The Southern League was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the Southern United States from 1964 to 2020. Along with the Eastern League and Texas League, it was one of three circuits playing at the Double-A level, which is two grades below Major League Baseball. Its headquarters were in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, Georgia. The league was replaced by Double-A South.
The Huntsville Stars were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Huntsville, Alabama, from 1985 to 2014. They competed in the Southern League as the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics from 1985 to 1998 and Milwaukee Brewers from 1999 to 2014. The Stars played their home games at Joe W. Davis Stadium and were named for the space industry with which Huntsville is economically tied.
The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Double-A South. The team was founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1973 as the Orlando Twins, an affiliate of the Minnesota Twins in the Southern League. After remaining in the Minnesota minor league organization for 20 seasons, the team became an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs for four seasons and then the Seattle Mariners for one. In 1999, the team became an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, and they have remained in the organization ever since. They became members of the Double-A South in 2021.
The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they are referred to locally, are a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson. The team is the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, and plays in the Double-A South. The team is owned and operated by Liberty Media, which also owns the Atlanta Braves. Liberty purchased the Braves from Time Warner's Turner Broadcasting unit in 2007.
The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in the Kodak, Tennessee, metropolitan area. The team, which plays in the Double-A South, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Smokies Stadium, the team's ballpark, is located in the suburb of Kodak, and seats up to 8,000 fans. The team was based in Knoxville and called the Knoxville Smokies for many years before moving to Kodak and changing its name prior to the 2000 season. The team's nickname refers to the Great Smoky Mountains mountain range which permeates the region; mountains in the chain are often clouded in a hazy mist that may appear as smoke rising from the forest.
AT&T Field is a baseball field located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is the home of the minor league Chattanooga Lookouts of the Double-A South. The capacity of the stadium is 6,382 people, with the vast majority of seating located on the first base side. Construction of the stadium began in March 1999, and was completed for the 2000 season. The stadium's first game was on April 10, 2000, a 5–4 Chattanooga win.
Trustmark Park is the home of the Mississippi Braves, Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and is located in Pearl, Mississippi, USA. The ballpark, which opened April 18, 2005, has capacity for 8,480 fans. There are 5,500 chair-back seats in the reserved seating areas. The grass berm beyond the outfield walls has room for an additional 2,000 general admission customers. On August 13, 2006, a record crowd of 7,652 saw the M-Braves defeat the Huntsville Stars 4–2. The largest crowd to ever see a game at the park was the 2016 Governor's Cup in which 8,542 fans watched the Mississippi State Bulldogs defeat the Ole Miss Rebels, 2–0.
Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium is the home of the Montgomery Biscuits of the Double-A South. The minor league baseball ballpark opened in Montgomery, Alabama in 2004. Located in downtown Montgomery, the stadium can host up to 7,000 people a night.
Smokies Stadium is a baseball stadium located in Sevierville, Tennessee, just east of Knoxville and adjacent to the tourist centers of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. The park, which opened in 2000, has a capacity of 6,412. It is the home of the Tennessee Smokies of the Double-A South. Smokies Park was constructed as a replacement facility for the since shuttered Bill Meyer Stadium in Knoxville.
Carey Stadium is an open-air multi-purpose stadium located just off the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey. The stadium is primarily used by the Ocean City School District for Ocean City High School's football, soccer, and lacrosse teams.
Paterson Field is a baseball stadium in Montgomery, Alabama. The stadium, named after William Burns Paterson junior, has a maximum capacity of 7,000 people and was opened in 1949. Paterson Field has played host to, among other professional teams, the Montgomery Rebels, a AA-class minor-league team affiliated with the Detroit Tigers, and the Montgomery Wings, an independent minor-league team. The stadium is still in use today, having recently been used as the home field of Alabama State University, a Division I program that competes in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Admiral Fetterman Field is a multi-use park in Pensacola, Florida that includes a stadium, commercial buildings, a waterfront public park and amphitheater. The mixed use stadium holds 5,038 people and can be used for a number of events year-round, including baseball, soccer, football, festivals, graduations, and similar events. The multi-use stadium was originally designed to be the home field of the Pensacola Pelicans; it hosts the Miami Marlins Double-A affiliate, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. The stadium is situated facing the Pensacola Bay.
Double-A is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League Baseball, organized into three leagues: Double-A Central, Double-A Northeast, and Double-A South. As part of the 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, the three current Double-A leagues replaced the Texas League, Eastern League, and Southern League, respectively.
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Double-A South and the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home games at Admiral Fetterman Field. In 2012, the team relocated to Pensacola from Zebulon, North Carolina, where they were known as the Carolina Mudcats. They were previously members of the Southern League from 2012 to 2020.
MGM Park is a baseball park in Biloxi, Mississippi. The home of the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers of the Double-A South, it opened on June 6, 2015, and can seat up to 6,067 people. The stadium was the site of the 2019 Southern League All-Star Game. Though primarily a venue for Minor League Baseball, it has been the home of the Conference USA Baseball Tournament since 2017. Concerts have also been held at the venue.
The Biloxi Shuckers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Double-A South and the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Biloxi, Mississippi, and are named in reference to the city's oyster industry and seafood heritage. The Shuckers play their home games at MGM Park.
The Rocket City Trash Pandas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Double-A South and the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Madison, Alabama, and play their home games at Toyota Field.
The Double-A South is an eight-team Minor League Baseball league that began operating in the United States in 2021. Along with the Double-A Central and the Double-A Northeast, it is one of three leagues playing at the Double-A level, which is two grades below Major League Baseball (MLB). The league was created in 2021 in conjunction with MLB's reorganization of the minor leagues. The league is made up entirely of teams formerly of the Southern League.
