Arkansas State League

The Arkansas State League was an American minor league baseball league that played in various seasons between 1894 and 1935, forming three different times. The first version was in operation in 1894, followed by an 1897 league. The Class D level league operated from 1908 to 1909 in Arkansas and Louisiana and also in 1934 to 1935 in Arkansas and Missouri. In 1936, the league evolved to become the Arkansas-Missouri League. Little Rock and Rogers each won two league championships.

Arkansas State League

Classification	Independent (1894, 1897) Class D (1908–1909, 1934–1935)
Sport	Minor League Baseball
First season	1894
Folded	1935
Replaced by	Arkansas-Missouri League
President	Harry S. Edwards (1897) T. J. Craighead (1908) W. W. Hurst (1909) R. M. Rider (1909) Frank E. Matthews (1934) Charles Morgan (1934–1935)
No. of teams	22
Country	United States of America
Most titles	2 Little Rock 1894, 1897 Rogers (1934–1935)
Related competitions	Northeast Arkansas League Arkansas-Texas League

Cities represented

• Alexandria, Louisiana: Alexandria Hoo Hoos (1909)
• Argenta, Arkansas: Argenta (1908); Argenta Shamrocks (1909)
• Bentonville, Arkansas: Bentonville Officeholders (1934–1935)
• Brinkley, Arkansas: Brinkley Infants (1908)
• Camden, Arkansas: Camden Rainmakers (1894)
• Cassville, Missouri: Cassville Tigers (1935)
• Fayetteville, Arkansas: Fayetteville Educators (1934); Fayetteville Bears (1935)
• Fort Smith, Arkansas: Fort Smith Indians (1894, 1897); Ft. Smith Soldiers (1909)
• Helena, Arkansas: Helena Ponies (1908); Helena Hellions (1909)
• Hot Springs, Arkansas: Hot Springs Bathers (1894, 1897); Hot Springs Giants (1908); Hot Springs Vaporites (1909)
• Huntsville, Arkansas: Huntsville Red Birds (1935)
• Jonesboro, Arkansas: Jonesboro Zebras (1909)
• Little Rock, Arkansas: Little Rock Rose Buds (1894); Little Rock Senators (1897)
• Monroe, Louisiana: Monroe Municipals (1909)
• Morrilton, Arkansas: Morrilton Cotton Pickers (1894)
• Newport, Arkansas & Batesville, Arkansas: Newport Pearl Diggers 1908; Newport-Batesville Pearl Diggers (1909)
• Pine Bluff, Arkansas: Pine Bluff Pine Knotts (1908)
• Poplar Bluff, Missouri: Poplar Bluff Tigers (1908)
• Rogers, Arkansas: Rogers Rustlers (1934); Rogers Cardinals (1935)
• Siloam Springs, Arkansas: Siloam Springs Buffaloes (1934); Siloam Springs Travelers (1935)
• Texarkana, Arkansas: Texarkana (1894); Texarkana Nobles (1897)
• Texarkana, Texas: Texarkana (1909)

Standings & statistics

1894 & 1897

1894 Arkansas State League

Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Manager
Little Rock Rose Buds	11	5	.688	-	NA
Morrilton Cotton Pickers	10	5	.667	½	Massey
Camden Rainmakers	7	10	.412	4½	NA
Hot Springs Bathers	3	11	.214	7	NA
Fort Smith Indians	NA	NA	NA	NA	Rogers
Texarkana	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA

Season ended June 23
1897 Arkansas State League

Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Little Rock Senators	21	7	.750	-	Harry Edwards
Hot Springs Bathers	17	15	.531	6	Dudley Payne
Fort Smith Indians	15	23	.395	10	Hardin
Texarkana Nobles	9	23	.281	14	Thomas Browner

League disbanded August 18; Little Rock and Hot Springs played a 21-game finals series

1908 & 1909

1908 Arkansas State League

Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Hot Springs Giants	78	38	.672	-	Arthur Riggs / W. Forbes
Newport Pearl Diggers	65	44	.596	9½	Robert Shelton
Helena Ponies	67	48	.583	10½	Rudolph Kling
Pine Bluff Pine Knotts	51	61	.455	24	Walter Deaver / Al Sullivan
Argenta Shamrocks	49	68	.419	28½	James Kerwin / Roy Geyer Charles Reece / Arthur Riggs
Poplar Bluff Tigers / Brinkley Infants	28	79	.262	45½	Al Sullivan / Lee Dawkins

Poplar Bluff was replaced by Brinkley June 8. No playoffs scheduled.

Player statistics

Player	Team	Stat	Tot		Player	Team	Stat	Tot
Elmer Coyle	Hot Springs	BA	.376		Lucky Wright	Hot Springs	W	27
Elmer Coyle	Hot Springs	Runs	134		Hippo Vaughn	Hot Springs	Pct	.900; 9-1
Elmer Coyle	Hot Springs	Hits	178		Herbert Benham	Helena	SB	65

1909 Arkansas State League

Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Jonesboro Zebras	42	27	.609	-	Senter Rainey / Harry Welch
Helena Hellions	39	25	.609	½	C. A. Vandergriff
Texarkana	34	35	.493	8	Robert Shelton
Hot Springs Vaporites	33	37	.471	9½	Arthur Riggs / Elmer Coyle
Monroe Municipals / Newport-Batesville Pearl Diggers	25	38	.397	14	W. Dobard
Ft. Smith Soldiers	27	42	.391	15	Hugo Bezdek / Dad Ritter
Argenta Shamrocks	26	19	.578	NA	Dad Ritter
Alexandria Hoo Hoos	20	23	.465	NA	John Auslet

Argenta & Alexandria disbanded June 7; Monroe moved to Newport-Batesville July 1.
League disbanded July 7.

1934 & 1935

1934 Arkansas State League
The Arkansas State League reformed with four teams. Franchises based in Bentonville, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, Rogers, Arkansas, and Siloam Springs, Arkansas joined. The winners of the first and second halves of the season played for the league championship at the end of the year.

Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Bentonville Officeholders	40	35	.533	-	Red Wilson / Tom McGill / Ed Hawk
Siloam Springs Buffaloes	37	34	.521	1	Clyde Glass
Rogers Rustlers	36	35	.507	2	Ed Hawk / Pete Casey
Fayetteville Educators	33	42	.440	7	Fred Hawn / Frank Matthews

Playoff: Rogers defeated Siloam Springs 5–2 in a one-game playoff for the first half title. Bentonville was declared second half winner when Fayetteville and Siloam Springs folded August 19.
Finals: Rogers defeated Bentonville 4 games to 3

Player statistics

Player	Team	Stat	Tot		Player	Team	Stat	Tot
John Graves	Siloam Springs	BA	.387		Maurice Wollard	Bentonville	W	12
Bill Beams	Bentonville	Runs	61		Everette Hill	Siloam Springs	Pct	.889; 8-1
Parker Rushing	Fayetteville	Hits	96		Bill Beams	Bentonville	HR	12
Clyde Glass	Siloam Springs	RBI	67

1935 Arkansas State League
The league expanded, adding the franchises in Cassville, Missouri and Huntsville, Arkansas to expand from four teams to six teams.

Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Siloam Springs Travelers	66	43	.606	-	Ray Powell
Rogers Cardinals	59	50	.541	7	Fred Cato / Frank Stapleton
Cassville Tigers	54	48	.529	8½	Ed Hawk
Bentonville Officeholders	51	56	.477	14	Bud Davis
Fayetteville Bears	45	56	.446	17	Lyle Casey / Fred Cato
Huntsville Red Birds	41	63	.394	22½	Jim Nicely / Charles Wilson Bill Werner

Playoff: Rogers (1st half winner) defeated Siloam Springs (2nd half winner) 4 games to 3.

All teams continued play in the renamed 1936 Arkansas–Missouri League. The Arkansas State League folded.

Player statistics

Player	Team	Stat	Tot		Player	Team	Stat	Tot
Duane Kratzer	Cassville	BA	.397		Jumbo Brown	Bentonville	W	20
Howard Roberts	Cassville	Runs	89		George Gibson	Bentonville	W	20
Wilbur Davis	Bentonville	Hits	146		Johnny John	Cassville	SO	147
Wilbur Davis	Bentonville	RBI	93		Jumbo Brown	Bentonville	ERA	2.97
Howard Roberts	Cassville	HR	21

References

• Sumner, Benjamin Barrett. Minor League Baseball Standings:All North American Leagues, Through 1999. Jefferson, N.C.:McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0781-6

Hall, John G. "Majoring in The Minors." Oklahoma Bylines-Transcript Press, Norman, Oklahoma 1996 and republished 2000 by Inter-State Printing, Sedalia, Mo. ISBN 1-882336-09-7.