The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wooden bats, its season runs from June through August. The league is part of Major League Baseball and USA Baseball's Prospect Development Pipeline.
The Salem Red Sox are a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB), based in Salem, an independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia. The team competes at the Single-A level in the Carolina League. Home games are played at Carilion Clinic Field at Salem Memorial Ballpark, a 6,300-seat facility opened in 1995.
The Covington Astros were a minor league baseball team that played from 1967 to 1976 in the Appalachian League. Affiliated with the Houston Astros, they were located in Covington, Virginia. They played their home games at Casey Field. In 1966, the team played as the Covington Red Sox and were a farm team of the Boston Red Sox.
The Roanoke Red Sox was a primary name of the minor league baseball teams based in Roanoke, Virginia. Between 1894 and 1953, Roanoke teams played as members of the Virginia League and Piedmont League (1943–1953), winning five league championships and one pennant. Roanoke teams were a minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians in 1940 and Boston Red Sox from 1943 to 1953. Baseball Hall of Fame members Jack Chesbro (1896) and Heinie Manush (1943) played for Roanoke.
The Willows Cardinals were a minor league baseball team based in Willows, California. From 1948 to 1950, the Cardinals played as exclusively as members of the Class D level Far West League as a St. Louis Cardinals minor league affiliate. Willows hosted home minor league games at Ajax Field.
The Seaford Eagles were a minor league baseball team based in Seaford, Delaware. The Eagles played from 1946 to 1949 as charter members of the Class D level Eastern Shore League, ending play when the league permanently folded. The Eagles were minor league affiliates of the New York Giants in 1947 and 1948 and the Philadelphia Phillies in 1949, playing home games at the Seaford Ball Park. The Seaford Eagles won the 1947 Eastern Shore League championship.
Casey Field & Boodie Albert Stadium is a Multi-purpose stadium located in Covington, Virginia. Games were first played there in 1962 and it is primarily the home of the Covington Lumberjacks of the Valley Baseball League. The park served as the home of the Covington Red Sox in 1967 and the Covington Astros from 1968 to 1976, both members of the Appalachian League.
The Rock Hill Chiefs was a primary name of the minor league baseball teams based in Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA between 1908 and 1968. Rock Hill teams played as members of the South Carolina League (1908), Tri-State League (1947–1955) and Western Carolinas League (1963–1968).
The New River Rebels were a minor league baseball team representing Narrows, Virginia and Pearisburg, Virginia. From 1946 to 1950, the New River Rebels played as a member of the Class D level Appalachian League, winning league championships in 1946 and 1947. New River hosted home minor league games at Ragsdale Field in Narrows. The New River Rebels were a minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox in 1946.
The Pennington Gap Miners was the final moniker of minor league baseball teams representing Pennington Gap, Virginia. Between 1937 and 1951, Pennington Gap teams played as members of the Class D level Appalachian League from 1937 to 1940 and the Mountain States League from 1948 to 1951, winning the 1937 league championship. The team was initially called the "Bears." Pennington Gap was a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Browns from 1938 to 1940. Pennington Gap teams played home minor league games at Leeman Field.
The Fremont Reds were a minor league baseball team based in Fremont, Ohio. From 1936 to 1941, Fremont teams played as members of the Class D level Ohio State League, winning two league championships. The Fremont Reds were an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds from 1936 to 1938, before playing from 1939 to 1941 as the Fremont "Green Sox." The Fremont Reds and Green Sox teams hosted home minor league games at Anderson Field, which is still in use today.
The Northampton Red Sox were a minor league baseball team based in Cape Charles, Virginia, which lies within Northampton County, Virginia. In 1927 and 1928, the Northampton Red Sox played exclusively as members of the Class D level Eastern Shore League, winning the 1928 league championship. The Red Sox hosted minor league home games at Patton Field. The team nickname was in reference to their uniforms.
The Lenoir Red Sox were a minor league baseball team based in Lenoir, North Carolina. Between 1937 and 1951, Lenoir teams played as members of the 1937 and 1938 Carolina League, 1939 and 1940 Tar Heel League, 1946 and 1947 Blue Ridge League and the Western Carolina League from 1948 to 1951, winning three league championships. Lenoir teams hosted home minor league games at the Lenoir High School Field.
The Covington Papermakers were a minor league baseball team based in Covington, Virginia in 1914. The Covington Papermakers played as charter members of the short–lived Class D level Virginia Mountain League, winning the league championship in a shortened season. The Papermakers were succeeded in Covington minor league baseball by the 1966 Covington Red Sox.
The Clifton Forge Railroaders were a minor league baseball team based in Clifton Forge, Virginia. In 1914, the Clifton Forge Railroaders played as charter members of the short–lived Class D level Virginia Mountain League, winning a "Championship Series" after the league had folded.
The Charlottesville Tuckahoes were a minor league baseball team based in Charlottesville, Virginia. In 1914, the Tuckahoes played as charter members of the short–lived Class D level Virginia Mountain League, winning the second–half title in the league.
The Staunton Presidents were a minor league baseball team based in Staunton, Virginia. Staunton teams played partial seasons in the 1894 Virginia League and 1914 Virginia Mountain League before the Presidents played as members the Virginia League from 1939 to 1942. The Presidents hosted home minor league games at Municipal Stadium. Staunton's use of the "Presidents" nickname corresponded to the city being the birthplace of President Woodrow Wilson.
Minor league baseball teams with varying nicknames were based in Middlesboro, Kentucky in various seasons between 1913 and 1963. Middlesboro teams played as members of the Appalachian League in 1913 and 1914, the Mountain States League from 1949 to 1954 and Appalachian League from 1961 to 1963, winning league championships in 1914, 1954 and 1961. Middlesboro teams were a minor league affiliate of the Washington Senators from 1961 to 1962 and both the Chicago Cubs & Chicago White Sox in 1963. Beginning in 1949, Middlesboro hosted minor league home games at the Hilltop Speedway Park.
The Lima Phillies were a minor league baseball team based in Lima, Ohio. The Lima "Phillies" were a minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, playing as members of the Class D level Ohio-Indiana League in 1950 and 1951. The Phillies were preceded in Ohio–Indiana League play by the 1948 Lima Terriers, who were a minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and the 1949 Lima Chiefs. Failing to qualify for the playoffs in each season, the Lima Ohio–Indiana League teams hosted minor league home games at Allen County Park.
The Lima Pandas were a minor league baseball team based in Lima, Ohio. From 1939 to 1941 and 1944 to 1947, with the interruption due to World War II, Lima teams played exclusively as members of the Class D level Ohio State League, with the Pandas winning the 1939 and 1940 league championships. The franchise played as a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1944, Cincinnati Reds in 1945 and Chicago White Sox in 1946 to 1947, with the team adopting new monikers during the affiliate seasons. The Lima Ohio State League teams hosted home minor league games at Allen County Park.
