The Southeastern League was the name of three baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 circuits in minor league baseball

Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 league which operated in the Southeastern

Southeastern United States

The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....

 and South Central United States

South Central United States

The South Central United States or South Central states is a region of the United States located in the south central part of the country. It evolved out of the archaic southwest, which originally was literally the western U.S. South...

. Two of these leagues were associated with Organized Baseball; the third and most recent incarnation was an independent league that operated for two seasons in 2002-03.

History

The first Southeastern League lasted for three years, from through . At Class D, it was considered on the lowest rung of the minor league ladder, and had six clubs located in the American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 states of Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

, Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

, North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 and Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

. Stung by the midseason collapse of two of its six franchises, this league disbanded on August 2, 1912.

Class B league (1926-50)

In a new, Class B Southeastern League took the field, with six teams — representing Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...

; Jacksonville

Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...

 and St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...

; and Albany

Albany, Georgia

Albany is a city in and the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. It is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area and the southwest part of the state. The population was 77,434 at the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the...

, Columbus

Columbus, Georgia

Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...

 and Savannah, Georgia

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...

. Although this league would be periodically shut down by the Great Depression

Great Depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

 and World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, it continued as a Class B circuit, four levels below Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

, through .

Its lineup of teams in its final season included the champion Pensacola Fliers, Meridian Millers, Montgomery Rebels, Jackson Senators

Jackson Senators

The Jackson Senators was the name of at least two minor league baseball teams that played in Jackson, Mississippi.-First team:The first known Jackson Senators club competed in the Cotton States League before 1953...

, Vicksburg Billies, Selma Cloverleafs

Selma Cloverleafs

The Selma Cloverleafs were a short-lived baseball team based in Selma, Alabama. In 2002 they were charter members of the Southeastern League of Professional Baseball. They played their home games in Selma, Alabama, at Bloch Park...

, Gadsden Pilots and Anniston Rams

Anniston Rams

The Anniston Rams were a minor league baseball team based in Anniston, Alabama that operated in the Southeastern League from 1938-1942 and again from 1946-1950. They had affiliation deals with the Chicago White Sox , Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates ....

. Both Gadsden and Anniston withdrew from the league before the end of the season.

Independent league (2002-03)

The most recent version of the Southereastern League was an independent circuit, with member teams were not affiliated with any Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 team.

The league began play in 2002 after the demise of the All-American Association

All-American Association

The All-American Association was an independent minor league that existed in the southern United States in 2001. Total attendance in 2001 was 200,970. The league folded after the end of the season and four of the league's six teams joined other leagues...

. For its inaugural season, it placed teams in Montgomery

Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...

, Ozark

Ozark, Alabama

Ozark is a city in and the county seat of Dale County, Alabama, United States. In 1990 the city population was 12,922. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 15,119....

, and Selma, Alabama

Selma, Alabama

Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States, located on the banks of the Alabama River. The population was 20,512 at the 2000 census....

, along with Pensacola, Florida

Pensacola, Florida

Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...

, Americus, Georgia

Americus, Georgia

-Early years:Americus, Georgia was named and chartered by Sen. Lovett B. Smith in 1832.For its first two decades, Americus was a small courthouse town. The arrival of the railroad in 1854 and, three decades later, local attorney Samuel H. Hawkins' construction of the only privately financed...

, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...

. The Ozark

Ozark Patriots

The Ozark Patriots was a short-lived baseball team based in Ozark, Alabama. In 2002 they were members of the Southeastern League of Professional Baseball. They played their home games in Ozark, Alabama, at historic Eagle Stadium, which was constructed in 1946. A few Patriot standouts were Sergio...

 and Americus

Americus Arrows

The Americus Arrows was a short-lived baseball team based in Americus, Georgia. In 2002 they were inaugural members of the Southeastern League of Professional Baseball. They played their home games in Americus, Georgia, at the Americus High School baseball stadium.The Arrows would begin their...

 franchises folded at mid-season. The Pensacola Pelicans won the inaugural league championship.

After completing the season, the league added two franchises for 2003. The league had high hopes for its new team in Macon, Georgia

Macon, Georgia

Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...

 and Houma, Louisiana

Houma, Louisiana

Houma is a city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, and the largest principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's powers of government have been absorbed by the parish, which is now run by the Terrebonne Parish...

, along with the already successful clubs in Montgomery and Pensacola. However, after just two games the Selma Cloverleafs folded, forcing the league to operate the club as a road team for the duration of the season under the name "Southeastern Cloverleafs." The Macon Peaches also fared a lot worse than expected. Still, the league completed the year, with Pensacola compiling the league's best mark at 42-23 and Baton Rouge defeating Pensacola, 3 games to 1, in the league championship series.

Ultimately, the league could not survive the arrival of affiliated baseball to Montgomery. The Orlando Rays of the Southern League

Southern League (baseball)

The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...

, who had played at Walt Disney World for four years, became the Montgomery Biscuits

Montgomery Biscuits

The Montgomery Biscuits are a minor league baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. The team is the Class AA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and plays in the Southern League. The 2004 season was the team's first in Montgomery...

 and effectively drove the Wings out of town. In addition, the Springfield/Ozark Mountain Ducks of the Central Baseball League

Central Baseball League

The Central Baseball League, formerly the Texas-Louisiana League, was a minor league whose member teams were independent of any Major League Baseball affiliations.In 1991, potential owners, Dallas businessman Byron Pierce and U. S...

 moved to Pensacola and assumed the Pelicans name. As a result, the league folded prior to the 2004 season.

Member teams (2003)

• Baton Rouge RiverBats
• Houma Hawks
  Houma Hawks
  The Houma Hawks was a short-lived baseball team based in Houma, Louisiana. In 2003 they were expansion members of the Southeastern League of Professional Baseball. They played their home games in Houma, Louisiana at Southland Field....
  
  
• Macon Peaches
  Macon Peaches
  The Macon Peaches was the predominant name of the American minor league baseball franchise representing Macon, Georgia, during the 20th century....
  
  
• Montgomery Wings
• Pensacola Pelicans
  Pensacola Pelicans
  The Pensacola Pelicans were a minor league baseball team based in Pensacola, Florida. In various incarnations, they played in three different independent baseball leagues from 2002–2010...
  
  
• Selma/Southeastern Cloverleafs
  Selma Cloverleafs
  The Selma Cloverleafs were a short-lived baseball team based in Selma, Alabama. In 2002 they were charter members of the Southeastern League of Professional Baseball. They played their home games in Selma, Alabama, at Bloch Park...