Coastal Plain League (semi pro)
The original Coastal Plain League was a semi-professional baseball circuit that operated in North Carolina from 1934 to 1935. The league's teams were composed primarily of college ballplayers, very similar to the current Coastal Plain League which was structured in 1997.[1]
Teams of the cities of Ayden, Kinston, Greenville, New Bern, Snow Hill and Tarboro were represented in the league in 1934. Teams from Goldsboro and Williamston were added in 1935.[2]
In the inaugural season, the Snow Hill club captured the regular season pennant with a 62–36 record. In the postseason they defeated New Bern in the first round and then clinched the champion trophy by defeating Tarboro, four games to one. In 1935, New Bern completed a four-game revenge sweep over Snow Hill to win the championship.[2]
By 1937 the league decided to join organized baseball to become a professional baseball circuit. The league was assigned the classification of D, the lowest level of professional baseball, while preserving its name.
Players of note
- Bob Bowman (pitcher), who later played in the major leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants and Chicago Cubs from 1939 through 1942.[3]
- Billy Hitchcock (infielder), later a utility player with five major league clubs who had stints as manager of the Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves in the 1960s.[4]
- Walter Rabb (shortstop), who played in the minors from 1939 to 1940 and later spent 31 years (1947–1977) as head baseball coach at the University of North Carolina.[5]
- Aaron Robinson (catcher), later an American League All-Star with the New York Yankees in 1943, and also a player for the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers.[6]
- Jim Tabor (third baseman), who debuted in the league before joining the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies in parts of nine seasons spanning 1938–1947.[7]
- Peahead Walker (shortstop), also a long time minor league player and manager between the 1920s and 1930s, who later became a prolific football coach with the collegiate Atlantic Christian College, Elon College and Wake Forest University squads as well as the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.[8]
Sources
- ↑ Holaday, J. Chris (2002). Baseball in the Carolinas: 25 Essays on the States' Hardball Heritage. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-78-641318-8
- 1 2 Baseball in the Carolinas
- ↑ Baseball Reference – Bob Bowman career
- ↑ SABR Biography Project – Billy Hitchcock article by William Akin
- ↑ Baseball Reference – Walter Rabb career
- ↑ Baseball Reference – Aaron Robinson profile
- ↑ SABR Biography Project – Jim Tabor article by Maurice Bouchard
- ↑ BR Bullpen – Peahead Walker Biography