Southwest Texas League

{{Infobox sports league

| title =Southwest Texas League

| current_season =

| current_season2 =

| last_season =

| upcoming_season =

| logo =

| pixels =

| caption =

| formerly =

| sport =Minor League Baseball

| replaced =

| owner =

| ceo =

| chief operating officer =

| director =

| president =B.S. Dickinson (1910–1911)

| commissioner =

| fame =

| motto =

| inaugural =1910

| teams =6

| singles =

| country =United States of America

| venue =

| confed =

| folded =1911

| champion =

| most_champs =1
Brownsville Brownies (1910)
Beeville Orange Growers (1911)

| classification =Class D (1910–1911)
Independent (1936)

| qualification =

| tv =

| sponsor =

| related_comps =

| founder =

| levels =

| promotion =

| relegation =

| domestic_cup =

| website =

}}

The Southwest Texas League was a minor league baseball league that played in the 1910 and 1911 seasons. The Southwest Texas League played as a six–team Class D level league and consisted of teams based exclusively in Texas. The Brownsville Brownies and Beeville Orange Growers teams won the two league championships.

History

The Southwest Texas League began play as a six–team Class D level minor league in the 1910 season, with all six franchises based in Texas.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?code=SWTX&class=D|title=Southwest Texas League (D) Encyclopedia and History|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} The league president was B.S. Dickinson. Charter members were the Bay City Rice Eaters from Bay City, Texas,{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1910 Bay City Rice Eaters Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} Beeville Orange Growers from Beeville, Texas,{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1910 Beeville Orange Growers Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} Brownsville Brownies from Brownsville, Texas,{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1910 Brownsville Brownies Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} Corpus Christi Pelicans from Corpus Christi, Texas,{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/roster/t-cp11089/y-1910|title=1910 Corpus Christi Pelicans Roster on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}} Laredo Bermudas from Laredo, Texas{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1910 Laredo Bermudas Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} and Victoria Rosebuds from Victoria, Texas.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi|title=1910 Victoria Rosebuds Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball |editor1-first=Lloyd |editor1-last=Johnson |editor2-first=Miles |editor2-last=Wolff |edition=Third |publisher=Baseball America |date=2007 |isbn=978-1932391176}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/texas-league|title=TSHA | Texas League|website=www.tshaonline.org}}

In their first season of league play, games began on April 21, 1910. The league was divided into half–seasons, with the Victoria Rosebuds winning the first half and the Brownsville Brownies winning the second half.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-RGVL/y-1910|title=1910 Southwest Texas League (STL) Standings on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}} The league had a total of five no–hit games in 1910. The first occurred on April 29, 1910, when Henry Trigg of Corpus Christi threw a no–hitter against the Brownsville Brownies in a 1–0 victory.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86834290/1910-04-29-southwest-texas-league/|title=1910-04-29 Southwest Texas League|newspaper=Corpus Christi Caller-Times |date=April 30, 1910|pages=1|via=newspapers.com}} On May 29, 1910, Si Platzer of Bay City threw a no–hitter against Corpus Christi, winning the game 2–0.{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VDRSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MDYNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1595,2705351|title=The Victoria Advocate - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com}} On June 26, 1910, John Taff, pitching for Brownsville threw the league's third no–hitter of the season, defeating Corpus Christi 1–0. John Taff threw his second no–hitter of the season on July 14, 1910, defeating Beeville 5–0.{{cite journal

| last =

| first =

| author-link =

| title =John Taff, “Double No-Hitters for Pinehot”

| journal =Diamonds in the Dusk

| volume =

| issue =447

| pages =

| publisher =

| location =

| date =

| language =

| url =https://www.diamondsinthedusk.com/uploads/articles/447-TAFF_John.pdf

| jstor =

| issn =

| doi =

| id =

| mr =

| zbl =

| jfm =

| access-date = }} In a losing effort, Desiderio Hernandez, pitching for Laredo threw the fifth league no–hitter of the season on July 30, 1910, losing to Corpus Christi 3–2.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1014693/1910-07-30/|title=1910-07-30|newspaper=Laredo Weekly Times |date=August 7, 1910|pages=7|via=newspapers.com}}

Victoria, who won the first half pennant, also had the league's best overall record at 72–45.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=35f9021d|title=1910 Southwest Texas League|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} Brownsville, had the second best overall record at 68–47, winning the second half pennant. Both finished ahead of the third place Bay City Rice Eaters (59–56), followed by Laredo (54–61), Beeville (52–64) and Corpus Christi (42–74), who had been involved in four no–hit games in 1910. Victoria was led by a league leading 28 wins from pitcher Larry Gilbert. In the 1910 Finals, the Brownsville Brownies defeated the Victoria Rosebuds 4 games to 2.

In 1911, B.S. Dickinson continued as Southwest Texas League president and the league played what would be their final season. All six teams returned for the second season of league play During the 1911 season. On May 27, 1911, Will Wehrman, pitching for Bay City threw a no-hitter against the Laredo Bermudas in a 6–0 victory.{{Cite web|url=https://baseballhistorydaily.com/tag/southwest-texas-league/|title=Southwest Texas League|website=Baseball History Daily}} The Corpus Christi Pelicans surrendered the franchise to the league on July 17, 1911 and the club eventually folded on August 13, 1911 with a 46–70 record. The Victoria Rosebuds disbanded on August 11, 1911 with a 54–59 record. With four teams finishing the regular season, the Bay City Rice Eaters won the first half pennant and Beeville won the second half title. Bay City had the best overall record with a 67–51 record, followed by Brownsville, who finished 2.0 games behind with a 64–52 overall record, Beeville (63–54) and Laredo (55–63).{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?id=646e87a0|title=1911 Southwest Texas League|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://bill37mccurdy.com/2013/09/27/the-sw-texas-league-my-grandfathers-world/|title=The SW Texas League: My Grandfather's World|date=September 27, 2013}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-RGVL/y-1911|title=1911 Southwest Texas League (STL) Standings on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}

Based on the split–season format, Bay City and Beeville were scheduled to play in the 1911 finals. It was reported that the league wanted to retrieve the 1910 championship trophy from Brownsville to reuse for the 1911 finals, but Brownsville refused to part with the trophy. The 1911 Finals Southwest Texas League were not held, as the Beeville Orange Growers were awarded the championship after Bay City refused to play in the finals.{{Cite web|url=https://bill37mccurdy.com/2010/03/24/beeville-orange-growers-another-photo-mystery/|title=Beeville Orange Growers: Another Photo Mystery.|date=March 24, 2010}} It was reported that Bay City was concerned about Beeville fan behavior based on earlier incidents. The league permanently folded after the 1911 season.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mysoutex.com/beeville_bee_picayune/opinions/editorials/enjoy-the-citrus-quickly/article_28725d8e-052a-11e9-9ee8-479231c4136c.html|title=Enjoy the citrus quickly|first=Jeff|last=Latcham|website=mysoutex|date=21 December 2018 }}

In 1936, a league named the Southwest Texas League formed as a four–team Independent League. Eagle Pass, Del Rio, Uvalde and Laredo fielded teams. No league standings or statistics are known.{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-SWTL/y-1936|title=1936 Southwest Texas League (STL) Standings on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}

1910–1911 Southwest Texas League teams

class="wikitable"
Team name(s) !City represented !Ballpark !Year(s) active
Bay City Rice Eaters \|Bay City, Texas \|Tenth Street Park{{Cite web\|url=https://www.statscrew.com/venues/v-218\|title=Tenth Street Park in Bay City, TX history and teams on StatsCrew.com\|website=www.statscrew.com}} \|{{by\|1910}} to {{by\|1911}}
Beeville Orange Growers \|Beeville, Texas \|The ballpark{{Cite web\|url=https://www.statscrew.com/venues/v-229\|title=The Ball Park in Beeville, TX history and teams on StatsCrew.com\|website=www.statscrew.com}} \|{{by\|1910}} to {{by\|1911}}
Brownsville Brownies \|Brownsville, Texas \|Lions Park \|{{by\|1910}} to {{by\|1911}}
Corpus Christi Pelicans \|Corpus Christi, Texas \|Unknown \|{{by\|1910}} to {{by\|1911}}
Laredo Bermudas \|Laredo, Texas \|Laredo Ballpark{{Cite web\|url=https://www.statscrew.com/venues/v-1407\|title=Laredo Ball Park in Laredo, TX history and teams on StatsCrew.com\|website=www.statscrew.com}} \|{{by\|1910}} to {{by\|1911}}
Victoria Rosebuds \|Victoria, Texas \|Cardinal Park \|{{by\|1910}} to {{by\|1911}}

class="wikitable"

Team name(s)

!City represented

!Ballpark

!Year(s) active

Bay City Rice Eaters

|Bay City, Texas

|Tenth Street Park{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/venues/v-218|title=Tenth Street Park in Bay City, TX history and teams on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}

|{{by|1910}} to {{by|1911}}

Beeville Orange Growers

|Beeville, Texas

|The ballpark{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/venues/v-229|title=The Ball Park in Beeville, TX history and teams on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}

|{{by|1910}} to {{by|1911}}

Brownsville Brownies

|Brownsville, Texas

|Lions Park

|{{by|1910}} to {{by|1911}}

Corpus Christi Pelicans

|Corpus Christi, Texas

|Unknown

|{{by|1910}} to {{by|1911}}

Laredo Bermudas

|Laredo, Texas

|Laredo Ballpark{{Cite web|url=https://www.statscrew.com/venues/v-1407|title=Laredo Ball Park in Laredo, TX history and teams on StatsCrew.com|website=www.statscrew.com}}

|{{by|1910}} to {{by|1911}}

Victoria Rosebuds

|Victoria, Texas

|Cardinal Park

|{{by|1910}} to {{by|1911}}

Standings & statistics

1910 Southwest Texas League

class="wikitable" !Team standings!!W!!L!!PCT!!GB!! Managers
align=center \|Victoria Rosebuds	72	45	.615	–	Jack Burke
align=center \|Brownsville Brownies	68	47	.591	3.0	S.H.Bell / Leo Hellman / Kerr Price
align=center \|Bay City Rice Eaters	59	56	.513	12.0	Ed Haralson / John Blakeney / Louis Hamilton
align=center \|Laredo Bermudas	54	61	.470	17.0	George Page / Tomlin
align=center \|Beeville Orange Growers	52	64	.448	19.5	Trapper Longley / J.C. Woessner
align=center \|Corpus Christi Pelicans	42	74	.362	29.5	Patrick Murphy / Billy Page

class="wikitable" \|+Player statistics !Player!! Team!!Stat!! Tot!!!!Player!!Team!!Stat!!Tot
Jack Burke	Victoria	BA	.294	Larry Gilbert	Victoria	W	28
Louis Hamilton	Bay City	Runs	75	Roy Morton	Brownsville	SO	173
Jack Burke	Victoria	Hits	125	Roy Morton	Brownsville	Pct	.850; 17-3
James Sheffield	Victoria	SB	94

1911 Southwest Texas League

class="wikitable" !Team standings!!W!!L!!PCT!!GB!! Managers
align=center \|Bay City Rice Eaters	67	51	.568	–	Louis Hamilton / Ed Haralson / J.H. Morehead
align=center \|Brownsville Brownies	64	52	.552	2.0	O.H. Boston / S.H. Bell
align=center \|Beeville Orange Growers	63	54	.538	3.5	Ted Schultz / Billy Disch
align=center \|Laredo Bermudas	55	63	.466	12.0	John Blakeney / Lucky Wright
align=center \|Victoria Rosebuds	54	59	.478	NA	Hart McCormick / J. Linebaugh / Jack Burke
align=center \|Corpus Christi Pelicans	46	70	.397	NA	Henry Hunt / Ed Wicker

class="wikitable" \|+Player statistics !Player!! Team!!Stat!! Tot!!!!Player!!Team!!Stat!!Tot
A.G. Knaupp	Victoria	BA	.289	Ezequiel Ramos	Larado	W	20
George Harper	Corpus Christi	Runs	66	Buddy Napier	Brownsville	SO	213
Lou Vetter	\|Beeville	Hits	121	Raymond Stubbs	Beeville	Pct	.750; 15–5
Harry Sweet	Bay City	HR	9

References

External links

[https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?code=SWTX&class=D Southwest Texas League - Baseball Reference]

Category:Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States

Category:Baseball leagues in Texas

Category:Defunct professional sports leagues in the United States

Category:Sports leagues established in 1910

Category:Sports leagues disestablished in 1911

Category:1910 establishments in Texas

Category:Sports leagues established in 1936

Category:Sports leagues disestablished in 1936