Crawfordsville Hoosiers

The Crawfordsville Hoosiers were a minor league baseball team briefly based in Crawfordsville, Indiana in 1888. The Crawfordsville Hoosiers were charter members of the Independent level Central Interstate League, before relocating to Terre Haute, Indiana during the 1888 season. Baseball Hall of Fame member Bud Fowler played for the Hoosiers.

Crawfordsville Hoosiers
Minor league affiliations
ClassIndependent (1888)
LeagueCentral Interstate League (1888)
Major league affiliations
TeamNone
Minor league titles
League titles (0)None
Team data
NameCrawfordsville Hoosiers (1888)
BallparkUnknown (1888)

History

edit

Crawfordsville, Indiana first hosted minor league baseball play in 1888, when the Crawfordsville "Hoosiers" became charter members of the Independent level Central Interstate League. The Bloomington Reds, Danville Browns, Davenport Hawkeyes, Decatur, Dubuque, Lafayette, Peoria Reds and Rockford Rox joined the Crawfordsville Hoosiers as charter members in league play.[1]

On May 1, 1888, the Crawfordsville Hoosiers began league play, with Baseball Hall of Fame member Bud Fowler on the roster, integrating the team.[2][3][4] Fowler had previously been signed by the 1888 Lafayette team, but never appeared for the team after issues with his race arose from the team manager and Fowler asked to be released. Fowler then signed with Crawfordsville.[5] Fowler was described in a local newspaper review of the players on the roster as "having graduated from Oberlin College with honors. He is well informed, has traveled extensively and is an absolute teatotaller."[6] Fowler hit .294 for the 1888 season with the Hoosiers.[5]

On July 2, 1888, the Crawfordsville Hoosiers had a 21–21 record, playing under manager Albert Miller, when the franchise relocated to become the Terre Haute Hoosiers. The team ended the season in third place with a 32–26 overall record, finishing 8.0 games behind the first place Davenport Hawkeyes when the league folded for the season on July 27, 1888. Crawfordsville/Terre Haute player A.W. Snyder led the Central Interstate league with 6 home runs.[1][4][7]

Crawfordsville, Indiana has not hosted another minor league team.[8][9]

The ballpark

edit

The name of the Crawfordsville minor league ballpark in 1888 is unknown.[10]

Year–by–year record

edit
Year Record Finish Manager Notes
1888 32–26 3rd Albert Miller /
J.W. Carroll
Crawfordsville (21–21) moved to Terre Haute July 2
League folded July 27

Notable alumni

edit

See also

edit

Crawfordsville Hoosiers players

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "1888 Central Interstate League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  2. ^ "1888 Central Inter-State League (CISL) Minor League Baseball on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  3. ^ "Blacks in 19th Century Organized Baseball – Society for American Baseball Research".
  4. ^ a b "1888 Crawfordsville Hoosiers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  5. ^ a b "Bud Fowler – Society for American Baseball Research".
  6. ^ "CRAWFORDSVILLE's "PRO" Team" (PDF), Crawfordsville Weekly Journal, p. 6, 21 April 1888
  7. ^ "1888 Crawfordsville/Terre Haute minor league baseball Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  8. ^ "Crawfordsville, Indiana Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
  9. ^ Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
  10. ^ "Unknown in Crawfordsville, IN minor league baseball history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
edit