Ballinger Cats

{{short description|Longhorn League baseball team based in Ballinger, Texas}}

The Ballinger Cats were a Longhorn League baseball team based in Ballinger, Texas, United States that played from 1947 to 1950.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/team.cgi?city=Ballinger&state=TX&country=US BR Minors] They were affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds in 1948.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/team.cgi?id=11500 1948 season] As well, they played their home games at Ballinger Rec. Park that season.{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20120730134805/http://www.digitalballparks.com/Reds.html Digital Ballparks]}} In their first year of existence, 1947, they won the league championship under manager Stuart Williams.

Multiple major league players spent time either playing and/or managing for the team, including Bill Atwood,[https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=atwood001wil Bill Atwood minor league statistics] Lindsay Brown,[https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=brown-007joh Lindsay Brown minor league statistics] Charlie English,[https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=englis001cha Charlie English minor league statistics] Buddy Hancken,[https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=hancke001mor Buddy Hancken minor league statistics] Roy McMillan[https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=mcmill001roy Roy McMillan minor league statistics] and 46-year-old George Milstead.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=milste001geo George Milstead minor league statistics]

Ballinger was home of minor league baseball teams from the 1920s to its disbandment in the late 1950s. The Ballinger Browns were affiliated with the bygone St. Louis Browns in the 1930s and early 1940s. Today, the Ballinger Cats name is back but they are members of the Central Texas Collegiate League, a woodbat summer league of collegiate level players. {{Citation needed|date=July 2011}}