The Virginia League of 1948–1951 was a Class D level American minor baseball league. The league was the final of five incarnations of professional baseball circuits to be known by that name dating to 1894. The post-World War II league revived the previous incarnation of the Virginia League that had ceased operation after concluding the 1942 season.
History The 1948–1951 Virginia League played each of its four seasons as a six-team league. The Virginia League headquarters were in Petersburg, with teams in North Carolina and Virginia. The Washington Senators of the American League (who used Nationals as one of their nicknames for many years) sponsored the Emporia club from 1948 to 1950. The New York Yankees (Blackstone) and St. Louis Cardinals (Lawrenceville) also had affiliates in the Virginia League in 1948.Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007
Among the future Major Leaguer players who played in the Virginia League of 1948–1951, a future All-Star was shortstop Eddie Kasko, a member of the National League squad (and a future MLB manager and executive), who played for the 1950 Suffolk Goobers.
1948–1951 Virginia League cities represented Blackstone, VA: Blackstone Barristers 1948 Colonial Heights, VA & Petersburg, VA: Colonial Heights-Petersburg Generals 1951 Edenton, NC: Edenton Colonials 1951 Elizabeth City, NC: Elizabeth City Albemarles 1950–1951 Emporia, VA: Emporia Nationals 1948–1950; Emporia Rebels 1951 Franklin, VA: Franklin Cubs 1948; Franklin Kildees 1949–1951 Hopewell, VA: Hopewell Blue Sox 1949–1950 Lawrenceville, VA: Lawrenceville Cardinals 1948; Lawrenceville Robins 1949 Petersburg, VA: Petersburg Generals 1948–1950 Suffolk, VA: Suffolk Goobers 1948–1951
Standings & statistics 1948 Virginia League Team standingsWLPCTGBAttend Managers Suffolk Goobers 8352.615-60,873Bill Steinecke Blackstone Barristers7862.5577½37,632 Paul BadgettFranklin Cubs7664.5439½54,867John ZontiniPetersburg Generals7362.54110116,062Paul Varner Emporia Nationals6374.4602133,415Morrie Aderholt Lawrenceville Cardinals3998.2854521,104Robert Comiskey George Shearin / John Pruett Playoffs: Petersburg 4 games, Suffolk 2; Blackstone 4 games, Franklin 0. Finals: Blackstone 4 games, Petersburg 3. +Player Statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Morrie AderholtEmporiaBA.394 Cecil Hutson SuffolkW23 Art JacobsFranklinRuns147 George Blair PetersburgW23 Morrie AderholtEmporiaHits185George Blair PetersburgSO212 Vernon ShetlerFranklinRBI150 Al Tefft BlackstoneERA1.57 Morrie AderholtEmporiaHR31Al Tefft BlackstonePCT.955 21-1
1949 Virginia League Team standingsWLPCTGBAttend Managers Franklin Kildees 8048.625-54,282George LacyPetersburg Generals7254.571776,000 Paul Varner Emporia Nationals6755.5491029,050Morrie Aderholt Suffolk Goobers5765.4672041,381Bill Steinecke / Paul Badgett Hopewell Blue Sox5275.40927½39,600Joe MillsLawrenceville Robins4576.37231½29,000Garland Braxton / James Myers / Glenn Titus / Claude Weaver / Walter Wholey Playoffs: Franklin 4 games, Suffolk 1; Petersburg 4 games, Emporia 3. Finals: Petersburg 4 games, Franklin 2. +Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Paul Varner PetersburgBA.355 Arnold Atkins FranklinW21 John Cornwell FranklinRuns129 Arnold Atkins FranklinSO204 James Gillette FranklinHits181 Arnold Atkins FranklinERA2.70 James Gillette FranklinRBI118 Jim Cornett PetersburgPCT.706 12-5 John Garrison] EmporiaHR25
1950 Virginia League Team standingsWLPCTGBAttend Managers Emporia Nationals 7157.555-26,380Morrie Aderholt Petersburg Generals6961.531343,508 Paul VarnerElizabeth City Albemarles6861.5273½35,000Paul Crawford Hopewell Blue Sox6565.500729,320 Herbert MooreFranklin Kildees6565.500730,249Paul Badgett Suffolk Goobers5079.38821½28,638Buster Kinard Playoffs:Hopewell defeated Franklin by forfeit for fourth place. Emporia 4 games, Hopewell 1; Petersburg 4 games, Elizabeth City 2. Finals: Emporia 4 games, Petersburg 2. +Player Statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Paul Varner PetersburgBA.335 Vernon HollandFranklinW20 LeRoy Dietzel EmporiaRuns121 Melvin Doxtator EmporiaW20 John Garrison EmporiaHits170 Herman Dowdy Elizabeth CitySO176 Ken Hatcher PetersburgRBI120 Eugene Hoberg FranklinERA2.50 Ken Hatcher PetersburgHR32 Edmond McClosky PetersburgPCT.765 13-4 1951 Virginia League Team standingsWLPCTGBAttend Managers Colonial Heights-Petersburg Generals 8039.672-35,146Turkey Tyson Elizabeth City Albemarles6750.5731234,301 Paul Crawford Edenton Colonials6355.53416½28,528Gashouse Parker Suffolk Goobers5662.47523½26,000 Red Treadway Franklin Kildees4970.4123118,299Carl McQuillen / Awood HollandEmporia Rebels3978.3334012,000Joe Mills / Harold Martin Playoffs: Colonial Heights-Petersburg 4 games, Suffolk 1; Elizabeth City 4 games, Edenton 3. Finals: Elizabeth City 4 games, Colonial Heights-Petersburg 1.
+Player statistics Player TeamStat TotPlayerTeamStatTot Buster Kinard SuffolkBA.378 John Brockwell Colonial Heights/PetersburghW25 Ken Hatcher Colonial/PetersRuns109 John Brockwell Colonial Heights/PetersburghSO164 Buster Kinard SuffolkHits156 John Brockwell Colonial Height/PetersburghERA2.05 Ken Hatcher Colonial/PetersRBI121 John Brockwell Colonial Height/PetersburghPCT.781 25-7 Ken Hatcher Colonial/PetersHR34
References
External links The Virginia League (1948–1951) at Baseball Reference