The Tobacco State League was a Class D level American minor baseball league that played for five seasons (1946–1950) in Organized Baseball in the state of North Carolina. The Red Springs Red Robins won two league championships.

History The Tobacco State League was one of many low-level minor leagues that flourished immediately after World War II before disbanding in the 1950s. Founded as a six-team circuit in 1946, the league sported eight teams for the final four years of its existence, although one of its teams, the charter member Smithfield-Selma Leafs, was forced to drop out during the closing weeks of the TSL's final 1950 season. With the exceptions of Lumberton (Chicago Cubs) and Red Springs (Philadelphia Athletics), its members were unaffiliated with Major League Baseball farm systems.

Member teams

Angier, NC & Fuquay Springs, NC: Angier-Fuquay Springs Bulls 1946 (Champions, 1946) Clinton, NC: Clinton Blues1946–1948; Clinton Sampson Blues 1949–1950 Dunn, NC & Erwin, NC: Dunn-Erwin Twins 1946–1950 Fayetteville, NC: Fayetteville Scotties 1949 Lumberton, NC: Lumberton Cubs 1947–1948; Lumberton Auctioneers 1949–1950 Red Springs, NC: Red Springs Red Robins 1947–1950 (Champions, 1948, 1949) Rockingham, NC: Rockingham Eagles 1950 (Champions, 1950) Sanford, NC: Sanford Spinners 1946–1950 (Champions, 1947) Smithfield, NC & Selma, NC: Smithfield-Selma Leafs 1946–1950 Warsaw, NC: Warsaw Red Sox 1947–1948 Whiteville, NC: Whiteville Tobs 1950 Wilmington, NC: Wilmington Pirates 1946–1950

Standings & statistics

+1946 Tobacco League StandingsTeam standingsWLPCTGB Managers Sanford Spinners7148.597-Gaither Riley / Zeb HarringtonClinton Blues 7048.593½Willie Duke / Van Lingle MungoSmithfield-Selma Leafs 5862.48313½ Mike Balas Angier-Fuquay Springs Bulls5762.47914Paul Dunlap / Gaither RileyWilmington Pirates5266.44118½Stan Katkaveck / Gus Brittain Dunn-Erwin Twins 4870.40722½James Guinn / Alton Stephenson Dwight LawPlayoffs: Angier-Fuquay 4 games, Sanford 2; Clinton 4 games, Springfield 1. Finals: Angier-Fuquay 4 games, Clinton 3.

+1946 league leadersPlayer TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Willie DukeClintonBA.393Robert KeaneClintonW23 Lonnie H. SmithClintonRuns117 George BortzSanford SO193Leo NiezgodaSmith/SelmaHits173Robert KeaneClinton PCT.852; 23-4 Orville NesselrodeSanfordRBI150 Orville NesselrodeSanfordHR30

+1947 Tobacco State League standingsTeam standingsWLPCTGBAttend Managers Sanford Spinners8639.688-37,517 Zeb HarringtonLumberton Cubs 7149.59212½50,758 Red Lucas Wilmington Pirates 6857.5441863,219 Nate AndrewsDunn-Erwin Twins6262.50023½49,262Jack Bell / Bill Auerette Warsaw Red Sox5964.4802636,865James Milner Clinton Blues 5667.4552936,778Robert Hall / Van Lingle Mungo Survern WrightRed Springs Red Robins4778.4803921,000Red NorrisSmithfield-Selma Leafs4679.3684028,847 Mike Balas / Joe Eonta Playoffs: Sanford 4 games, Wilmington 3; Lumberton 4 games, Dunn-Erwin 1. Finals: Sanford 4 games, Lumberton 3.

+1947 league leadersPlayer TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Jimmy WilsonSanfordBA.385Lewis CheshireWilmingtonW19 Jimmy WilsonSanfordRuns133 Carl JohnsonWarsaw SO225 Jimmy WilsonSanfordHits205John McFaddenSanfordERA2.44Orville NesselrodeSanfordRBI166John McFaddenSanfordPCT.750 15-5 Orville NesselrodeSanfordHR32

+1948 Tobacco State League standingsTeam standingsWLPCTGBAttend ManagersSanford Spinners8056.588-29,374 Zeb HarringtonWilmington Pirates 7662.551577,842 Jim Staton Red Springs Red Robins 7562.5475½28,410 Red NorrisSmithfield-Selma Leafs7365.529836,552 Sam Narron / Virgil Payne Warsaw Red Sox7167.5141032,482Sam Gibson / Verne Blackwell Clinton Blues 7067.51110½39,498Marvin Lorenz Lumberton Cubs5581.4042538,772Charlie JaminDunn-Erwin Twins4989.3553226,475Carl McQuillen / Babe Bost Gaither Riley Playoffs: Sanford 4 games, Smithfield-Selma 1; Red Springs 4 games, Wilmington 3. Finals: Red Springs 4 games, Sanford 1.

+1948 league leadersPlayer TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Hargrove DavisWilmingtonBA.366Aaron OsofskySmithfield-SelmaW24 Jimmy WilsonSanfordRuns145 John CheshireWilmington SO258Jimmy WilsonSanfordHits212John CheshireWilmingtonERA2.35 Orville NesselrodeSanfordRBI159Aaron OsofskySmithfield-SelmaPCT.828 24-5 Orville NesselrodeSanfordHR27

+1949 Tobacco State League standingsTeam standingsWLPCTGBAttend Managers Dunn-Erwin Twins8154.600-39,335 Jim StatonRed Springs Red Robins 7659.563533,303Red Norris Lumberton Auctioneers 7561.5516½60,038 Charles Lucas / James Guinn Sanford Spinners7162.530936,046Zeb Harrington Smithfield-Selma Leafs7065.5191141,618Virgil Payne / Claude Weaver Paul Kluk Fayetteville Scotties 6176.4452156,999Zip Payne / Joe Roseberry Nicholas Rhabe / John HelmsClinton Sampson Blues6078.43522½37,496Marvin LorenzWilmington Pirates4988.35833.049,009Ab Tiedemann / John Edens / Gus Brittain / Hargrove Davis Playoffs: Dunn-Erwin 4 games, Lumberton 1; Red Springs 4 games, Sanford 2. Finals: Red Springs 4 games, Dunn Erwin 1.

+1949 league leadersPlayer TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Joe RoseberryFayettevilleBA.409Clarence ConditDunn-ErwinW20 Granville DenningDunn-ErwinRuns118 Clarence ConditDunn-Erwin SO264 Nicholas PerchiaClintonRuns118Leslie PriceClintonERA2.19 Granville DenningDunn-ErwinHits185John BennettSmithfield-SelmaPCT.769 10-3Granville DenningDunn-ErvinRBI119Joseph SternClin/LumbHR15John HelmsFayettevilleHR15

+1950 Tobacco State League standingsTeam standingsWLPCTGBAttend Managers Lumberton Auctioneers9243.682-42,796 John StrezaSanford Spinners 9044.6721½19,686Zeb HarringtonRed Springs Red Robins 6861.5272126,198 Ducky Detweiler Rockingham Eagles6369.47727½31,806Jack Bell / Turkey TysonClinton Sampson Blues6172.4593029,060Alvin Kluttz / Nicholas Rhabe Marvin Lorenz Wilmington Pirates 5675.4273435,950Bill Hamons / Red Teague Steve Collins Dunn-Erwin Twins /Whiteville Tobs3992.2985120,839Jim StatonSmithfield-Selma Leafs 4962.441NA19,369Marvin Lorenz Playoffs: Rockingham 4 games, Lumberton 2; Stanford 4 games, Red Springs 0; Finals: Rockingham 4 games, Stanford 3

+1950 league leadersPlayer TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Granville DenningWhitevilleBA.374Hoyt CleggSanfordW24Granville DenningWhitevilleHits176 Richard CauseySanford SO148 Pierre EthierLumbertonRuns146Clayton AndrewsSanfordERA2.63Mike MilosevichLumbertonRBI121John LaganLumbertonPCT.875 21-3 Mike MilosevichLumbertonHR14

References

External links Baseball Reference