| Mississippi–Ohio Valley League | |
| Formerly: | Illinois State League |
| Sport: | Minor League Baseball |
| President: | Dutch Hoffman (1949–1955) |
| Inaugural: | 1949 |
| Teams: | 23 |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Continent: | or |
| Continents: | --> |
| Folded: | 1955 |
| Most Champs: | 2 Danville Dans (1951, 1954) Decatur Commodores (1952–1953) |
| Classification: | Class D (1949–1955) |
| Related Comps: | Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League |
The Mississippi–Ohio Valley League was a Class D level American minor league baseball league. Evolving from the renamed Illinois State League (1947-1948), the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League operated for seven seasons, from 1949 through 1955.[1] In 1956 the league was renamed the Midwest League, which still exists today.[2]
In 1947, the Illinois State League was formed. Charter franchises were in the Illinois cities of Belleville, Centralia, Marion, Mattoon, Mount Vernon and West Frankfort.[3] After the 1948 season, the Marion Indians moved out of Illinois to Kentucky. This necessitated a name change for the league.
The league changed names in 1949 to the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League. The league incorporated the new Paducah Chiefs and the five former Illinois State League teams, the Belleville Stags, Centralia Cubs, Mattoon Indians, Mount Vernon Kings, and West Frankfort Cardinals as 1949 charter members.[3] [4]
In 1950, a Springfield, Illinois franchise left the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League, the join the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League. The Mississippi–Ohio Valley League added expansion teams in the Paris Lakers and Vincennes Velvets. The Belleville franchise folded.[5] There was more movement in 1951, as the Springfield Giants and West Frankfort Cardinals both folded and the Paducah Chiefs left to join the Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League. The league played 1951 with six teams, as Danville Dans joined from the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League.[6] [3]
In 1952, the league again expanded to eight teams, adding the Commodores in Decatur, Illinois and Cardinals in Hannibal, Missouri, while Vincennes relocated to Canton, Ohio.[7] [3] In 1953, the Canton and Centralia franchises both folded and the league returned to six teams.[8] [3] There was expansion again in 1954, as two Iowa teams, the Clinton Pirates and Dubuque Packers returned the league to eight members.[3] [9]
In the final season of the league, the Danville Dans moved to Kokomo, Indiana and became the Kokomo Giants and Mount Vernon moved to Lafayette, Indiana as the Lafayette Red Sox. Following the 1955 season, Hannibal moved to become the Michigan City White Caps, joining Kokomo, Lafayette, Clinton, Dubuque, Decatur, Mattoon and Paris in the renamed Midwest League.[10] [11] The Midwest League still exists today, with 16 teams.[12]
Belleville Stags 1949, moved from Illinois State League 1947–1948
Canton Citizens 1952
Centralia Cubs 1949, moved from Illinois State League 1947–1948; Centralia Sterlings 1950; Centralia Zeros 1951–1952
Clinton Pirates 1954–1955, moved to Midwest League 1956–1959
Danville Dans 1951–1954
Decatur Commies 1952–1955, moved to Midwest League 1956–1974
Dubuque Packers 1954–1955, moved to Midwest League 1956–1967
Hannibal Stags 1952; Hannibal Cardinals 1953–1954; Hannibal Citizens 1955
Kokomo Giants 1955
Lafayette Chiefs 1955
Mattoon Indians 1949–1954, moved from Illinois State League 1947–1948; Mattoon Phillies 1955, moved to Midwest League 1956
Mount Vernon Kings 1949–1954
Paducah Chiefs 1949–1950, moved to Kitty League 1951–1955
Paris Lakers 1950–1955, moved to Midwest League 1956–1959
Springfield Giants 1950
Vincennes Citizens 1950; Vincennes Velvets 1951–1952
West Frankfort Cardinals 1949–1950, moved from Illinois State League 1947–1948
1949 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League
| Team name | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centralia Cubs | 74 | 44 | .627 | – | 35,000 | Lou Bekeza | |
| West Frankfort Cardinals | 71 | 49 | .592 | 4.0 | 24,140 | Robert Stanton | |
| Mattoon Indians | 62 | 56 | .525 | 12.0 | 38,325 | ||
| Paducah Chiefs | 54 | 65 | .454 | 20.5 | 54,859 | ||
| Mt. Vernon Kings | 53 | 67 | .442 | 22.0 | 36,240 | ||
| Belleville Stags | 43 | 76 | .361 | 31.5 | 13,500 | Les Mueller / Joe Yurkovich / Addie Nesbit / Bunny Mick |
| Bunny Mick | Belleville | BA | .354 | Joseph Prucha | Centralia | W | 19 | |
| Ev Joyner | West Frankfort | Hits | 170 | Joseph Mattis | Mattoon | SO | 166 | |
| Richard Martz | Paducah | RBI | 100 | Dick Loeser | West Frankfort | ERA | 2.22 | |
| Arthur Oliver | Paducah | HR | 17 | Dick Loeser | West Frankfort | PCT | .857 12–2 | |
| Ev Joyner | West Frankfort | Runs | 104 |
| Team name | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centralia Sterlings | 83 | 40 | .675 | – | 35,767 | Lou Bekeza | |
| West Frankfort | 72 | 47 | .605 | 9.0 | 20,910 | Robert Stanton | |
| Mattoon Indians | 71 | 47 | .602 | 9.5 | 27,982 | ||
| Paducah Chiefs | 67 | 55 | .549 | 15.5 | 47,297 | Walter DeFreitas | |
| Springfield Giants | 60 | 59 | .504 | 21.0 | 21,126 | Ham Schulte / Von Price | |
| Paris Lakers | 43 | 75 | .364 | 37.5 | 24,089 | Earl Skaggs / Von Price /John Morris | |
| Vincennes Citizens | 43 | 76 | .361 | 38.0 | 18,977 | Melvin Ivy / Andy E. Smith | |
| Mt. Vernon Kings | 37 | 77 | .325 | 41.5 | 28,431 | Benny Meyer / Robert Schlemmer |
| James Belz | West Frankfort | BA | .349 | Gene Pisarski | Centralia | W | 22 | |
| James Belz | West Frankfort | Hits | 154 | William Ecklund | Centralia | SO | 174 | |
| Lou Bekeza | Centralia | RBI | 120 | Gene Pisarski | Centralia | ERA | 2.06 | |
| Kenneth Dickens | Vincennes | HR | 21 | Gene Pisarski | Centralia | PCT | .880 22–3 | |
| James Belz | West Frankfort | Runs | 133 |
| Team name | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris Lakers | 84 | 36 | .700 | – | 51,331 | ||
| Centralia Zeroes | 69 | 51 | .575 | 15.0 | 38,554 | Lou Bekeza | |
| Mt. Vernon Kings | 60 | 59 | .504 | 23.5 | 39,665 | Chuck Hawley / Charles Popovich | |
| Danville Dans | 51 | 67 | .432 | 32.0 | 24,775 | Frank Piet / Everett Hall | |
| Mattoon Indians | 49 | 69 | .415 | 34.0 | 28,442 | Melvin Ivy | |
| Vincennes Velvets | 43 | 74 | .368 | 39.5 | 25,652 | Stormy Kromer / Robert Signaigo |
| Clint McCord | Paris | BA | .363 | Lee Tunnison | Centralia | W | 20 | |
| Clint McCord | Paris | Hits | 173 | Lee Tunnison | Centralia | SO | 170 | |
| James Given | Mt. Vernon | RBI | 119 | Lee Tunnison | Centralia | ERA | 3.12 | |
| Clint McCord | Paris | HR | 16 | Fred Williams | Paris | PCT | .789 15–4 | |
| Clint McCord | Paris | Runs | 132 | |||||
| Lou Bekeza | Centralia | HR | 16 |
| Team name | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danville Dans | 87 | 40 | .685 | – | 75,898 | Virl Minnis | |
| Paris Lakers | 85 | 42 | .669 | 2.0 | 36,606 | ||
| Decatur Commodores | 73 | 52 | .584 | 13.0 | 94,300 | ||
| Hannibal Stags | 70 | 57 | .551 | 17.0 | 36,616 | Walter DeFreitas | |
| Mt. Vernon Kings | 55 | 67 | .451 | 29.5 | 34,752 | James Granneman / Stanley Sadich / Frank Brookman | |
| Vincennes Velvets / Canton Citizens | 54 | 70 | .435 | 31.5 | 25,654 | Chuck Hawley / Robert Sisk | |
| Centralia Zeroes | 41 | 83 | .331 | 44.5 | 28,755 | Charles Starasta / John Streza | |
| Mattoon Indians | 35 | 89 | .282 | 50.5 | 49,316 | Walter Dunkovich / Charles Popovich / Robert Carson |
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | +Player statistics | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clint McCord | Paris | BA | .392 | Ken Gohn | Danville | W | 22 | ||
| Clint McCord | Paris | Hits | 189 | Amacio Ferro | Hannibal | SO | 183 | ||
| Jim Zapp | Paris | RBI | 136 | Ken Gohn | Danville | ERA | 1.58 | ||
| Jim Zapp | Paris | HR | 20 | James Agnew | Danville | PCT | .889 16–2 | ||
| Paris | Runs | 124 |
| Team name | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decatur Commodores | 68 | 50 | .576 | – | 96,337 | Ray Taylor | |
| Paris Lakers | 66 | 53 | .555 | 2.5 | 35,000 | ||
| Mattoon Phillies | 64 | 56 | .533 | 5.0 | 61,000 | James Deery | |
| Hannibal Cardinals | 55 | 62 | .470 | 12.5 | 35,200 | Tince Leonard | |
| Mt. Vernon Kings | 55 | 64 | .462 | 13.5 | 31,600 | Robert Schmidt | |
| Danville Dans | 48 | 71 | .403 | 20.5 | 62,700 | Virl Minnis |
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | +Player statistics | Robert Schmidt | Mt. Vernon | BA | .358 | Juan Garcia Tince Leonard | Decatur Hannibal | W | 18 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Partin | Danville | Hits | 167 | Dennis Hamilton | Mattoon | SO | 195 | |||||||||||
| James Freeman | Decatur | RBI | 106 | William Bright | Mattoon | ERA | 2.51 | |||||||||||
| Kenneth Payne | Paris | HR | 16 | Michael Rolls | Mt. Vernon | PCT | .824 14–3 | |||||||||||
| Gonzalo Chenard | Decatur | Runs | 105 |
| Team name | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decatur Commodores | 74 | 52 | .587 | – | 38,776 | ||
| Danville Dans | 66 | 59 | .528 | 7.5 | 39,992 | Richard Klaus | |
| Clinton Pirates | 63 | 59 | .516 | 9.0 | 74,768 | Robert Clark | |
| Dubuque Packers | 62 | 61 | .504 | 10.5 | 65,993 | ||
| Mattoon Phillies | 62 | 64 | .492 | 12.0 | 48,422 | ||
| Paris Lakers | 58 | 68 | .460 | 16.0 | 39,103 | ||
| Hannibal Cardinals | 58 | 68 | .460 | 16.0 | 33,065 | J.C. Dunn | |
| Mt. Vernon Kings | 57 | 69 | .452 | 17.0 | 27,584 | Lou Bekeza |
| Johnny Lucadello | Decatur | BA | .362 | John Bumgarner | Decatur | W | 22 | |
| Leon Wagner | Danville | Hits | 160 | David Jiminez | Clinton | SO | 249 | |
| Robert Schmidt | Paris | RBI | 125 | John Bumgarner | Decatur | ERA | 2.67 | |
| J.C. Dunn | Hannibal | HR | 26 | David Jimenez | Clinton | PCT | .769 20–6 | |
| Danville | Runs | 108 |
| Team name | W | L | PCT | GB | Attend | Managers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubuque Packers | 74 | 52 | .587 | – | 94,925 | ||
| Mattoon Phillies | 68 | 57 | .544 | 5.5 | 51,277 | Burl Storie | |
| Clinton Pirates | 68 | 57 | .544 | 5.5 | 57,683 | Robert Clark | |
| Kokomo Giants | 64 | 62 | .508 | 10 | 45,289 | Walt Dixon / Jack Milaskey | |
| Lafayette Chiefs | 63 | 63 | .500 | 11 | 61,287 | Mark Wylie | |
| Decatur Commodores | 62 | 64 | .492 | 12 | 54,260 | ||
| Paris Lakers | 62 | 64 | .492 | 12 | 30,245 | Richard Rigazio | |
| Hannibal Citizens | 42 | 84 | .333 | 32 | 40,977 | James Granneman / Allan Shinn |
| Orlando Cepeda | Kokomo | BA | .393 | Allen Evans | Kokomo | W | 21 | |
| Jimmy Lynn | Dubuque | Hits | 180 | Benjamin Rich | Clinton | SO | 199 | |
| Jimmy Lynn | Dubuque | RBI | 121 | Dave Wegerek | Lafayette | ERA | 2.59 | |
| Walt Dixon | Kokomo | HR | 24 | Glen Rosenbaum | Dubuque | PCT | .833 15–3 | |
| Jimmy Lynn | Dubuque | Runs | 121 |
Hannibal folded and all other teams from the league became charter members of the newly named, Class D level Midwest League and the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League folded.[13] [12]