Meridian Millers
The Meridian Millers were a minor league baseball team based in Meridian, Mississippi. Between 1937 and 1950, Meridian teams played as a member of the Southeastern League under various nicknames. Meridian became known as the "Millers" beginning in 1949. The Millers continued as members of the Class D level Cotton States League from 1952 to 1955 and won Cotton League championships in 1952 and 1953.
Meridien teams first hosted home minor league games at Fairgrounds Park and relocated when Buckwalter Stadium was constructed to host the team, beginning in 1947.
Meridian teams played as minor league affiliates of the St. Louis Browns, Brooklyn Dodgers, Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles.
History
Early Meridian minor league teams
Meridian, Mississippi first hosted minor league baseball, when the 1893 Meridian "Bluebirds" began play as a member of the independent Mississippi State League. The Mississippi League folded after the 1894 season.The 1929 Meridian Mets of the Cotton States League ended a fifteen-season tenure for Meridian in Cotton States League and the 1929 team preceded the Meriden Scrappers in minor league play.
1937 to 1942 - Southeastern League
In 1937, Meridian returned to minor league play, when the Meridian "Scrappers" were formed and became members of the six-team Class B level Southeastern League. The Jackson Mississippians, Mobile Shippers, Montgomery Bombers, Pensacola Fliers and Selma Cloverleafs teams joined with Meridian in beginning league play on April 15, 1937.The Meridian Scrappers joined the Southeastern League playing as a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Browns. The 1937 Meridian season ended with a 58–78 record and a fifth place finish, playing the season under managers Leonard McNair, Emmett Lipscomb and Harry Whitehouse. The Scrappers ended their initial season 25.5 games behind first place Pensacola and did not qualify for the four-teams playoffs, which were won by the Mobile Shippers.Fred Williams, who played for both Jackson and Meridian during the season, led the league with 175 total hits.
Tom Cafego played briefly for the St. Louis Browns in 1937 and also played for Meridian that season. Tom was the older brother of College Football Hall of Fame member George Cafego, who played halfback at the University of Tennessee and was the first overall selection in the 1940 NFL draft by the Chicago Cardinals. Tom Cafego supported his family, and helped his brother finish college, by playing professional baseball and also mining coal in the offseasons.
Continuing as a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Browns in 1938, the Meriden Scrappers continued a stretch where Meriden did not make a playoff appearance. The 1938 Southeastern League expanded to become an eight-team league, adding the Anniston Rams and Gadsden Pilots teams to the league. The Scrappers again missed the playoffs with a fifth-place finish. Meriden ended the 1938 regular season with a record of 69–78, finishing 25.5 gamed behind the pennant winning Pensacola Pilots. With their fifth-place finish under returning manager Harry Whitehouse, Meriden did not qualify for the playoffs again won by the Mobile Shippers.
Continuing play in the 1939 Class B level Southeastern league, the Meridian Scrappers ended the season in last place. With a record of 55–83, Meriden placed eighth in the eight-team league regular season. Playing the season under managers Mel Simons, Harry Hughes and Bill Hughes, Meriden Did not qualify for the playoffs, finishing 33.5 games behind the first please and eventual league champion Pensacola Pilots. Bill McGhee of Meridian won the league batting championship, hitting.384. Player/manager Bill Hughes was a long-time minor league pitcher, winning 270 games in 20 minor league seasons.
In 1940, Clarence Mitchell was hired to manage the Meridian team. Mitchell was a long-time major league pitcher, known as a player who was grandfathered in being able to throw a spitball in the major leagues. Becoming manager of Meridian in 1940, Mitchell made his final appearance as a player during the season, pitching two innings at age 49. Mitchell is noted in baseball history for hitting into a triple play in 1920 World Series for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Cleveland Indians player Bill Wambsganss made the only triple-play in World Series history on Mitchell's batted ball.
The Meridian team became known as the "Bears" in 1940, continuing the season as members of the Southeastern League. The Bears ended the regular season with a final record of 64–80, to finish in seventh place in the eight-team league. Clarence Mitchell and Bernie DeViveiros were the Meriden managers. Meridian did not qualify for the playoffs, finishing 24.5 games behind the first place and eventual league champion Jackson Senators. Pitcher Ewald Pyle of Meridian led the Southeastern League with 180 strikeouts.
As the Southeastern League continued play in the 1941 season, the team became known as Meridian "Eagles," playing as a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Browns. With fifth-place finish in the eight-team league, the Eagles ended the season with a record 65–74 record. The Eagles were led by manager Bennie Tate and ended the regular season 25.0 games behind the pennant winning Mobile Shippers. Meridian did not qualify for the playoffs won by Mobile, who won eight straight games en route to the championship. Eugene Nance of Meridian won the league batting championship, hitting.386. Teammate Fred Stroble led the league with both 25 home runs and 115 RBI, while Meridian's Jim Russell scored a league leading 112 runs.
In June 1942, Ed Wright rejected his move from the Memphis Chicks to the Meridian Eagles. Wright sought to be sent closer to his Dyersburg, Tennessee home where he could continue working as a machinist at a local textile mill while also playing baseball. After rejecting a move to the Hopkinsville Hoppers in Kentucky, Wright returned to Dyersburg until he was sent by Meridian to the Jackson Generals.
In their last season before play was interrupted due to World War II, the Meridian Eagles finished in last place in the 1942 Class B level Southeastern League. The league reduced to six teams, as the Gadsden Pilots and Selma Cloverleafs teams did not return to play following the 1941 season. Meriden ended the 1942 Southeastern League regular season with a final record of 55–89, finishing in sixth place in the six-team league. The Eagles ended the regular season 33.5 games behind the first place Montgomery Rebels in the final standings. Led by managers Rip Fanning and Andy Reese, Meridian did not qualify for the playoffs, won by Montgomery. Eagles player Marion DeJarnett tied for the league lead scoring 111 runs.
Pitcher Bill Reeder played for Meridian in 1942. Following the season, Reeder enlisted in the U.S. Army. As a member of the 381st Infantry Regiment of the 96th Infantry Division, Reeder was in combat at the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. With his unit under attack from Japanese Army mortar fire, Reeder successfully threw hand grenades at the enemy emplacement, stopping the mortar fire. For his military action, Reeder was awarded a Silver Star.
1946 to 1950 - Southeastern League
Meridian resumed minor league play in 1946 following World War II, when the Meridien "Peps" team rejoined the Class B level Southeastern League which reformed for the 1946 season with eight teams. The Anniston Rams, Gadsden Pilots, Jackson Senators, Montgomery Rebels, Pensacola Fliers, Selma Cloverleafs and Vicksburg Billies teams joined Meridian in returning to league play beginning on April 12. 1946.The "Peps" were named by their owner. The team was owned by local Pepsi-Cola bottler Charles Buckwalter, who owned the team through the 1948 season.
Meridian native Fred Williams began the 1945 season with the Cleveland Indians before being sent to the minor leagues. In March 1946, Williams signed with the Meridian Peps to play the upcoming season. During the season, Williams was named as the Meridian manager on July 30, 1946, replacing Walt Tauscher.
Hired before the 1946 season to manage the team, Walt Tauscher was a long-time player and manager in the minor leagues. A pitcher, Tauscher won 263 games in 23 minor league seasons. The 1946 season was the final season in which Tauscher appeared as a player, as he appeared in 8 games for Meridian as pitcher, throwing 19 innings at age 44.
The Meridian "Peps" were a minor league affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946 and finished in last place in the Southeastern League final standings. The Peps finished the regular season with a record of 68–78, to finish in eighth place in the Southeastern League. The managers were to the next best restaurant, and the next and the next, until Geraghty finally located one that would serve ."
Two years before joining Meridian, on June 24, 1946, a terrible accident had occurred and Geraghty was one of the survivors of a bus crash that killed nine members of the Spokane Indians team. Geraghty was able to get help to others in the crash. On that date, the Spokane Indians team was en route to play a Western International League game at Bremerton, Washington against the Bremerton Bluejackets. The Spokane team bus was traveling west toward Bremerton and while the bus was crossing the Cascade Mountains on the wet Snoqualmie Pass Highway, the bus driver swerved to avoid an oncoming car. The Spokane team bus veered off the highway and down a mountainside embankment, crashing and catching fire. With a severe head wound himself, Geraghty was able to climb up the mountainside to reach the road and signal for help.
Nine people were killed in the accident. Six were killed instantly and three later died from their injuries. Seven people were injured. The dead were catcher/manager Mel Cole, players Bob Kinnaman, George Lyden, Chris Hartje, Fred Martinez, Vic Picetti, George Risk, Bob James and Bob Paterson. The injured survivors included players Pete Barisoff, Gus Hallbourg, Dick Powers, Irv Konopka, Levi McCormack, and the bus driver Glen Berg.
With Geraghty as manager to begin the season, the 1948 Meridian Peps played as a Cleveland Indians minor league affiliate. Meridian missed the Southeastern League playoffs again after a sixth-place finish in the eight team Southeastern League. Playing in the Class B league, Meridian finished with a 63–77 record as Ben Geraghty and Jack Maupin managed the team. Playing their final season as the "Peps" Meridian finished 23.5 games behind the first place and eventual league champion Montgomery Rebels.
The Meridian "Millers" advanced to the 1949 Southeastern League playoffs and finished above.500 for the first time. Their playoff appearance was the first for Meridian after nine seasons of missing postseason play. The 1949 Millers finished the Southeastern League regular season as the league runner-up. With an 80–57 record, Meridian placed second in the eight-team league, finishing 16.5 games behind the first place Pensacola Fliers, who are listed as one of the 100 greatest minor league teams of all time. The Millers' manager was again Jack Maupin. In the playoffs, the Vicksburg Billies defeated the Meridian Millers 4 games to 3 and advanced. In the Southeastern League Finals, Pensacola defeated Vicksburg for the championship.
After winning the triple crown while playing for the South Atlantic League member Augusta Tigers team in 1948, Hal Summers signed to play with Meridian in 1949. Meridian manager Jack Maupin had been a classmate and teammate of Summers at San Diego High School. The Millers purchased Summers's contract and he and Maupin were reunited as teammates. Amazingly, Summers the won his second consecutive triple crown playing for Meridian. Summers led the Southeastern League in batting average, hitting.344,, home runs with 19, and runs batted in with 98. Jack Maupin joined his friend in leading the league with 95 runs scored, while Meridian pitcher Ambrose Palica won 23 games to led the league.
In their final season of Southeastern League play, the 1950 Meridian Millers again placed second in the final regular season standings and advanced to the league finals. Meridian ended the season with a record of 78–52, placing second the in the Southeastern League final standings. The Millers finished 2.0 games behind first place Pensacola, under returning manager Jack Maupin. In the first round of the playoffs, the Millers won their first playoff series, defeating Jackson in seven games. Advancing to the finals, Meridian lost to Pensacola 4 games to 1. The Southeastern League folded after the 1950 season, affected by the Korean War.