Baseball's Rebirth in the Old North State (1945- )

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More Baseball! Top teams from Carolina League, North Carolina State League to collide for ultimate bragging rights

In the waning days of the 1945 regular season, the Charlotte Observer newspaper floated a novel idea: What if the champion from the Carolina League played a series against the champion of the North Carolina State League for ultimate Old North State bragging rights? At that point a Charlotte Hornets vs. Concord Weavers matchup was a strong possibility. The Observer was angling for more great local stories.

The Hornets wanted nothing to do with such a playoff and dismissed the idea. They believed themselves superior to Concord and the North Carolina State League as a whole. “There would be nothing to gain by playing such a series. We would embarrass them.”

But when the Burlington Bees beat the Hornets to claim the Carolina League crown, their players and coaches were much more receptive to the idea. The first Champions Playoff was born!

Concord vs. Burlington will be a best of seven series. Can the Weavers hang with the top team in the state’s flagship circuit?

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1945 Champions Playoff – Series Recap



Burlington keeps buzzing, outslugs Concord in special series

Bees rule North Carolina baseball in 1945

Game 1: Burlington 8, Concord 0 – WP: Carlson (2-0, 0.54 ERA)
Game 2: Burlington 5, Concord 3 – WP: Meredith (1-2, 4.70 ERA)
Game 3: Burlington 7, Concord 5 – WP: Higgins (1-0, 3.60 ERA)
Game 4: Concord 4, Burlington 3 – WP: Cole (1-0, 9.00 ERA)
Game 5: Burlington 5, Concord 4 – WP: Carlson (3-0, 1.90 ERA)

Aside from game one, the Concord Weavers gave a solid effort. The Weavers built leads in game two (3-0 early), game three (3-2 in the 8th) and game five (4-3 after 4 complete). But they just couldn’t hang on. So Burlington reigned supreme in North Carolina baseball in 1945!

Dave Carlson picked up two pitching wins for the victorious Bees. Shortstop Mike Moseley completed a strong post-season, which saw him earn 20 hits (six doubles) over 11 games. First baseman Tony Losano batted .429 in the series despite nagging injuries, with a four-RBI performance in game two.

Burlington might not compete with Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro and Winston-Salem in terms of population or prestige. But the Alamance County city of roughly 18,000 reigned supreme in the world of North Carolina baseball in 1945!

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1945 Carolina League – Player Awards



Keeping the awards simple in this dynasty: MVP, Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year (starting in 1946) and Manager of the Year.

Here are the first winners from the Carolina League



Most Valuable Player
LF Ryan Diddle (Charlotte Hornets)
Diddle hit for a .312 average while collecting 140 hits, 31 doubles, 12 triples, 9 home runs, 79 RBIs and scoring 87 times. He received 6 first place votes out of a possible 8. Mario Lopez of the Greensboro Patriots (not of Saved by the Bell fame) finished second in voting with 2 first place votes.

Pitcher of the Year
Chris Jones (Raleigh Capitals)
Jones posted a 13-6 record and 2.03 ERA. In 168.2 innings of work and 22 starts, Jones struck out 21 while giving up 138 hits and 75 walks. He held opposing batters to a .225 average. He received 6 first place votes out of a possible 8. Joe Fowler of the Greensboro Patriots finished second in voting.

Manager of the Year
William Mondragon (Charlotte Hornets)
Despite losing in the playoffs, the Charlotte Hornets skipper was announced as 1945 Carolina League Manager of the Year. Charlotte went 83-55 in the regular season. Big city bias against Burlington?

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1945 North Carolina State League – Player Awards



Here are the top players from the North Carolina State League for 1945, as voted on by representatives from each of the teams:

Most Valuable Player
OF Phil Durham (Landis Millers)
Won the award despite his no-show in the playoffs … finished with a .307 average from the leadoff spot, with 127 hits, 23 doubles, 5 triples, 4 HRs, 81 runs and 48 RBIs.

Hickory’s Steve Martin finished second in the voting, while Landis pitcher John Twitty was third. Durham received four of eight first-place votes, while Twitty picked up two.



Pitcher of the Year
John Twitty (Landis Millers)
Only 19 years old, Twitty was the boss in the NCSL this season, receiving all eight first-place votes! Twitty posted a 19-3 record during the regular season and garnered two playoff victories. His final stat line: 44 strikeouts (Ks are low in my save!), 1.81 ERA, opponents batted .221 against him.

Lexington’s Guy Randall (13-5, 2.11 ERA) and Salisbury’s Zachery Gardner (14-7, 2.29 ERA) were the other top three in the voting. Randall is 37 years old and has been playing professional baseball for nearly 18 seasons.

Manager of the Year
Bill Shoemaker (Concord Weavers)
After leading the Weavers to the NCSL championship, the 54-year-old was named the league’s top skipper. Poor Boone Tucker will have to wait another season to try for that award.

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1945 Notable Retirements

When I play long-term dynasties, I always like to check retirees after every season to see the intriguing stories that reside there. Not a whole lot to report on after year one, but here are three retirees that caught my eye:

Charlotte LF Josh Zarb played in one game and had one plate appearance during the Hornets’ run to a regular season title. He made an out. But he made it to the show! A story for the grandkids.

Concord pitcher Tom Holmes made one relief appearance of 2.1 innings, allowed 5 hits, walked 4 batters – and got a win!! And a ring with the Concord Weavers!

Lexington reliever James McAfee pitched in three games, went 1-0 and finished with a career ERA of 0.93 over 9.2 innings. But he'll likely remember more the night he hit a grand slam against the Thomasville Dodgers on Sept. 1. It was one of two hits he had in four at-bats.

OK, that’s all from 1945. On to 1946. Lots of big news coming to the Old North State!

Thanks for following along!

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1946 North Carolina State League – Expansion Announcement!



NCSL to add two teams for 1946

The North Carolina State League calendar rolled into 1946 with news that two new clubs would join the fold! Welcome:

Lenoir Red Sox
Mount Airy Graniteers

This will bring the league to 10 teams, with all eight of the franchises from 1945 returning for another season. Lenoir will play in the 2,500-seat Lenoir High School Park, while Mount Airy will call the compact 1,500-seat Reddick Park its baseball home.

In real life, both Lenoir and Mount Airy played in the four-team Blue Ridge League in 1946, along with the Galax Leafs and Radford Rockets from Virginia. For simplicity’s sake, I figured it best to fold the Red Sox and Graniteers into the North Carolina State League. They fit geographically and should make the league more competitive. Plus, remember my rule – no Virginia teams! And most certainly, none from South Carolina either.

A few interesting facts about the newest North Carolina State League teams:

• Previous Lenoir teams from 1937-40 were known as either the Indians or Reds. The team adopted Red Sox as its nickname after resuming play following the war. But the club never had any affiliation with the Boston Red Sox. In fact, Lenoir retained the Red Sox nickname despite becoming a farm team for the Giants in 1949.
• Mount Airy, located in Surry County on the Virginia border, has the world’s largest open-faced granite quarry, hence the club’s unique nickname.
• Andy Griffith was born in Mount Airy in 1926, and the town would later serve as the inspiration for Mayberry in Griffith’s famous TV series from the 1960s/70s. We’ll have to see if a 20-year-old Griffith shows up to any of the Graniteers games in their debut season.

(Insert theme song for The Andy Griffith Show here…)

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Special Announcement Re: Coastal Plain League



Eastern North Carolina pro circuit set to return!

After going dark for four seasons due to World War II, the Coastal Plain League will relaunch in the spring of 1946. The league – essentially the eastern North Carolina version of the North Carolina State League – will feature eight clubs in its rebirth. Finances will be similar to the NCSL – about 65-70 percent of the flagship Carolina League.

Here are the teams taking the field in the Coastal Plain League in the spring of 1946!

Fayetteville Cubs
Goldsboro Goldbugs
Greenville Greenies
Kinston Eagles
New Bern Bears
Rocky Mount Rocks
Tarboro Tars
Wilson Tobacconists

The league will play with a 124-game schedule, with its top two teams advancing to a best-of-seven championship series.

In real life, the Coastal Plain League became a pro circuit in 1937 after a couple of seasons of semi-pro action. It ran through 1941 before pausing for the war, then resumed in ‘46. (It is now the name of a summer college wood-bat league that stretches from Georgia to Virginia).

Defunct CPL teams that operated during the pre-war era included the Ayden Aces (1937-38), Snow Hill Billies (1937-40 – greatest small-town baseball nickname ever) and Williamston Martins (1937-41). We may see these franchises revived at some point down the line. Boone Tucker might just be intrigued enough to manage a team known as the Hill Billies one day!

There were no repeat champions during the pre-war iteration of the CPL with Snow Hill (1937), New Bern (1938), Williamston (1939), Tarboro (1940) and Wilson (1941) each enjoying single-season title runs. The Tobs posted an eye-catching 87-30 record in ‘41, winning the regular season by an astounding 23.5-game margin over Greenville before the league shut down...

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Special Announcement Re: Tobacco State League



Fourth North Carolina-based baseball league set to debut in 1946

Baseball continued its rapid expansion across the Old North State in 1946, with a fourth professional league bursting onto the scene. The Tobacco State League will debut with six teams and also will be based in the eastern/southeastern part of the state.

Here are the teams playing a 120-game schedule in the inaugural TSL season:

Angier-Fuquay Springs Bulls
Clinton Blues
Dunn-Erwin Twins
Sanford Spinners
Smithfield-Selma Leafs
Wilmington Pirates

If we can compare the Carolina League to modern FBS college football and the Coastal Plain League & North Carolina State League to FCS football, then the Tobacco State League circuit is our version of NCAA D2 football. Cozy ballparks, nickel-and-dime budgets and rowdy small-town fan bases. Finances will be about 25 percent of the Carolina League.

In real life, the Tobacco State League operated as a Class D minor league – the bottom rung of pro baseball. Players competed mostly for love of the game, and none of the six clubs who fielded teams in 1946 were affiliated with a Major League franchise. Of course, none will ever serve as MLB farm teams in our playthrough either.

NOTE: For fun last summer I created a 2025 version of the Tobacco State League, playing out each game of the season (my team won the title!). You can find that dynasty story here: The Tobacco State League - A Summer with the Red Springs Red Robins

We've now got FOUR leagues and 32 teams to keep track of. Should be fun! Thanks for reading along...

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1946 Landis Millers - Preseason Check-In



Randy Winn, the owner of the Landis Millers, got a taste of pennant fever in 1945 and told manager Boone Tucker that he’s in “Win Now!” mode for the 1946 campaign. If you recall, the Millers won the 1945 regular season in the North Carolina State League but stumbled in the championship series to Concord (blah).

Thankfully, most of the 1945 lineup will be back in Landis, including:

• Star pitcher John Twitty,
• MVP centerfielder Phil Durham,
• Left fielder John Meeks
• Second baseman Ross Stokes.

Let’s hope Durham has snapped out of the slump that plagued him in the post-season.

We got an alarming note from our scout, significantly downgrading Twitty’s ratings for “stuff”. It was enough to drop him from a 4.5-star to a 3.5-star player. Yikes. Hoping we didn’t burn him out last season or that something else isn’t wrong.

With that in mind, Boone Tucker spent the off-season trying to find a couple more veteran arms to add to the rotation and bullpen. Here’s the haul:

• LHP Tim Minnis (age 33): 5-4 with 7 saves, 1.94 ERA with Hickory in 1945 – either lower end starter or reliever
• RHP Kevin Meadows (age 25): 6-5 with 17 saves, 3.13 ERA with rival Salisbury. He’ll likely be our main setup guy or stopper-type (they didn’t really use true closers in the 1940s).
• RHP J.D. Melton (age 30): We snatched him from Concord after he led the Weavers with 14 wins in 1945 … He may have played over his head last season because his ratings don’t look great now that it’s 1946 and he’s wearing Landis colors.

Production at the plate lagged from the corner infielders, so Boone added a couple of free agents at those spots as well:

• John Johnson (age 29): The most boringly named first baseman was a reserve for Carolina League champion Burlington last season
• 3B Marc Mayer (age 30): Hit .327 in reserve duty for the Charlotte Hornets

I did the rookie draft before inserting the Tobacco State League and Coastal Plain League into the game. Landis landed some guys who might factor into the rotation right away:

• 22-year-old starting pitcher Dylan Myott (Catawba College) could challenge for the 3 or 4 spot.
• 23-year-old catcher Brian Lacey from Cary might beat out Jeremy Moorhouse for the backup role in year one. He might end up the starter by season’s end. Boone Tucker really likes him – at least his potential (and moxie).

Lots of position battles going into spring. Several guys aren't going to be happy ending up on the reserve roster

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1946 Preseason Predictions & Notebook

Here is how the OOTP pundits see this year’s league races shaping up (projected win-loss records included):



Carolina League
Winston-Salem Cardinals 80-58
Raleigh Capitals 76-62
Greensboro Patriots 69-69
Burlington Bees 69-70
Durham Bulls 68-71
Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets 58-71
Asheville Tourists 64-75
Charlotte Hornets 60-78

Wow, last year’s regular season champs (Hornets) picked to drop off the face of the earth! There was a lot of player movement in the off-season in Charlotte so who knows. Preseason players of the year (looking at the projected top 10 hitters/pitchers): Greensboro CF Mario Lopez and new Winston-Salem pitcher Adam “Bird Dog” Parrish, a flame-throwing right-hander who just showed up to the Old North State this season.

Notes: Winston-Salem has adopted “Cardinals” as its nickname for the 1946 season. The club had been the Twins in 1945. (This matches the club’s real nickname during this early post-war era).




North Carolina State League
Concord Weavers 72-42
Lexington A’s 67-47
Hickory Rebels 65-49
Mount Airy Graniteers 60-54
Mooresville Moors 59-55
Statesville Cubs 55-59
Landis Millers 52-62
Thomasville Dodgers 49-65
Lenoir Red Sox 47-67
Salisbury Pirates 46-68

Concord looks loaded and ready to defend its title (I still have nightmares about how CF Nate Pfau battered our pitching staff in the playoffs). Newcomer Mount Airy picked among contenders. Preseason players of the year include Statesville 1B Eddie Schmidt and Concord pitcher Steve Allen. Absolutely no love for Landis pitcher John Twitty, who was left off the preseason Top 10 hurlers list after winning MVP last season. Yikes. Landis CF Phil Durham was voted third-beset among hitters.




Coastal Plain League
Greenville Greenies 70-54
Goldsboro Goldbugs 69-55
Kinston Eagles 64-60
Fayetteville Cubs 63-61
Rocky Mount Rocks 62-62
New Bern Bears 58-66
Tarboro Tars 55-69
Wilson Tobs 55-69

So, the last team to win the Coastal Plain League, Wilson, is picked to finish last in the 1946 relaunch. Greenville features three pitchers listed in the preseason top 10, but projected pitching MVP is Goldsboro’s Matt Wood. The 35-year-old is well-traveled already, playing for Mooresville and Durham in 1945 (with a 5-10 overall record??). Batting MVP is projected to be Tarboro 1B Brad Molnar, who spent time with Salisbury and Leaksville-Draper-Spray in 1945 (.269 average).




Tobacco State League
Clinton Blues 70-50
Wilmington Pirates 68-52
Dunn-Erwin Twins 66-54
Smithfield-Selma Leafs 65-55
Angier-Fuquay Springs Bulls 55-65
Sanford Spinners 38-82

Not sure what is going on in Sanford, but they could be bums in their first season (the real Sanford team was one of the top teams in the Tobacco State League – go figure). Your preseason MVPs for the TSL: Wilmington OF Jesse Winchell (age 25) and Dunn-Erwin pitcher Brian Zilliox (also age 25).

Though the leagues aren’t playing the same number of games, I have set the Trading Deadline for each as July 15 and Roster Expansion as August 15. The regular season ends for each circuit around the same time in mid-September.

Plans are still being worked out for a possible Champions playoff featuring the playoff series champs of each of the four leagues.

OK, on to the 1946 season!

(Fade out to Appalachian bluegrass music…)

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1946 Landis Millers – Opening Day

The Landis Millers, fresh off a regular season title in the North Carolina State League, prepared to open the new season against the Mooresville Moors on Wednesday, May 15, 1946.

Here’s the Opening Day lineup card Boone Tucker presented to umpires beforehand. A lot of names on here that were on the 1945 opening day card:

1. SS Eric Gossett: Solid defense, decent speed
2. 2B Ross Stokes: Contact machine, veteran leadership
3. CF Phil Durham: Reigning NCSL MVP, expecting BIG things
4. RF Sergio Garcia: Emerging outfield threat
5. 3B Joe Hayes: Still trying to find his way
6. LF John Meeks: 1945 NCSL batting champ
7. 1B Bruce Elliott: 40 years old but can still hit the dang ball!
8. C Brandon Windstein: Waiting for him to seize this position (and for his bat to wake up)
9. P John Twitty: 19-3 in 1945, pitcher of the year ready for an encore

Let’s go. It’s Millers Time!

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1946 Landis Millers – Opening Day Spoiled!



Landis blanked in season opener

Alas, Opening Day was a dud for the homestanding Millers. Mooresville roughed up MVP pitcher John Twitty, and the Moors scored a 5-0 shutout in front of about 2,200 fans at Landis High School Park.

Mooresville pitcher Chris Jones stole the show, throwing a four-hitter over eight innings. The top six in the Landis batting order went a combined 2-for-17. Ugg.

Landis owner Randy Winn was not happy. He invited a whole entourage to the game to show off his “Win Now!” championship squad. He wants to hang a banner in 1946. The Millers crapped out, though, stranding 10 runners, including four in scoring position, on what proved a stormy spring day in western NC.

Around the rest of the North Carolina State League on Opening Day:

• Reigning champion Concord toppled Thomasville 8-1
• New teams flexing: Lenoir 11, Lexington 3 … Mount Airy 8, Statesville 0
• Hickory at Salisbury - rained out (I love that the game has this feature)

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North Carolina State League Check-In | June 3, 1946

Things went from bad to worse for the Landis Millers after opening day. The club lost two of three from Mooresville, then got swept by newcomer Lenoir in three straight. By June 3, Landis owned a 4-14 record.

Panic was starting to set in. Owner Randy Winn was spending more time around the park trying to pry into what was going wrong and how to fix it. Players kept pulling Boone Tucker aside promising they could help things if only given the chance.

Meanwhile, Concord was off to a roaring start at 14-5. Thomasville (12-7) and Hickory (11-8) were just a few games back.

Landis’ season looked lost before the sweltering heat and humidity of North Carolina’s summer had even arrived…

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Checking in with the Landis Millers | July 1, 1946

Trying to shake things up and spark a lackluster offense, Landis manager Boone Tucker (yours truly) made a controversial trade.

As the calendar rolled into July, Tucker shipped 20-year-old starting left fielder John Meeks off to the Lenoir Red Sox. In return, the Millers received 27-year-old LF Kymani Moses. I say controversial because Meeks was the 1945 North Carolina State League batting champ (.315, 75 RBIs), who was hitting .302 during the first part of 1946. Moses' batting average was several clicks below .300 and he actually had fewer RBIs at that point of the season.

As it turns out, Tucker (yours truly) had built the Landis roster full of table-setters – pure vanilla contact guys who might not strike out much but who didn't erupt for big innings very much either. The Millers needed some pop at the plate, some dudes who could put the ball into gaps and create rallies & crooked scores. Not go single, single, weak out, weak out, weak out, end of inning.

Moses looks streaky and his defense is suspect at best. But his gap power (102/100) and power (66/100) – along with his speed and base-running aggressiveness – were just too inviting not to roll the dice on. When Lenoir offered him to us – about the only player worth taking a second look at in trade negotiations – I jumped. We needed a spark, and players like Meeks, while we’ll miss him, are a dime-a-dozen...

* * *

I was excited and immediately put Moses into the clean-up spot in his first game with the Millers the evening of July 1 … and Landis promptly lost 1-0 to Thomasville.

Moses finished 0-for-4. And star pitcher John Twitty dropped to 1-7. The same John Twitty who was 19-3 in 1945 with a sub 2.00 ERA. His ERA was closer to 4.00 after this game.

Did I make a mistake?

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Another check-in with the Landis Millers | Summer 1946

Landis lost the second game after the trade as well. But then something started to shift. Our new left fielder Kymani Moses began to get comfortable in his new surroundings. And he started showing the pop he was brought to Landis to provide.

By July 21, the Millers had clawed all the way back to .500 (31-31). They still trailed defending champ Concord by eight games but they were gaining on the other contenders. Eventually, the Landis win streak reached 12. Then 13. Then 14! Finally it was broken by the Mount Airy Graniteers.

But the damage had been done. Landis was back in the race and feeling pretty good, trailing Concord by 7 and second-place Hickory by 3. Fans were packing Landis High School Park again, and even owner Randy Winn started to see the wisdom of the trade he initially hated.

Can the Millers make another run to the post-season?

Editor’s note: Moses is my new favorite player – hitting .356 since he put on the Landis uni, with six triples, 2 doubles and 12 RBIs. At last, offense! … And he’s lifting the other guys … Ross Stokes, Joe Hayes also hitting .300+ with increasing RBI production … nice!!

More NOTES: As of July 22, 1946: The Asheville Tourists lead the Carolina League with a 45-37 record, while Greensboro, Charlotte, Burlington are each 1 game back and Raleigh is 4 back. Tight race! Durham’s David Silka had a 26-game hitting streak earlier in the season … then got traded to Clinton! Baseball in NC, baby.

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1946 Carolina League – Regular Season Recap



Asheville surges to its first Carolina League regular season championship

Final Standings
Asheville Tourists 78-60
Greensboro Patriots 73-65
Winston-Salem Cardinals 71-67
Raleigh Capitals 71-67
Burlington Bees 69-69
Charlotte Hornets 67-71
Durham Bulls 67-71
Leaksville-Draper-Spray 56-82

For awhile during the summer it looked like we might have a repeat in the Carolina League playoffs: Charlotte and Burlington, who finished 1-2 in 1945, led the standings and looked prime to fend off all challengers. But both the Hornets and Bees stumbled down the stretch – Burlington suffered through a 12-game losing skid to end August – and new teams ascended to the top.

Justin Pearson won 16 games, and the Asheville Tourists claimed the regular season crown – five full games ahead of Greensboro.

The Tourists were a strange title team – minus-4 in run differential and +9 compared to their Pythagorean expectation. Asheville won the close games (24-15) and went 41-28 at home. They led the league in a number of pitching categories, which made up for some hitting deficiencies. Second baseman Dean Goodart led the Asheville offense with a .323 average and 83 RBIs.

Greensboro was much more offensive – leading the Carolina League in average, runs scored, home runs, on-base percentage and more. The Patriots’ run differential was +83. First baseman Ricardo Alvarez hit 17 home runs (2nd in the league) with 103 RBIs (1st). Mario Lopez stole 55 bases. Greensboro could be a tough out in the playoffs, especially if the bats stay hot.

The only other team on the minus-side of run differential was the struggling Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets. The Tri-City team finished 56-82 and was 22 games back. The Triplets were an astounding -187 in run differential. Yikes. They have certainly been outmatched in the Carolina League so far…

1946 Carolina League Leaderboard
Batting Champ: Keith Jennings (Charlotte) – .333
Home Runs: Nick Kravetz (Leaksville-Draper-Spray) – 22
RBIs: Ricardo Alvarez (Greensboro) – 103
Stolen Bases: Kyle Doyle (Winston-Salem) – 61
Wins: Chris Kellum (Charlotte) – 17
ERA: Jay Geyer (Burlington) – 2.71
Ks: David Ruf (Raleigh) – 96
Saves: Jake Carney (Asheville) – 20

Who you got in the playoffs (best of seven), Tourists or Patriots?

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1946 North Carolina State League – Regular Season Recap



Concord weaves NCSL regular season title

Final Standings
Concord Weavers 71-43
Hickory Rebels 67-47
Mount Airy Graniteers 58-56
Landis Millers 56-58
Salisbury Pirates 56-58
Lexington A's 55-59
Statesville Cubs 54-60
Thomasville Dodgers 53-61
Mooresville Moors 51-63
Lenoir Red Sox 49-65

The Concord Weavers are cementing themselves as the team to beat in the newly revived North Carolina State League. The 1945 playoff champions backed that up with a regular season title in 1946.

Concord’s top three starting pitchers had sub-3.00 ERAs

• Steve Allen: 15-6, 2.28
• Chris Foster: 14-6, 2.70
• Bobby Gebhart: 14-8, 2.92
• Tim Carlsen (closer): 20 saves, 2.20 ERA

The Weavers spread the wealth around on offense, with OF Brian Black (.309, 74 RBIs), 3B Joe Kimes (.313, 58 RBIs) and OF Eddie Bishop (.367) leading the way. OF Nate Pfau, who battered Landis in the 1945 playoffs, had another solid season with a .301 average and 33 RBIs from the No. 2 spot.

Hickory surged from fifth to second place in year two of the NCSL. Steve Martin hit 14 home runs (2nd) and stole 37 bases (1st). Pitchers Tom Rutherford (2.46 ERA) and Jon Hall (2.68) powered the Rebels from the mound.


Not Quite Miller Time

Alas, the Landis Millers’ stampede back up the North Carolina State League standings stalled in late July, and manager Boone Tucker’s team had to settle for a fourth-place showing, tied with Rowan County rival Salisbury.

The trade for Kymani Moses proved to be a boon for the Millers, though, and changed Boone Tucker’s approach going forward. Moses ended up with a .313 average wearing a Landis uniform, stroking seven homers, 10 triples. 19 doubles and finishing with 55 RBIs in 68 games with the Millers. He was just what we needed. But other stars from 1945 proved less reliable.

Outfielder Phil Durham, the 1945 NCSL MVP, scuffled at the plate (.230 average). He was a disruptor when he could get on base, but he really struggled with the bat. Pitcher John Twitty, who went 19-3 in 1945, only won eight games (10 losses) and his ERA jumped from 1.81 to 3.53.

Injuries hurt us down the stretch. We lost starting catcher Brandon Windstein and pitcher Vincente Carrillo for extended time. Carrillo had been the steadiest arm (2.77 ERA).

The biggest disappointment had to be pitcher Abraham Urbano. Our coaches loved him because he really took over team leadership responsibilities and held the dugout together. But, man, he was a liability in a lot of ways on the mound (5-9, 4.67 ERA, .315 BABIP, 4.0 BB/9).

1946 North Carolina State League Leaderboard
Batting Champ: Ross Stokes (Landis) – .333
Home Runs: Brian Woods (Mount Airy) – 15
RBIs: Josh Salvatore (Statesville) – 85
Stolen Bases: Steve Martin (Hickory) – 39
Wins: Steve Allen (Concord) – 15
ERA: Steve Allen (Concord) – 2.28
Ks: Jon Hall (Hickory) – 67
Saves: Tim Carlsen (Concord) – 20

Editor’s Note: I am laughing at all these celebrity names in this dynasty: Steve Martin, Steve Allen, Mario Lopez (Saved by the Bell!!), Mike Brady, etc.

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1946 Coastal Plain League – Regular Season Recap



Greenville dominates return of Coastal Plain League

Final Standings
Greenville Greenies 77-47
Kinston Eagles 68-56
Goldsboro Goldbugs 66-58
Wilson Tobs 65-59
Rocky Mount Rocks 62-62
Tarboro Tars 57-67
Fayetteville Cubs 54-70
New Bern Bears 47-77

Greenville carried the heaviest bats in the Coastal Plain League in its first season back in action, leading in most categories:

• Runs scored – 1st (487)
• Batting average – 1st (.257)
• OPS – 1st (.670)
• Batting WAR – 1st (29.4)
• Home runs - 1st (48)

The Greenies also were strong defensively:

• Starters ERA – 1st (2.19)
• Bullpen ERA – 3rd (2.31)
• Defensive efficiency – 1st (.734)
• Errors – 1st (133)
• Pitcher Jerry Hedrick – 17-4 record, 1.20 ERA, ZERO home runs allowed

Kinston fended off Goldsboro and Wilson to earn the other spot in the CPL championship series. Where Greenville was first in defensive categories, Kinston often was second. No outstanding players, just great team ball…

1946 Coastal Plain League Leaderboard
Batting Champ: Adam McNabb (Rocky Mount) – .318
Home Runs: Aaron Planchon (Wilson) – 10
RBIs: Dan Brown (Goldsboro) – 62
Stolen Bases: Larry Douglas (Rocky Mount) – 50
Wins: Jerry Hedrick (Greenville) – 17
ERA: Jerry Hedrick (Greenville) – 1.20
Ks: Ray Torrez (Rocky Mount) – 138
Saves: Chris Erickson (Tarboro) – 20

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1946 Tobacco State League – Regular Season Recap



Pirates plunder first Tobacco State regular season crown

Final Standings
Wilmington Pirates 66-54
Dunn-Erwin Twins 64-56
Sanford Spinners 61-59
Smithfield-Selma Leafs 58-62
Angier-Fuquay Springs Bulls 57-63
Clinton Blues 54-66

The upstart Tobacco State League was a little more wide open than the rest of North Carolina baseball, featuring more home runs and strike outs than the other leagues.

Wilmington and Dunn-Erwin had the heaviest hitters. The Pirates featured a murderer’s row with Shane Moore (.318), Jesse Winchell (.294) and Chris Roloson (.311), who combined for 30 homers and 174 RBIs. Winchell also stole 52 bases. Dunn-Erwin featured the 1-2 punch of Jim Bogle (28 homers with 94 RBIs) and Marten Lennon (20 HRs, 80 RBIs).

The championship series could be explosive (at least for 1940s baseball, which in my universe is pretty light on homers).

1946 Tobacco State League Leaderboard
Batting Champ: Craig Hulshizer (Angier-Fuquay Springs) – .334
Home Runs: Jim Bogle (Dunn-Erwin) – 28 (!!)
RBIs: Jim Bogle (Dunn-Erwin) – 94
Stolen Bases: Jesse Winchell (Wilmington) – 52
Wins: Pat Clark (Clinton) & Brian Zilliox (Dunn-Erwin) – 15
ERA: Jamie Robertson (Wilmington) – 2.62
Ks: Mike Minette (Wilmington) – 85
Saves: Tommy Figueroa (Sanford) – 20

Two players hit for the cycle in the Tobacco State League in 1946: Clinton CF Sean Soto (May 23 vs. Sanford) and Sanford CF Jason Brooks (July 2 vs Dunn-Erwin)

OK, on to the playoffs!

[AZTarHeel]

1946 Carolina League – Playoff Recap



Patriotic finish: Greensboro rallies from 3-1 deficit to win 1946 title

Game 1: Asheville 18, Greensboro 10
Game 2: Asheville 6, Greensboro 0
Game 3: Greensboro 13, Asheville 5
Game 4: Asheville 7, Greensboro 1
Game 5: Greensboro 1, Asheville 0
Game 6: Greensboro 7, Asheville 4
Game 7: Greensboro 3, Asheville 2 (10 innings)

Greensboro looked battered and bruised after falling behind 3-1 to the Tourists but then reeled off three in a row to capture the second Carolina League title. In the deciding game, Mario Lopez got aboard in the top of the 10th, and Ricardo Alvarez brought him home with a sac fly for the winning run.

Lopez was voted series MVP after his 3-for-5 performance in the finale and .577 average through the seven games. The Patriots were Saved by the Bats and one of their star players! Jessie Spano would approve.


Carolina League Post-Season Awards List

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
1945 – LF Ryan Diddle (Charlotte)
1946 – RF Glenn Linkous (Raleigh)

PITCHER OF THE YEAR
1945 – SP Chris Jones (Raleigh)
1946 – SP Justin Pearson (Asheville)

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
1945 – n/a
1946 – CF Bart Allen (Winston-Salem)

MANAGER OF THE YEAR
1945 – William Mondragon (Charlotte)
1946 – Aaron Roberto (Greensboro)

NOTES
Linkous hit .327 with 91 RBIs and scored 99 runs ... Pearson was 16-7 with a 3.09 ERA ... Allen burst onto the scene with 116 hits and 63 RBIs.