1972 Southern League season

1972 Southern League season Southern League Baseball April 11 – August 31 140 8 Regular season Asheville Orioles Mike Reinbach, Asheville Orioles Playoffs Montgomery Rebels Asheville Orioles List of Southern League seasons SL Dixie Association 1971 1973 Southern League season 1973 The 1972 Southern League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 11 and August 31. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top team in each division qualifying for the championship round. The Montgomery Rebels won the Southern League championship, as they defeated the Asheville Orioles in the playoffs. League changes In 1971, the Dixie Association was an interleague partnership between the Southern League and the Texas League as the two leagues played an interlocking schedule. The partnership was dissolved after the season. The league introduced two four-team divisions: the East Division and the West Division. Team changes The Asheville Tourists returned to the Southern League from the Dixie Association. The club ended their affiliation with the Chicago White Sox and began a new affiliation with the Baltimore Orioles. The team was renamed to the Asheville Orioles. The Birmingham Athletics returned to the Southern League from the Dixie Association. The Charlotte Hornets returned to the Southern League from the Dixie Association. The Columbus Astros returned to the Southern League from the Dixie Association. The Jacksonville Suns returned to the Southern League from the Dixie Association. The club ended their affiliation with the Cleveland Indians and began a new affiliation with the Kansas City Royals. The Montgomery Rebels returned to the Southern League from the Dixie Association. The Savannah Braves returned to the Southern League from the Dixie Association. The Knoxville Smokies returned to the Southern League following a hiatus since the 1967 season. The club began an affiliation with the Chicago White Sox and were renamed to the Knoxville Sox. Teams 1972 Southern League Division Team City MLB Affiliate Stadium East Asheville Orioles Asheville, North Carolina Baltimore Orioles McCormick Field Charlotte Hornets Charlotte, North Carolina Minnesota Twins Clark Griffith Park Jacksonville Suns Jacksonville, Florida Kansas City Royals Wolfson Park Savannah Braves Savannah, Georgia Atlanta Braves Grayson Stadium West Birmingham Athletics Birmingham, Alabama Oakland Athletics Rickwood Field Columbus Astros Columbus, Georgia Houston Astros Golden Park Knoxville Sox Knoxville, Tennessee Chicago White Sox Bill Meyer Stadium Montgomery Rebels Montgomery, Alabama Detroit Tigers Paterson Field Map of teams left 10px East Division 10px West Division 1170 425 370 190 915 USA 2700 USA 35.59 -82.55 Blue pog.svg 80 left Asheville #ffe USA 35.20 -80.85 Blue pog.svg 80 right Charlotte #ffe USA 30.33 -81.64 Blue pog.svg 80 right Jacksonville #ffe USA 32.04 -81.08 Blue pog.svg 80 right Savannah #ffe USA 33.50 -86.86 Red pog.svg 80 left Birmingham #ffe USA 32.45 -84.99 Red pog.svg 80 right Columbus #ffe USA 35.98 -83.91 Red pog.svg 80 left Knoxville #ffe USA 32.38 -86.29 Red pog.svg 80 left Montgomery #ffe Regular season Summary The Asheville Orioles finished the season with the best record in the league for the first time. Standings 1972 SOUL Standings at stats-crew.com, URL accessed February 27, 2025 East Division Team Win Loss % GB Asheville Orioles 81 58 81 58 – Savannah Braves 80 59 80 59 1 Charlotte Hornets 70 70 70 70 11.5 Jacksonville Suns 64 75 64 75 17West Division Montgomery Rebels 78 61 78 61 – Knoxville Sox 76 64 76 64 2.5 Columbus Astros 59 80 59 80 19 Birmingham Athletics 49 90 49 90 29 League Leaders Batting leaders 1972 SL Batting Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed February 27, 2025 Stat Player Total AVG Mike Reinbach, Asheville Orioles .346 H Mike Reinbach, Asheville Orioles 169 R Mike Reinbach, Asheville Orioles 123 2B Mike Reinbach, Asheville Orioles 32 3B Jerry Hairston Sr., Knoxville Sox Jim Hoppe, Charlotte Hornets Keith Lieppman, Birmingham Athletics 9 HR Mike Reinbach, Asheville Orioles 30 RBI Mike Reinbach, Asheville Orioles 109 SB Rod Gilbreath, Savannah Braves 45 Pitching leaders 1972 SL Pitching Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed February 27, 2025 Stat Player Total W Paul Mitchell, Asheville Orioles 16 ERA Larry Maxie, Savannah Braves 1.54 CG Bill Campbell, Charlotte Hornets 14 SHO Herb Hutson, Asheville Orioles 5 SV Dutch Weems, Asheville Orioles 22 IP Danny Fife, Montgomery Rebels 221.0 SO Bill Campbell, Charlotte Hornets 204 Playoffs The league finals is a best-of-five series. The Montgomery Rebels won their first Southern League championship, defeating the Asheville Orioles in three games. Playoff bracket Finals E1 Asheville 0 W1 Montgomery 3 Awards Southern League awards Award name Recipient Most Valuable Player Mike Reinbach, Asheville Orioles Pitcher of the Year Bill Campbell, Charlotte Hornets Manager of the Year Joe Sparks, Knoxville Sox See also 1972 Major League Baseball season References External links Minor League Baseball official website Southern League season Category:1972 in sports in Alabama Category:1972 in sports in Florida Category:1972 in sports in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:1972 in sports in North Carolina Category:1972 in sports in Tennessee