The Mountain State League was a Class-D professional baseball league that existed from 1936 to 1941 and a Class-C league in 1942.

1937

The league began play in 1937 with six teams: the Beckley Bengals

Beckley Bengals

The Beckley Bengals were a Mountain State League baseball team based in Beckley, West Virginia, USA that existed from 1938 to 1939. They played under manager Eli Harris and won the league championship both seasons. They were affiliated with the Detroit Tigers in 1937....

, based in Beckley, West Virginia

Beckley, West Virginia

Beckley is a city in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States, which was founded on April 4, 1838. The 2008 population was estimated to be 16,832 by the U.S. Census Bureau. Early in its history, the town was known as Beckleyville and Raleigh Court House...

; the Welch Miners

Welch Miners

The Welch Miners were a Minor league baseball team based in Welch, West Virginia. The team operated from 1937 through 1942 in the Mountain State League and in the Appalachian League from 1946 to 1955...

, based in Welch, West Virginia

Welch, West Virginia

Welch is a city located in McDowell County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The population was 2,406 at the 2010 census. Incorporated as a city in 1893, it is the county seat of McDowell County.-History:...

; the Williamson Colts, based in Williamson, West Virginia

Williamson, West Virginia

Williamson is a city in Mingo County, West Virginia, USA, along the Tug Fork River. The population was 3,414 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Mingo County, and is the county's largest and most populous city. Williamson is home to Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College...

; the Bluefield Blue-Grays, based in Bluefield, West Virginia

Bluefield, West Virginia

Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 10,447 at the 2010 census. It is also the core city of the Bluefield WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,342.-Geography & Climate:...

; the Logan Indians based in Logan, West Virginia

Logan, West Virginia

Logan is a city in Logan County, West Virginia, United States, along the Guyandotte River. The population was 1,779 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Logan County.-History:...

 and the Huntington Boosters, based in Huntington, West Virginia

Huntington, West Virginia

Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...

. The Boosters withdrew from the league on August 1.

The league originally began with a split-season format, however that was abandoned on August 24.

The Bengals finished first in the league and won the league championship.

1938

Except for the Huntington Boosters, all the teams from 1937 returned to the league in 1938. Huntington did host a team, however it was known as the Huntington Bees.

The Logan Indians finished first in the league, however they lost in the league finals to the Beckley Bengals, who were once again the league champions.

Stan Musial

Stan Musial

Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial is a retired professional baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals . Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial was a record 24-time All-Star selection , and is widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball...

 played for the Colts in 1938.

1939

1939 saw a few changes to the league. The Williamson Colts became the Williamson Red Birds

Williamson Red Birds

The Williamson Red Birds were a Mountain State League baseball team based in Williamson, West Virginia, USA that played from 1939 to 1942. They were affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals....

, the Huntington Bees became the Huntington Boosters again. Perhaps most notably, however, the Beckley Bengals left the league - they were replaced by the Ashland Colonels, based in Ashland, Kentucky

Ashland, Kentucky

Ashland, formerly known as Poage Settlement, is a city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States, nestled along the banks of the Ohio River. The population was 21,981 at the 2000 census. Ashland is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2000 census, the...

.

The Red Birds finished first in the league, however they lost the league finals to the Blue-Grays.

Stan Musial played for the Red Birds in 1939.

1940

For the 1940 season, the Boosters became the Huntington Aces

Huntington Aces

The Huntington Aces were a Mountain State League baseball team based in Huntington, West Virginia that played from 1940 to 1941. They played their home games at Long Civic Field....

. All other teams returned with their 1939 names. The Red Birds finished first in the league and won the league championship.

1941

The league played its final season as a Class-D league in 1941. All teams from 1940 returned. The Logan Indians finished first in the league and won the league championship.

1942

The league was a Class-C league in 1942. The Huntington team changed its name again, to the Huntington Jewels. They finished first in the league, though lost to the Ashland Colonels in the league finals.