- Southeastern League
The Southeastern League was the name of three
baseball circuits inminor league baseball league which operated in the southeastern and south centralUnited States . Two of these leagues were associated with Organized Baseball; the third and most recent incarnation was an independent league that operated for two seasons in 2002-03.The first Southeastern League lasted for three years, from by|1910 through by|1912. At Class D, it was considered on the lowest rung of the minor league ladder, and had six clubs located in the American states of
Alabama , Georgia,North Carolina andTennessee . Stung by the midseason collapse of two of its six franchises, this league disbanded on August 2, 1912.Class B league (1926-50)
In by|1926 a new, Class B Southeastern League took the field, with six teams — representing
Montgomery, Alabama ; Jacksonville andSt. Augustine, Florida ; and Albany, Columbus andSavannah, Georgia . Although this league would be periodically shut down by theGreat Depression andWorld War II , it continued as a Class B circuit, four levels belowMajor League Baseball , through by|1950.Its lineup of teams in its final season included the champion
Pensacola Fliers ,Meridian Millers ,Montgomery Rebels ,Jackson Senators ,Vicksburg Billies ,Selma Cloverleafs ,Gadsden Pilots andAnniston Rams . Both Gadsden and Anniston withdrew from the league before the end of the season.Independent league (2002-03)
The most recent version of the Southereastern League was an independent circuit, with member teams were not affiliated with any
Major League Baseball team.The league began play in
2002 after the demise of theAll-American Association . For its inaugural season, it placed teams in Montgomery, Ozark, andSelma, Alabama , along withPensacola, Florida ,Americus, Georgia , andBaton Rouge, Louisiana . The Ozark and Americus franchises folded at mid-season. The Pensacola Pelicans won the inaugural league championship.After completing the season, the league added two franchises for
2003 . The league had high hopes for its new team inMacon, Georgia andHouma, Louisiana , along with the already successful clubs in Montgomery and Pensacola. However, after just two games the Selma Cloverleafs folded, forcing the league to operate the club as a road team for the duration of the season. The Macon Peaches also fared a lot worse than expected. Still, the league completed the year, with Pensacola compiling the league's best mark at 42-23 and Baton Rouge defeating Pensacola, 3 games to 1, in the league championship series.Ultimately, the league could not survive the arrival of affiliated baseball to Montgomery. The Orlando Rays of the Southern League, who had played at
Walt Disney World for four years, became theMontgomery Biscuits and effectively drove the Wings out of town. In addition, theSpringfield Ozark Mountain Ducks of theCentral Baseball League moved to Pensacola and assumed the Pelicans name. As a result, the league folded prior to the2004 season.Member teams (2003):
*Baton Rouge RiverBats
*Houma Hawks
*Macon Peaches
*Montgomery Wings
*Pensacola Pelicans
*Selma Cloverleafs References
* Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, eds., "The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball," 3d edition. Durham, N.C:
Baseball America , 2007.
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