Lawrenceville Cardinals
Minor league affiliations
ClassClass D (1948–1949)
LeagueVirginia League (1948–1949)
Major league affiliations
TeamSt. Louis Cardinals (1948)
Minor league titles
League titles (0)None
Wild card berths (0)None
Team data
NameLawrenceville Cardinals (1948) Lawrenceville Robins (1949)
BallparkLawrenceville City Stadium (1948–1949)

The Lawrenceville Cardinals were a minor league baseball team based in Lawrenceville, Virginia. In 1948 and 1949, Lawrenceville played as members of the Class D level Virginia League, with the team finishing last in both seasons of league play. The 1948 Cardinals were a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, with the team becoming the "Robins" in 1949. Lawrenceville hosted minor league home games at Lawrenceville City Stadium, known today as Sonny Wholey Memorial Park.

History

Beginning in 1935, the Lawrenceville "Green Sox" played as a local independent team. Lawrenceville had refused to host a team in the Virginia League, because the league played games on Saturday and Sunday.[1]

In 1948, the Lawrenceville "Cardinals" became members of the reformed six–team, Class D level Virginia League.[2] The Blackstone Barristers, Emporia Nationals, Franklin Cubs, Petersburg Generals and Suffolk Goobers teams joined Lawrenceville in beginning league play on April 23, 1948.[3]

In 1948, the Cardinals played as a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.[4]

After a poor start, the qualify of the Lawrenceville Cardinals roster was a topic of discussion at the April 28, 1948 Lawrenceville Chamber of Commerce meeting. L.J Lucy, who was chairman of the "baseball committee" reported that measures were being taken to improve the caliber of the team through "new help."[5]

St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Hall of Fame players Enos Slaughter and Red Schoendienst had brothers who played for the 1948 Lawrenceville Cardinals. Joe Schoendienst and Robert Slaughter were members of the team, with Joe Schoendienst hitting .241 and Robert Slaughter .134.[4][6][7][8]

In their first season of play, the Lawrenceville Cardinals finished last in the 1948 Virginia League regular season and had three managers during the season.[4] The Cardinals ended the regular season with a record of 39–98, plccing sixth in the standings and ending the season 45.0 games behind the first place Suffolk Goobers. John Pruett, Bob Comiskey and George Shearin served as managers during the Cardinals' season. Hosting home games at City Stadium, the Cardinals were last in league total home attendance.[9][10][2]

Lawrenceville played a final season as the "Robins" in 1949, with the team again finishing last in the six–team Virginia League regular season, playing under five managers.[11] Lawrenceville finished the 1949 season with a record of 45–76, placing sixth in the Virginia League regular season standings. Playing under managers Claude Weaver, Glenn Titus, James Meyer, Garland Braxton and Walter Wholey, the Robins finished the regular season 31.5 games behind the first place Franklin Kildees in the regular season standings, missing the playoffs. Lawrenceville folded following the season, after finishing last in the league in home attendance.[12][2][13]

The Virginia League continued play in 1950, with the Elizabeth City Albemarles franchise replacing Lawrenceville in the six-team league.[2] Lawrenceville, Virginia has not hosted another minor league team.[14]

The ballpark

The Lawrenceville teams hosted home minor league home games at Lawrenceville City Stadium, which had a capacity of 2,100.[15] The ballpark was built in 1935 and is still in use today. The ballpark lies within the Lawrenceville Historic District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The stadium was later named for Walter "Sonny" Wholey, who had managed the 1949 Robins. Wholey remained in Lawrenceville and became an educator and a youth coach.[1] Today, the park is known as Sonny Wholey Memorial Park, located at 102 Tobacco Street in Lawrenceville.[16][17]

Timeline

Year(s)# Yrs.TeamLevelLeagueaffiliateBallpark
19481Lawrenceville CardinalsClass DVirginia LeagueSt. Louis CardinalsCity Stadium
19491Lawrenceville RobinsNone

Year–by–year records

YearRecordFinishManagerAttendPlayoffs/Notes
194839–986thJohn Pruett /
Bob Comiskey / George Shearin		21,104Did not qualify
194945–766thClaude Weaver / Glenn Titus /
James Meyer / Garland Braxton / Walter Wholey		29,000Did not qualify

[2]

Notable alumni

Garland Braxton (1949, MGR)

References

  1. 1 2 "LAWRENCEVILLE HISTORIC DISTRICT" (PDF). United States Department of the Interior National Park Service. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (Lawrenceville Historic District, DHR File No. 251-5001): 35–36. 13 April 2000.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
  3. ↑ "1948 Virginia League (VL) Minor League Baseball on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  4. 1 2 3 "1948 Lawrenceville Cardinals Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  5. ↑ "Southside Virginia News 29 April 1948 — Virginia Chronicle: Digital Newspaper Archive". virginiachronicle.com.
  6. ↑ "Enos Slaughter – Society for American Baseball Research".
  7. ↑ "Obituary: The consummate Cardinal, Albert 'Red' Schoendienst dies at 95". STLPR. June 7, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Red Schoendienst – Society for American Baseball Research".
  9. ↑ "1948 Suffolk Goobers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  10. ↑ "1948 Lawrenceville Cardinals minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  11. ↑ "1949 Suffolk Goobers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  12. ↑ "1949 Lawrenceville Robins minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  13. ↑ "1949 Virginia League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  14. ↑ "Lawrenceville, Virginia Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
  15. ↑ "City Stadium in Lawrenceville, VA minor league baseball history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  16. ↑ Staff reports. "Spring Ball Registration is March 11". Brunswicktimes Gazette.
  17. ↑ Allen, Sylvia. "BDYL Seeks funding for historic park". Brunswicktimes Gazette.
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