West Texas–New Mexico League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The West Texas–New Mexico League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1937 through 1955, with a hiatus from 1943 to 1945 during World War II. The league started as a Class D level league, upgraded to Class C in 1946 and then a final advancement to Class B level status in 1955. League franchises were based exclusively in New Mexico and Texas.
| Most recent season or competition: 1955 West Texas-New Mexico League | |
| Classification | Class D (1937–1942) Class C (1946–1954) Class B (1955) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
| First season | 1937 |
| Folded | 1955 |
| President | Milton Price (1937–1942, 1946–1951) Ray Winkler (1952) Hal Sayles (1953–1955) |
| No. of teams | 18 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Most titles | 3 Lubbock Hubbers (1938, 1939, 1947) Albuquerque Dukes (1949, 1950, 1953) Pampa Oilers (1946, 1954, 1955) |
| Related competitions | Western League Southwestern League Big State League |
History
The West Texas–New Mexico League began play in 1937 as a Class D level league, with Milton Price serving as president.[1] The Hobbs Drillers, Midland Cardinals, Monahans Trojans, Odessa Oilers, Roswell Sunshiners and Wink Spudders were the charter members in beginning league play on May 4, 1937.[2][3]
The Lubbock Hubbers (1938, 1939, 1947), Albuquerque Dukes (1949, 1950, 1953) and Pampa Oilers (1946, 1954, 1955) each won three league championships.[1]
Cities represented
- Abilene, Texas: Abilene Apaches 1939; Abilene Blue Sox 1946–1955
- Albuquerque, New Mexico: Albuquerque Dukes 1942; Albuquerque Dukes 1946–1955, moved to Western League 1956–1958
- Amarillo, Texas: Amarillo Gold Sox 1939–1942; Amarillo Gold Sox 1946–1955, moved to Western League 1956–1958
- Big Spring, Texas: Big Spring Barons 1938–1940; Big Spring Bombers 1941; Big Spring Pirates 1942
- Borger, Texas: Borger Gassers 1939–1942, 1946–1954
- Clovis, New Mexico: Clovis Pioneers 1938–1942, 1946–1955, moved to Southwestern League 1956
- El Paso, Texas: El Paso Texans 1955, moved to Southwestern League 1956–1957, moved from Arizona–Texas League 1952–1954
- Hobbs, New Mexico: Hobbs Drillers 1937; Hobbs Boosters 1938
- Lamesa, Texas: Lamesa Lobos 1939–1941; Lamesa Dodgers1942; Lamesa Lobos 1946–1952
- Lubbock, Texas: Lubbock Hubbers 1938–1942, 1946–1955, moved to Big State League 1956–1958
- Midland, Texas: Midland Cardinals 1937–1938; Midland Cowboys 1939–1940
- Monahans, Texas: Monahans Trojans 1937
- Odessa, Texas: Odessa Oilers 1937, 1940
- Pampa, Texas: Pampa Oilers 1939–1942, 1946–1955, moved to Southwestern League 1956–1957
- Plainview, Texas: Plainview Ponies 1953–1955, moved to Southwestern League 1956–1957
- Roswell, New Mexico: Roswell Sunshiners1937
- Wichita Falls, Texas: Wichita Falls Spudders 1941–1942
- Wink, Texas: Wink Spudders 1937–1938
Standings & statistics
1937 to 1942
1937 West Texas–New Mexico League - schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wink Spudders | 68 | 50 | .576 | - | D.E. Perry / Joe Tate |
| Roswell Sunshiners | 55 | 62 | .470 | 12½ | Neal Rabe |
| Monahans Trojans | 55 | 64 | .462 | 13½ | Paul Trammel / Charles Bryan |
| Hobbs Drillers | 45 | 74 | .378 | 23½ | Ned Pettigrew / Fincher Withers |
| Odessa Oilers | 28 | 17 | .622 | NA | Charles Bryan |
| Midland Cardinals | 41 | 25 | .621 | NA | Wray Query / Joe Davis |
Odessa withdrew June 17; Midland withdrew July 9.
Playoffs: Wink 3 games, Hobbs 0: Roswell 3 games, Monahans 2;
Finals: Wink 3 games, Roswell 0.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Hood | Wink | BA | .372 | Red Hay | Wink | W | 18 | |
| Robert Hood | Wink | Runs | 137 | Marshall Scott | Roswell | W | 18 | |
| Mel Reist | Odes/Mona | Hits | 182 | Gene Devine | Roswell | SO | 218 | |
| Robert Hood | Wink | RBI | 145 | Red Hay | Wink | ERA | 3.97 | |
| Robert Hood | Wink | HR | 30 | Marshall Scott | Roswell | PCT | .750 18-6 |
1938 West Texas–New Mexico League - schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lubbock Hubbers | 80 | 49 | .620 | - | Hack Miller |
| Clovis Pioneers | 71 | 58 | .550 | 9 | William Ratliff |
| Midland Cardinals | 67 | 62 | .519 | 13 | Fincher Withers |
| Wink Spudders | 63 | 65 | .492 | 16½ | Joe Tate |
| Big Spring Barons | 58 | 71 | .450 | 22 | Charlie Barnabee |
| Hobbs Boosters | 48 | 82 | .369 | 32½ | Neal Rabe |
Playoffs: Lubbock 3 games, Wink 0: Clovis 3 games, Midland 1.
Finals: Lubbock 4 games, Clovis 1.
Total league attendance, 108,342
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cecil Smyly | Hobbs | BA | .367 | Ernest Nelson | Clovis | W | 20 | |
| Cecil Smyly | Hobbs | Runs | 182 | Jerry Blanchard | Lubbock | SO | 265 | |
| Cecil Smyly | Hobbs | Hits | 194 | Red Roberts | Wink | ERA | 3.08 | |
| Mal Stevens | Lubbock | RBI | 132 | George Bryan | Lubbock | PCT | .688 11-5 | |
| Mal Stevens | Lubbock | HR | 31 | |||||
| Jake Suytar | Midland | HR | 31 |
1939 West Texas–New Mexico League - schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lubbock Hubbers | 90 | 48 | .652 | - | Salty Parker |
| Pampa Oilers | 78 | 59 | .569 | 11½ | Grover Seitz |
| Big Spring Barons | 74 | 64 | .536 | 16 | Tony Rego |
| Lamesa Lobos | 65 | 73 | .471 | 25 | Joe Tate |
| Midland Cowboys | 62 | 75 | .453 | 27½ | Jimmy Kerr/ Charley Smith / Joe Piet |
| Clovis Pioneers | 60 | 73 | .451 | 27½ | Dick Ratliff |
| Abilene Apaches / Borger Gassers | 61 | 76 | .445 | 28½ | Fincher Withers / Charles Bryan |
| Amarillo Gold Sox | 57 | 79 | .419 | 32 | Neal Rabe |
Total league attendance, 273,374
Abilene moved to Borger July 9.
Playoffs: Lubbock 3 games, Big Spring 0: Pampa 3 games, Lamesa 2.
Finals: Lubbock 4 games, Pampa 1.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordon Nell | Pampa | BA | .392 | Jodie Marek | Big Spring | W | 23 | |
| Gordon Nell | Pampa | Runs | 152 | Howard Parks | Abil/Borg | SO | 202 | |
| Gordon Nell | Pampa | Hits | 207 | Lee Harris | Lubbock | ERA | 2.97 | |
| Gordon Nell | Pampa | RBI | 189 | Lee Harris | Lubbock | PCT | .818 18-4 | |
| Gordon Nell | Pampa | HR | 44 |
1940 West Texas–New Mexico League - schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pampa Oilers | 83 | 56 | .601 | - | Grover Seitz |
| Amarillo Gold Sox | 82 | 58 | .586 | 1½ | Claude Jonnard |
| Lubbock Hubbers | 81 | 59 | .579 | 2½ | Charlie Engle |
| Borger Gassers | 79 | 60 | .568 | 4 | Pete Susko / Gordon Nell |
| Lamesa Lobos | 71 | 69 | .507 | 12½ | Joe Tate |
| Midland Cowboys | 59 | 81 | .421 | 24½ | Sammy Hale |
| Clovis Pioneers | 58 | 80 | .420 | 24½ | Howard Taylor |
| Big Spring Barons / Odessa Oilers | 45 | 95 | .321 | 38½ | Tony Rego / Stanley Bolton |
Total league attendance, 240,679
Big Spring moved to Odessa June 20.
Playoffs: Borger 3 games, Pampa 0: Lubbock 3 games, Amarillo 0.
Finals: Borger 4 games, Lubbock 3.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edwin Schweda | Lubbock | BA | .422 | Rex Dilbeck | Pampa | W | 23 | |
| Grover Seitz | Pampa | Runs | 163 | Willie Ramsdell | Big Spring/Odessa | W | 23 | |
| William Scopetone | Big Spring/Borger | Hits | 217 | Russell Crider | Amarillo | SO | 266 | |
| Gordon Nell | Borger | RBI | 175 | Pat Ralsh | Lubbock | ERA | 3.25 | |
| Gordon Nell | Borger | HR | 40 | Pat Ralsh | Lubbock | PCT | .833 20-4 |
1941 West Texas–New Mexico League - schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Spring Bombers | 91 | 45 | .669 | - | Joe Tate |
| Borger Gassers | 89 | 47 | .654 | 2 | Gordon Nell |
| Clovis Pioneers | 76 | 58 | .567 | 14 | Howard Taylor / Grover Seitz |
| Amarillo Gold Sox | 72 | 64 | .529 | 19 | Claude Jonnard |
| Lubbock Hubbers | 61 | 78 | .439 | 31½ | Charlie Engle |
| Lamesa Lobos | 59 | 80 | .424 | 33½ | Sam Scaling |
| Pampa Oilers | 55 | 79 | .410 | 35 | Dutch Prather / Sammy Hale |
| Wichita Falls Spudders | 43 | 95 | .312 | 49 | Sammy Hale / Neal Rabe |
Total Attendance, 183,395.
Playoffs: Big Spring 3 games, Amarillo 0: Clovis 3 games, Borger 2.
Finals: Clovis 4 games, Big Spring 3.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Hargrove | Amarillo | BA | .388 | Willie Ramsdell | Big Spring | W | 25 | |
| James Haney | Big Spring | Runs | 143 | Russell Crider | Amarillo | SO | 232 | |
| Stuart Williams | Borger | Hits | 210 | John McParland | Pampa | ERA | 2.03 | |
| Dutch Prather | Pam/Ama | RBI | 142 | Udell Moore | Borger | PCT | .824 14-3 | |
| Gordon Nell | Borger | HR | 28 |
1942 West Texas–New Mexico League - schedule
| Team standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clovis Pioneers | 52 | 19 | .732 | - | Grover Seitz |
| Lamesa Dodgers | 43 | 27 | .614 | 8½ | Joe Tate |
| Amarillo Gold Sox | 38 | 29 | .567 | 12 | Claude Jonnard |
| Pampa Oilers | 36 | 32 | .529 | 14½ | William Ratliff |
| Borger Gassers | 33 | 39 | .458 | 19½ | Hugh Willingham |
| Lubbock Hubbers | 30 | 42 | .417 | 22½ | Monty Stratton |
| Albuquerque Dukes | 25 | 30 | .455 | NA | Dixie Howell / E. Miller |
| Wichita Falls Spudders / Big Spring Pirates | 8 | 47 | .145 | NA | George Milstead |
Wichita Falls moved to Big Spring May 22. Big Spring withdrew June 20.; Albuquerque withdrew June 23.
League disbanded July 25.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Warren | Borger | BA | .402 | Kenneth Wyatt | Clovis | W | 17 | |
| Leroy Koenig | Lubbock | Runs | 88 | Kenneth Wyatt | Clovis | SO | 129 | |
| Vincent Castino | Lubbock | Hits | 106 | Kenneth Wyatt | Clovis | ERA | 2.09 | |
| Frank Hargrove | Amarillo | RBI | 84 | Kenneth Wyatt | Clovis | PCT | 1.000 17-0 | |
| Frank Hargrove | Amarillo | HR | 22 |