The Arkansas State League was a Class D minor baseball league that operated primarily in Arkansas from 1908-1909.
History
The league was formally organized on March 15th, 1908 in a meeting held in Little Rock, AR. Thomas J. Craighead of Hot Springs was elected president of the league in that meeting, and Argenta (now North Little Rock) and Poplar Bluff, MO were granted membership, joining Hot Springs, Pine Bluff, Helena, and Newport. 1 2 The 1908 bylaws officially designated the league as the "Arkansaw State Baseball League," but the official name was amended to "Arkansas" in the 1909 spring meeting.
The season opened on April 20th. On June 1st, Poplar Bluff dropped from the league and was transferred to Brinkley, AR. No playoffs were scheduled and Hot Springs was declared the winner.
On December 10th, 1908, a annual meeting of the league was held and W.W. Hurst was elected the new president of the league.
The 1909 season opened on April 15th and ran until it folded on July 7th. The league soon reorganized as the Northeast Arkansas League.
Teams
1908 Record
1909 Standings
League Presidents
No-Hitters
History
The league was formally organized on March 15th, 1908 in a meeting held in Little Rock, AR. Thomas J. Craighead of Hot Springs was elected president of the league in that meeting, and Argenta (now North Little Rock) and Poplar Bluff, MO were granted membership, joining Hot Springs, Pine Bluff, Helena, and Newport. 1 2 The 1908 bylaws officially designated the league as the "Arkansaw State Baseball League," but the official name was amended to "Arkansas" in the 1909 spring meeting.
The season opened on April 20th. On June 1st, Poplar Bluff dropped from the league and was transferred to Brinkley, AR. No playoffs were scheduled and Hot Springs was declared the winner.
On December 10th, 1908, a annual meeting of the league was held and W.W. Hurst was elected the new president of the league.
The 1909 season opened on April 15th and ran until it folded on July 7th. The league soon reorganized as the Northeast Arkansas League.
Teams
| Team | Years | ||||
| Alexandria Hoo Hoos | 1909 | ||||
| Argenta Shamrocks | 1908-1909 | ||||
| Brinkley, AR | 1908 | ||||
| Fort Smith Soldiers | 1909 | ||||
| Helena Hellions | 1909 | ||||
| Hot Springs Vaporites | 1908-1909 | ||||
| Jonesboro Zebras | 1909 | ||||
| Monroe, LA | 1909 | ||||
| Newport Pearl Diggers | 1908 | ||||
| Newport-Batesville Pearl Diggers | 1909 | ||||
| Pine Bluff Pine Knotts | 1908 | ||||
| Poplar Bluff, MO | 1908 | ||||
| Texarkana, AR | 1909 | ||||
1908 Record
| 1908 Standings | Wins | Losses | % | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Springs | 78 | 38 | .672 | Arthur Riggs / W. Forbes |
| Newport | 65 | 44 | .596 | Robert Shelton |
| Helena | 67 | 48 | .583 | Rudolph Kling |
| Pine Bluff | 51 | 61 | .455 | Walter Deaver / Al Sullivan |
| Argenta | 49 | 68 | .419 | James Kerwin / Roy Geyer / Reece / Riggs |
| Poplar Bluff/Brinkley | 28 | 79 | .262 | Al Sullivan / Lee Dawkins |
1909 Standings
| 1909 Standings | Wins | Losses | % | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonesboro | 42 | 27 | .609 | Senter Rainey |
| Helena | 39 | 25 | .609 | C. A. Vandergriff |
| Texarkana | 34 | 35 | .493 | Robert Shelton |
| Hot Springs | 33 | 37 | .471 | Arthur Riggs / Elmer Coyle |
| Monroe/Newport-Batesville | 25 | 38 | .397 | W. Dobard |
| Fort Smith Soldiers | 27 | 42 | .391 | Hugo Bezdek / Dad Ritter |
| Argenta Shamrocks | 26 | 19 | .578 | Dad Ritter |
| Alexandria Hoo Hoos | 20 | 23 | .465 | John Auslet |
League Presidents
| Name | From-To | ||||
| Thomas J. Craighead | 3/2/1908-12/10/1908 | ||||
| William W. Hurst | 12/10/1908-6/10/1909 | ||||
| Ralph Montague Rider | 6/14/1909- | ||||
No-Hitters
| Date | Pitcher | Team | Opponent | Score | Notes |
| 5/26/1908 | William Wright | Hot Springs | Poplar Bluff | 3-0 | 55-minute Game.3 |
| 7/29/1908 | John McFarland | Helena | Pine Bluff | 6-0 | Faced only 26 batters after one was called out for failing to come to the plate.4 |
| 6/8/1909 | Charles Deardorff | Jonesboro | Fort Smith | 10-0 | 5 |
| 6/9/1909 | Cook | Helena | Texarkana | 1-0 | 6 |