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Mississippi–Ohio Valley League

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Mississippi–Ohio Valley League
FormerlyIllinois State League
ClassificationClass D (1949–1955)
SportMinor League Baseball
First season1949
Ceased1955
Replaced byMidwest League
PresidentDutch Hoffman (1949–1955)
No. of teams23
CountryUnited States of America
Most titles2
Danville Dans (1951, 1954)
Decatur Commodores (1952–1953)
Related
competitions		Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League

The Mississippi–Ohio Valley League was a Class D level American minor league baseball league. Evolving from the renamed Illinois State League (1947-1948), the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League operated for seven seasons, from 1949 through 1955.[1] In 1956 the league was renamed the Midwest League, which still exists today.[2]

History

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In 1947, the Illinois State League was formed. Charter franchises were in the Illinois cities of Belleville, Centralia, Marion, Mattoon, Mount Vernon and West Frankfort.[3] After the 1948 season, the Marion Indians moved out of Illinois to Kentucky. This necessitated a name change for the league.

The league changed names in 1949 to the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League. The league incorporated the new Paducah Chiefs and the five former Illinois State League teams, the Belleville Stags, Centralia Cubs, Mattoon Indians, Mount Vernon Kings, and West Frankfort Cardinals as 1949 charter members.[3][4]

In 1950, a Springfield, Illinois franchise left the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League, the join the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League. The Mississippi–Ohio Valley League added expansion teams in the Paris Lakers and Vincennes Velvets. The Belleville franchise folded.[5] There was more movement in 1951, as the Springfield Giants and West Frankfort Cardinals both folded and the Paducah Chiefs left to join the Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League. The league played 1951 with six teams, as Danville Dans joined from the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League.[6][3]

In 1952, the league again expanded to eight teams, adding the Commodores in Decatur, Illinois and Cardinals in Hannibal, Missouri, while Vincennes relocated to Canton, Ohio.[7][3] In 1953, the Canton and Centralia franchises both folded and the league returned to six teams.[8][3] There was expansion again in 1954, as two Iowa teams, the Clinton Pirates and Dubuque Packers returned the league to eight members.[3][9]

In the final season of the league, the Danville Dans moved to Kokomo, Indiana and became the Kokomo Giants and Mount Vernon moved to Lafayette, Indiana as the Lafayette Red Sox. Following the 1955 season, Hannibal moved to become the Michigan City White Caps, joining Kokomo, Lafayette, Clinton, Dubuque, Decatur, Mattoon and Paris in the renamed Midwest League.[10][11] The Midwest League still exists today, with 16 teams.[12]

Cities represented

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[13]

Standings & statistics

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1949 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League

Team name W L PCT GB Attend Managers
Centralia Cubs 74 44 .627 – 35,000 Lou Bekeza
West Frankfort Cardinals 71 49 .592 4.0 24,140 Robert Stanton
Mattoon Indians 62 56 .525 12.0 38,325 Chuck Hawley
Paducah Chiefs 54 65 .454 20.5 54,859 Caroll Peterson / Eddie Kearse
Mt. Vernon Kings 53 67 .442 22.0 36,240 Robert Shreve / Bill Trotter
Belleville Stags 43 76 .361 31.5 13,500 Les Mueller / Joe Yurkovich /
Addie Nesbit / Bunny Mick

Playoffs: Mattoon 3 games, Centralia 0; Paducah 3 games, West Frankfort 0;
Finals: Paducah 4 games, Mattoon 3.

Player statistics
Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Bunny Mick Belleville BA .354 Joseph Prucha Centralia W 19
Ev Joyner West Frankfort Hits 170 Joseph Mattis Mattoon SO 166
Richard Martz Paducah RBI 100 Dick Loeser West Frankfort ERA 2.22
Arthur Oliver Paducah HR 17 Dick Loeser West Frankfort PCT .857 12–2
Ev Joyner West Frankfort Runs 104

1950 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League - schedule

Team name W L PCT GB Attend Managers
Centralia Sterlings 83 40 .675 – 35,767 Lou Bekeza
West Frankfort 72 47 .605 9.0 20,910 Robert Stanton
Mattoon Indians 71 47 .602 9.5 27,982 Chuck Hawley
Paducah Chiefs 67 55 .549 15.5 47,297 Walter DeFreitas
Springfield Giants 60 59 .504 21.0 21,126 Ham Schulte / Von Price
Paris Lakers 43 75 .364 37.5 24,089 Earl Skaggs /
Von Price /John Morris
Vincennes Citizens 43 76 .361 38.0 18,977 Melvin Ivy / Andy E. Smith
Mt. Vernon Kings 37 77 .325 41.5 28,431 Benny Meyer / Robert Schlemmer

Playoffs: Centralia 3 games, Mattoon 1; Paducah 3 games, West Frankfort 0;
Finals: Cancelled; Bad Weather & Military Call–up.

Player statistics
Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
James Belz West Frankfort BA .349 Gene Pisarski Centralia W 22
James Belz West Frankfort Hits 154 William Ecklund Centralia SO 174
Lou Bekeza Centralia RBI 120 Gene Pisarski Centralia ERA 2.06
Kenneth Dickens Vincennes HR 21 Gene Pisarski Centralia PCT .880 22–3
James Belz West Frankfort Runs 133

1951 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League

Team name W L PCT GB Attend Managers
Paris Lakers 84 36 .700 – 51,331 Tom Sunkel
Centralia Zeroes 69 51 .575 15.0 38,554 Lou Bekeza
Mt. Vernon Kings 60 59 .504 23.5 39,665 Chuck Hawley / Charles Popovich
Danville Dans 51 67 .432 32.0 24,775 Frank Piet / Everett Hall
Mattoon Indians 49 69 .415 34.0 28,442 Melvin Ivy
Vincennes Velvets 43 74 .368 39.5 25,652 Stormy Kromer / Robert Signaigo

Playoffs: Mt. Vernon 2 games, Centralia 0. Danville 2 games, Paris 1.
Finals: Danville 2 games, Mt. Vernon 0.

Player statistics
Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Clint McCord Paris BA .363 Lee Tunnison Centralia W 20
Clint McCord Paris Hits 173 Lee Tunnison Centralia SO 170
James Given Mt. Vernon RBI 119 Lee Tunnison Centralia ERA 3.12
Clint McCord Paris HR 16 Fred Williams Paris PCT .789 15–4
Clint McCord Paris Runs 132
Lou Bekeza Centralia HR 16

1952 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League - schedule

Team name W L PCT GB Attend Managers
Danville Dans 87 40 .685 – 75,898 Virl Minnis
Paris Lakers 85 42 .669 2.0 36,606 Tom Sunkel
Decatur Commodores 73 52 .584 13.0 94,300 Julian Acosta
Hannibal Stags 70 57 .551 17.0 36,616 Walter DeFreitas
Mt. Vernon Kings 55 67 .451 29.5 34,752 James Granneman /
Stanley Sadich / Frank Brookman
Vincennes Velvets /
Canton Citizens		 54 70 .435 31.5 25,654 Chuck Hawley / Robert Sisk
Centralia Zeroes 41 83 .331 44.5 28,755 Charles Starasta / John Streza
Mattoon Indians 35 89 .282 50.5 49,316 Walter Dunkovich /
Charles Popovich / Robert Carson

Vincennes moved to Canton June 7.
Playoffs: Hannibal 3 games, Danville 1. Decatur 3 games, Paris 2.
Finals: Decatur 3 games, Hannibal 1.

Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Player statistics
Clint McCord Paris BA .392 Ken Gohn Danville W 22
Clint McCord Paris Hits 189 Amacio Ferro Hannibal SO 183
Jim Zapp Paris RBI 136 Ken Gohn Danville ERA 1.58
Jim Zapp Paris HR 20 James Agnew Danville PCT .889 16–2
Quincy Smith Paris Runs 124

1953 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League - schedule

Team name W L PCT GB Attend Managers
Decatur Commodores 68 50 .576 – 96,337 Ray Taylor
Paris Lakers 66 53 .555 2.5 35,000 Tom Sunkel
Mattoon Phillies 64 56 .533 5.0 61,000 James Deery
Hannibal Cardinals 55 62 .470 12.5 35,200 Tince Leonard
Mt. Vernon Kings 55 64 .462 13.5 31,600 Robert Schmidt
Danville Dans 48 71 .403 20.5 62,700 Virl Minnis

Playoffs: Decatur 3 games, Hannibal 0. Paris 3 games, Mattoon 0.
Finals: Decatur 3 games, Paris 2.

Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Player statistics
Robert Schmidt Mt. Vernon BA .358 Juan Garcia
Tince Leonard		 Decatur
Hannibal		 W 18
James Partin Danville Hits 167 Dennis Hamilton Mattoon SO 195
James Freeman Decatur RBI 106 William Bright Mattoon ERA 2.51
Kenneth Payne Paris HR 16 Michael Rolls Mt. Vernon PCT .824 14–3
Gonzalo Chenard Decatur Runs 105

1954 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League - schedule

Team name W L PCT GB Attend Managers
Decatur Commodores 74 52 .587 – 38,776 Johnny Lucadello
Danville Dans 66 59 .528 7.5 39,992 Richard Klaus
Clinton Pirates 63 59 .516 9.0 74,768 Robert Clark
Dubuque Packers 62 61 .504 10.5 65,993 Jack Conway
Mattoon Phillies 62 64 .492 12.0 48,422 Carl Bush / Don Osborn
Paris Lakers 58 68 .460 16.0 39,103 Tom Sunkel
Hannibal Cardinals 58 68 .460 16.0 33,065 J.C. Dunn
Mt. Vernon Kings 57 69 .452 17.0 27,584 Lou Bekeza

Playoffs: Clinton 2 games, Decatur 0. Danville 2 games, Dubuque 1. .
Finals: Danville 3 games, Clinton 1.

Player statistics
Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Johnny Lucadello Decatur BA .362 John Bumgarner Decatur W 22
Leon Wagner Danville Hits 160 David Jiminez Clinton SO 249
Robert Schmidt Paris RBI 125 John Bumgarner Decatur ERA 2.67
J.C. Dunn Hannibal HR 26 David Jimenez Clinton PCT .769 20–6
Leon Wagner Danville Runs 108

1955 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League - schedule

Team name W L PCT GB Attend Managers
Dubuque Packers 74 52 .587 – 94,925 Ira Hutchinson
Mattoon Phillies 68 57 .544 5.5 51,277 Burl Storie
Clinton Pirates 68 57 .544 5.5 57,683 Robert Clark
Kokomo Giants 64 62 .508 10 45,289 Walt Dixon / Jack Milaskey
Lafayette Chiefs 63 63 .500 11 61,287 Mark Wylie
Decatur Commodores 62 64 .492 12 54,260 Al Unser
Paris Lakers 62 64 .492 12 30,245 Richard Rigazio
Hannibal Citizens 42 84 .333 32 40,977 James Granneman / Allan Shinn

Playoffs: Dubuque 2 games, Clinton 0. Mattoon 2 games, Kokomo 0. .
Finals: Dubuque 3 games, Mattoon 0.

Player statistics
Player Team Stat Tot Player Team Stat Tot
Orlando Cepeda Kokomo BA .393 Allen Evans Kokomo W 21
Jimmy Lynn Dubuque Hits 180 Benjamin Rich Clinton SO 199
Jimmy Lynn Dubuque RBI 121 Dave Wegerek Lafayette ERA 2.59
Walt Dixon Kokomo HR 24 Glen Rosenbaum Dubuque PCT .833 15–3
Jimmy Lynn Dubuque Runs 121

Hannibal folded and all other teams from the league became charter members of the newly named, Class D level Midwest League and the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League folded.[13][12]

References

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  1. ^ "Mississippi-Ohio Valley League (D) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  2. ^ "Midwest League (A) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Midwest League History". Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  4. ^ "1949 Mississippi-Ohio Valley League". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  5. ^ "1950 Mississippi-Ohio Valley League". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  6. ^ "1951 Mississippi-Ohio Valley League". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  7. ^ "1952 Mississippi-Ohio Valley League". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  8. ^ "1953 Mississippi-Ohio Valley League". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  9. ^ "1954 Mississippi-Ohio Valley League". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  10. ^ "Mississippi-Ohio Valley League 1955". Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  11. ^ "1955 Mississippi-Ohio Valley League". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  12. ^ a b "Then and now: Midwest League". MiLB.com.
  13. ^ a b Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.

Further reading

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  • Sumner, Benjamin Barrett. Minor League Baseball Standings:All North American Leagues, Through 1999. Jefferson, N.C.:McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0781-6.
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