The Big South League was an

independent baseball league An independent baseball league is a professional baseball league in the United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball or its affiliated Minor League Baseball system (historically referred to as organized baseball). Inde ...

that operated from 1996 to 1997 in the states of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

and

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. The BSL sought to establish baseball clubs in a number of rapidly expanding urban areas without professional sports entertainment. The circuit featured six franchises represented on its inaugural season. At the time, none of the cities represented had hosted professional baseball for 40 years. In its second season, the three teams from Tennessee left the BSL to join the

Heartland League The Heartland League was an independent baseball league that operated from 1996 to 1998 in the central United States. The Heartland League was founded with teams in Lafayette, Indiana; Anderson, Indiana; Will County, Illinois; and Dubois County, ...

, while the team from Arkansas did not return. New teams from Mississippi and Tennessee joined the league to complete a four-team circuit, but the BSL failed when attendance fell drastically, from over 200,000 to under 100,000, and folded at the end of the season.

List of teams

* Clarksville Coyotes,

Clarksville, TN Clarksville is a city in Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 166,722 as of the 2020 census, making it the fifth-most populous city in Tennessee. It is the principal city of the Clarksv ...

(1996) *

Columbia Mules The Columbia Mules were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class D Alabama–Tennessee League in 1921. They were located in Columbia, Tennessee, and were named in reference to Columbia being known as the "Mule Capital of the World" an ...

Columbia, TN Columbia is a city in and the county seat of Maury County, Tennessee. The population was 41,690 as of the 2020 United States census. Columbia is included in the Nashville metropolitan area. The self-proclaimed "mule capital of the world," Colu ...

(1996) *

Greenville Bluesmen The Greenville Bluesmen were a minor league baseball team that played in Greenville, Mississippi. The team was a member of the independent Big South League from 1996–1997 and the independent Texas–Louisiana League from 1998–2001. The tea ...

Greenville, MS Greenville is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, ninth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, and the largest city by population in the Mississippi Delta region. It is the county seat of Washington County, Mississippi, Was ...

(1996–1997) * Meridian Brakemen.

Meridian, MS Meridian is the eighth most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 35,052 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical ...

(1996–1997) * Pine Bluff Locomotives,

Pine Bluff, AR Pine Bluff, officially the City of Pine Bluff, is the tenth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Jefferson County. The population of the city was 41,253 in the 2020 census. Pine Bluff is situated in the S ...

(1996) *

Tennessee Tomahawks Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina to the east, Georgia, Alabama, and Missi ...

, Winchester, TN,

Tullahoma, TN Tullahoma is a city in Coffee and Franklin counties in southern Middle Tennessee, United States. The population was 20,339 at the 2020 census. In 2019, the population was estimated to be 19,555. It is the principal city of the Tullahoma micropo ...

(1996) * Tennessee Walkers,

(1997) * Tupelo Tornado,

Tupelo, MS Tupelo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1860, the population was 37,923 at the 2020 census. It is the 7th-most populous city in Mississippi and is considered a commercial, industrial, a ...

(1997)

Championships

(1996–1997)

Sources

*Stott, Jon C. (2001) ''Leagues of Their Own: Independent Professional Baseball, 1993-1999''. McFarland & Company. {{ISBN, 978-0-786-41130-6
Big South League (Independent) Encyclopedia and History
''Baseball Reference''. Retrieved on April 10, 2016. Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States Defunct independent baseball leagues in the United States Baseball leagues in Arkansas Baseball leagues in Mississippi Baseball leagues in Tennessee Sports leagues established in 1996 Sports leagues disestablished in 1997 1996 establishments in the United States 1997 disestablishments in the United States