Kansas State League

Kansas State League
Classification	Independent (1887, 1895-1898); Class D (1905–1906, 1909–1911, 1913–1914)
Sport	Minor League Baseball
First season	1887
Ceased	1914
Replaced by	Central Kansas League
President	Walden (1887); Harry T. Mote (1895); W.H. Thompson (1896); George T. Tremble (1905); Edward Bero, Jr. (1906); P. H. Hostutler (1909–1910); C. A. Case (1911); Roy C. Gafford (1911, 1913–1914)
No. of teams	42
Country	United States of America
Most titles	2; Great Bend Millers (1911, 1913); Independence/Independence Coyotes (1896, 1906)
Related; competitions	Oklahoma-Kansas League

Last updated May 15, 2024

The Kansas State League was a minor league baseball league in the United States that operated in the state of Kansas in the late 19th century and into the early 20th century.

History

The Kansas State League was first established in 1887 as a Minor League Baseball "no classification" league and existed for that year only.

The league continued again and played in 1895 to 1896 as a "no classification" league.

Progressing into the 20th century, the circuit played in 1905–1906 as a class D league and this stint lasted two years.

The last segment of the league operated as a class D league from 1909–1911, and 1913–1914. The original Kansas State League ceased operation in 1911, merged with the Central Kansas League, and the 1912 season was played under the CKL name. In 1913, the CKL switched back to the Kansas State League name. After the 1914 season the league permanently disbanded.^[1]

Cities represented

Arkansas City, KS: Arkansas City 1887; Arkansas City Grays 1910
Arkansas City, KS & Winfield, KS: Arkansas City-Winfield Twins 1909;
Atchison, KS: Atchison Huskers 1897-1898
Bartlesville, OK: Bartlesville Indians 1906
Chanute, KS: Chanute 1896; Chanute Browns 1906
Cherryvale, KS: Cherryvale Boosters 1906
Clay Center, KS: Clay Center Colts 1913
Coffeyville, KS: Coffeyville 1896; Coffeyville Bricks 1906
El Dorado, KS: El Dorado Crushers 1911
Ellsworth, KS: Ellsworth 1905; Emporia Bidwells 1914
Emporia, KS: Emporia Reds 1887; Emporia Maroons 1895, 1897
Fort Scott, KS: Fort Scott Giants 1906
Great Bend, KS: Great Bend Millers 1905, 1909-1911, 1913-1914
Hoisington, KS: Hoisington 1905
Hutchinson, KS: Hutchinson Salt Miners 1905; Hutchinson Salt Packers 1909-1911; Hutchinson Packers 1914
Independence, KS: Independence 1896; Independence Coyotes 1906
Iola, KS: Iola Grays 1906
Joplin, MO: Joplin 1887
Junction City, KS: Junction City Parrots 1897; Junction City Soldiers 1913
Kingman, KS: Kingman 1905
Larned, KS: Larned Cowboys 1909; Larned Wheat Kings 1910-1911
Leavenworth, KS: Leavenworth Soldiers 1895
Lincoln Center, KS: Lincoln Center 1905
Lyons, KS: Lyons Lions 1909-1911, 1913
Manhattan, KS: Manhattan Elks 1913
McPherson, KS: McPherson Merry Macks 1909-1911
Minneapolis, KS: Minneapolis Minnies 1905
Newton, KS: Newton Railroaders 1909-1911
Ottawa, KS: Ottawa 1898
Parsons, KS: Parsons Parsons 1896; Parsons Preachers 1906
Pittsburg, KS: Pittsburg Champs 1906
Salina, KS: Salina/Junction City/Salina Blues 1898; Salina Insurgents 1913; Salina Coyotes 1914
Strong City, KS & Cottonwood Falls, KS: Strong City-Cottonwood Falls Twin Cities 1909
Topeka, KS: Topeka Giants 1895, 1898; Topeka Colts 1897
Troy, KS: Troy Browns 1895
Vinita, OK: Vinita 1906
Webb City, MO: Webb City 1887
Wellington, KS: Wellington Browns 1887; Wellington Dukes 1909-1911
Whiting, KS/Horton, KS: Whiting-Horton 1895
Wichita, KS: Wichita Braves 1887; Wichita Blues 1898
Winfield, KS: Winfield 1887

League overview

Year	Champion	Teams	Classification	League President	Notes
1887	Wellington Browns	6	Independent	Walden
1895	Troy Browns	4	Independent	Harry T. Mote
1896	Independence	4	Independent	W.H. Thompson
1905	Ellsworth	6	D	George T. Tremble
1906	Independence Coyotes	8	D	Edward Bero, Jr.	League restarted July 6
1909	Lyons Lions	8	D	P. H. Hostutler
1910	Hutchinson Salt Packers	8	D	P. H. Hostutler
1911	Great Bend Millers	8	D	C. A. Case / Roy C. Gafford	League disbanded on July 11
1913	Great Bend Millers	6	D	Roy C. Gafford
1914	Emporia Bidwells	4	D	Roy C. Gafford

Standings & statistics

1887 Kansas State League

League standings
Team Standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Wellington Browns	20	15	.571	–	Jack Pettiford
Arkansas City	19	20	.487	3.0	W.F. Wingate/ Billy Hunter / Luke Short
Emporia Reds	17	25	.405	6.5	Downing
Wichita Braves	19	12	.613	NA	George Mold
Joplin	1	4	.200	NA	Davis Bailor
Webb City	0	2	.000	NA	James Ellis

Wichita dropped out and moved to Western League July 21; Joplin entered July 26 and disbanded August 4; Webb City entered league July 28 and disbanded August 4; Winfield entered league July 6, disbanded July 15.
The league folded August 8

**Player Statistics**
Player	Team	Stat	Tot	Player	Team	Stat	Tot
Ducky Hemp	Wichita	BA	.389	George Haddock	Emporia	W	8
Gibbs	Emporia	Runs	31	Jack Pettiford	Wellington	W	8
Bright	Emporia	Hits	53	Walter Baldwin	Wichita	PCT	.800 4–1
Gibbs	Emporia	HR	6

1895 Kansas State League

League standings
Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Troy Browns	19	14	.576	–	W.F. Johnson / Bill Devereux
Emporia Maroons	16	15	.516	2.0	J.R. Soden
Topeka Giants	16	16	.500	2.5	Harry Mote
Leavenworth Soldiers / Whiting-Horton	12	18	.400	5.5	F.W. Gassman / Logan

Leavenworth (7-10) suspended July 22 and Whiting-Horton took the franchise

1896 Kansas State League

League standings
Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Independence	16	8	.667	–	J.W. Farleigh
Coffeyville	12	11	.522	3.5	Foster
Parsons Parsons	9	11	.450	5.0	NA
Chanute	10	17	.370	7.5	George Reese

Parsons disbanded August 10, causing the league to fold August 20

1905 Kansas State League

League standings
Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Ellsworth	34	15	.694	–	N/A
Great Bend Millers	19	9	.679	4.5	Carl Moore
Minneapolis Minnies	24	22	.522	8.5	Roy Gafford
Hutchinson Salt Miners	22	24	.478	10.5	Cook / Fred Abbott
Lincoln Center	11	19	.375	13.5	Simpson
Kingman/Hoisington	13	34	.276	20.0	N/A

Lincoln Center and Great Bend joined the league on July 6; Kingman disbanded on July 22 and Hoisington took Kingman's place July 24.

**Player statistics**
Statistic	Player	Team	Number
Wins	Jones	Ellsworth	10
	Cy Mason	Hutchinson Salt Miners
	Arthur Relihan	Ellsworth
Winning percentage	Jones	Ellsworth	.909 (10–1)
Complete games	Cy Mason	Hutchinson Salt Miners	15
Shutouts	Jones	Ellsworth	5

Two No–Hitters were thrown in 1905. One by Lefty Holmes of Great Bend, and the other by Salter of Minneapolis.

1906 Kansas State League

League standings
Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Independence Coyotes	69	48	.590	–	Charles McLin / Crutcher / John Hendley
Iola Grays/Cherryvale Boosters	62	50	.554	4.5	William Burns
Parsons Preachers	60	50	.545	5.5	C. Pinkerton / P.P. Duffy / B.L. Taft
Coffeyville Bricks	58	50	.537	6.5	Ed Mahley / Harry Barndollar/ Haisman / Finney
Bartlesville Indians	51	64	.443	17.0	Gus Albert
Chanute Browns	31	82	.274	36.0	A. Allen
Fort Scott Giants	35	18	.660	NA	M. McDonald
Pittsburg Champs/ Vinita	30	25	.545	NA	H. Bartley / William Burns

Pittsburg moved to Vinita June 6; Iola moved to Cherryvale on June 15; Fort Scott and Vinita disbanded on July 5. The league discarded all games played before July 10 and the season was restarted.

**Player statistics**
Statistic	Player	Team	Number
Batting average	Ben Haas	Independence Coyotes	.341
Hits	Ed Foster	Coffeyville Bricks	97
Runs	Wilder Gray	Coffeyville Bricks	44
Wins	Chick Brandom	Independence Coyotes	16
Strikeouts	Chick Brandom	Independence Coyotes	121
Winning percentage	Harry Womack	Coffeyville Bricks	1.000 (10–0)

1909 Kansas State League

League standings
Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Lyons Lions	61	37	.622	–	Cecil Bankhead
Hutchinson Salt Packers	60	37	.619	0.5	Bill Zink
McPherson Merry Macks	59	37	.615	1.0	O. P. Depew / Earl Green
Great Bend Millers	49	48	.505	11.5	Rudy Kling / Stillings
Wellington Dukes	44	54	.449	17.0	Cy Mason / John Meade
Newton Railroaders	42	54	.438	18.0	Con Harlow / A. Stillwell
Arkansas City-Winfield Twins	41	56	.423	19.5	M. E. Parks / Frank Layne / Bennie Owens
Strong City-Cottonwood Falls Twin Cities / Larned Cowboys	32	65	.330	28.5	Butch Freese / Buck Weaver

The city of Winfield, Kansas bought partial interest in Arkansas City franchise on July 22; Strong City–Cottonwood Falls moved to Larned July 12.

**Player statistics**
Statistic	Player	Team	Number
Batting average	Jim Miller	Newton Railroaders	.342
Home Runs	Pete LaFlambois	Arkansas City-Winfield Twins	6
Hits	Jim Miller	Newton Railroaders	119
Runs	Jasper Hainsey	McPherson Merry Macks	66
Wins	Robert Hassler	Lyons Lions	25
Strikeouts	Robert Hassler	Lyons Lions	193
Winning percentage	Pearl Stanley	Hutchinson Salt Packers	.793 (23–6)

1910 Kansas State League

League standings
Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Hutchinson Salt Packers	70	39	.642	–	Bill Zink
McPherson Merry Macks	58	49	.542	11.0	D. Conklin / F. J. Synek
Lyons Lions	57	53	.518	13.5	Cecil Bankhead / Joe Riggert / Buck Ebright / John Jones
Newton Railroaders	56	54	.509	14.5	Mel Backus
Great Bend Millers	54	55	.495	16.0	Charles Lyons
Wellington Dukes	48	56	.461	19.5	C. Pinkerton / Ody Abbott / Harry Vitter / Lewis Armstrong
Larned Wheat Kings	46	56	.451	20.5	Buck Weaver / Harry McLean
Arkansas City Grays	40	67	.374	29.0	L. Evans / Dennis McGuire / Doc Baker

**Player statistics**
Statistic	Player	Team	Number
Batting average	Joe Riggert	Lyons Lions	.362
Home Runs	Joe Riggert	Lyons Lions	13
Hits	Bill Zink	Hutchinson Salt Packers	141
Runs	Charles Weisner	Lyons Lions	132
Wins	E. J. Smith	Hutchinson Salt Packers	18
Wins	Walt Sizemore	Lyons Lions	18
Strikeouts	Rolla Maple	Great Bend Millers	205
Winning percentage	E. J. Smith	Hutchinson Salt Packers	.750 (18–6)

1911 Kansas State League

'League standings
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Great Bend Millers	39	20	.661	–	Affie Wilson / William Luhrsen
Newton Railroaders	39	21	.650	0.5	N/A
Lyons Lions	37	27	.578	4.5	Spencer Abbott
McPherson Merry Macks	31	28	.525	8.0	Joseph Harris
Hutchinson Salt Packers	29	29	.500	9.5	Bill Zink
Larned Wheat Kings	23	32	.418	14.0	Harry Berte
El Dorado Crushers	15	33	.313	18.5	Bill Annis / Walter Sizemore
Wellington Dukes	15	38	.283	21.0	Peter Ketter / C. E. Powell / Ned Price

Wellington played 10 home games in Wichita, Kansas from June 11 to June 23.
The league disbanded on July 11 due to crop failures and drought. No individual statistics available.

1913 Kansas State League

League standings
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Great Bend Millers	53	36	.596	–	Affie Wilson / William Luhrsen
Clay Center Cubs	51	37	.580	1.5	Max Addington
Lyons Lions	50	39	.562	3.0	William Nelson
Salina Insurgents	26	63	.292	27.0	Lon Ury / Mike Welday
Manhattan Elks	27	24	.529	N/A	Fred Moore
Junction City Soldiers	21	29	.420	N/A	Norm Price / Cecil Bankhead

After Junction City disbanded July 9, the league dropped Manhattan on July 10.

**Player statistics**
Statistic	Player	Team	Number
Batting average	John Singleton	Clay Center Cubs	.335
Hits	John Singleton	Clay Center Cubs	133
Runs	John Singleton	Clay Center Cubs	78
Wins	J. L. O'Byrne	Lyons Lions	17
Winning percentage	C. H. Riley	Great Bend Millers	1.000 (9–0)

1914 Kansas State League

League standings
Team	W	L	GB	Managers
Emporia Bidwells	54	32	–	Ira Bidwell
Salina Coyotes	47	41	8.0	Dick Robin
Hutchinson Packers	40	49	15.5	Jesse Clifton
Great Bend Millers	35	54	20.5	Affie Wilson

**Player statistics**
Stat	Player	Team	Number
Batting average	Pete LaFlambois	Emporia Bidwells	.342
Hits	Rick Freeman	Hutchinson Packers	98
Wins	Otis Lambeth Ralph Shimeal	Emporia Bidwells Emporia Bidwells	14
Runs	Paul Turgeon	Emporia Bidwells	61
Strikeouts	Powell Burnett	Salina Coyotes	166
Winning percentage	Otis Lambeth	Emporia Bidwells	.737 (14–5)

Sources

Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (1997, second edition), edited by W. Lloyd Johnson]and Miles Wolff

↑ Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.

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[encyc-1] Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.

[1]

Classification	Independent (1887, 1895-1898) Class D (1905–1906, 1909–1911, 1913–1914)
Sport	Minor League Baseball
First season	1887
Ceased	1914
Replaced by	Central Kansas League
President	Walden (1887) Harry T. Mote (1895) W.H. Thompson (1896) George T. Tremble (1905) Edward Bero, Jr. (1906) P. H. Hostutler (1909–1910) C. A. Case (1911) Roy C. Gafford (1911, 1913–1914)
No. of teams	42
Country	United States of America
Most titles	2 Great Bend Millers (1911, 1913) Independence/Independence Coyotes (1896, 1906)
Related competitions	Oklahoma-Kansas League