,378Lou Rochelli
Corpus Christi Clippers6958.5437-56,871Joe Just/Jack Wilkinson
Beaumont Pirates6163.4921456,342Monty Basgall
Abilene Blue Sox6166.48015-29,995Burl Storie
Port Arthur/Temple Redlegs4856.461NA25,484Al Barillari
Wichita Falls Spudders426.013NA2,558Jack Wilkinson/Jodie Beeler
Total Attendance 214,628

Season Highlights:
Wichita Falls withdrew May 23.
Port Arthur moved to Temple May 30. Temple withdrew August 20.
Tony Washington of the Beaumont Pirates led the last year of the league in hitting with a .356 average. He also led with 179 hits. Nate Peeples of the Corpus Christi Clippers scored 116 runs and had 99 RBI to lead those categories. Don Miles of the Victoria Rosebuds hit 28 home runs. In the pitching finalie Chris Niclosi of the Victoria Rosebuds had 21 wins and 208 strike-outs to his credit, but Dave Wickersham of the Beaumont Pirates had a solid 1.95 ERA to earn those honors.
Playoffs: In a shortened format, the Victoria Rosebuds beat the Corpus Christi Clippers 4 games to 1.

[edit] League Records 1947-1957

Batting
Player TeamStat TotYrPlayerTeamStatTotYr
Buck FriersonSherm/DenisGA15647Lloyd RigbyParisGA15647
Frank SaucierWichita fallsBA.44649Lloyd RigbyParisAB66747
Buck FriersonSherm/DenisRUNS18847Buck FriersonSherm/DenisHITS24847
Buck FriersonSherm/DenisRBI19747Lon GoldsteinGainesville2B5848
Nelson DaehnTemple3B2354Buck FriersonSherm/DenisHR5847
Buck FriersonSherm/DenisEBH10047Buck FriersonSherm/DenisTB47047
Edwin PalmerGreenvilleSB6247Lou FitzgeraldTexarcanaBB13550
Eugene HurychWichita FallsSO15256


Pitching
Player TeamStat TotYrPlayerTeamStatTotYr
John BumgarnerTexarcanaGA6153John AndreAustinCG2952
Rene VegaCorpus ChristiW2855Marvin HatcherTempleL2354
Bob HeinzSherm/DenisPCT.90948Dave WickershamBeaumontERA1.9557
Dean FranksAustinIP30153James VitterWichita FallsShO753
Bill PierroWacoSO27549Orel DrydenLongviewBB16252




[edit] Source

The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball: Second Edition.

Retrieved from "http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Big_State_League"
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