The Newport News Shipbuilders were a

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

team based in

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an Independent city (United States), independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the List of c ...

. The Shipbuilders first played as members of the

Virginia League The Virginia League was a minor league baseball affiliation which operated in Virginia and North Carolina from 1906 to 1928. It was classified as a "C" league from 1906 to 1919 and as a "B" league from 1920 to 1928, folding in June. The most fa ...

in 1900 and the 1901 Virginia-North Carolina League. Newport News then resumed minor league play in the 1911 season as a member of the short lived Tidewater League before the Shipbuilders returned to the

, playing in the league from 1912 to 1922. The Shipbuilders won consecutive Virginia League championships in 1916 and 1917. The Newport News Shipbuilders teams hosted minor league home games at Lincoln Park and Horowitz Park.

History

1900 & 1901: two leagues and a tornado

Minor league baseball began in Newport News when the 1894 Newport News-Hampton Deckhands played a partial season as members of the

. The Newport News "Shipbuilders" followed as the next minor league team based in Newport News, beginning play in 1900. The 1900 Newport News "Shipbuilders" began play as members of the six–team, Class D level

. Newport News joined the Hampton Crabs, Norfolk Phenoms, Petersburg Farmers, Portsmouth Boers and Richmond Bluebirds in beginning league play on April 30, 1900. The Newport News "Shipbuilders" nickname corresponds to local industry, history and geography. Located in the

Virginia Peninsula The Virginia Peninsula is the natural landform located in southeast Virginia outlined by the York River, James River, Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay. It is sometimes known as the ''Lower Peninsula'' to distinguish it from two other penins ...

and along the

James River The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...

, the city has long been home to the shipbuilding industry. Today, it hosts the Huntington Ingalls Industries Shipbuilding company and

Newport News Shipbuilding Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, is the sole designer, builder, and refueler of aircraft carriers and one of two providers of submarines for the United States Navy. Founded as the Chesapeake Dry Dock ...

, the largest military ship building company in the United States. Newport News is home to The

Mariners' Museum and Park The Mariners' Museum and Park is located in Newport News, Virginia, United States. Designated as America’s ''National Maritime Museum'' by Congress, it is one of the largest maritime museums in North America. The Mariners' Museum Library contai ...

. The museum is located at 100 Museum Drive in Newport News, Virginia. On July 11, 1900, the Virginia League folded after Petersburg and Richmond had already folded in mid-June. The Shipbuilders placed fourth in the Atlantic League standings in the shortened season. When the league folded, Newport News ended the season with a record of 23–39, playing the season under managers Hunter Harvey, Mike Trost and Kid Weaver. The Shipbuilders finished the season 22.0 games behind the first place Norfolk Phenoms, who were led by

Christy Mathewson Christopher Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six," "the Christian Gentleman," "Matty," and "the Gentleman's Hurler," was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball for ...

, in the final standings. In 1901, the shipbuilders were affected by a natural disaster as the team played in a newly named league. In 1901, the

evolved into the Class C level Virginia–North Carolina League. The Virginia League cities of New Port News Portsmouth and Richmond franchises continued play in the 1901 Virginia–North Carolina League, joining three new franchises. The new Virginia–North Carolina League was formed on February 18, 1901. In a league meeting at the Monticello Hotel in Norfolk, Virginia, W.H. Cunningham was elected president and E.H. Doran selected as secretary. The league was formed with six teams, four from Virginia and two from North Carolina, resulting in the name change for the league. The six-team Virginia–North Carolina League began play on April 16, 1901. The Norfolk Skippers, Portsmouth Browns, Raleigh Senators, Richmond Bluebirds and Wilmington Giants teams joined the Shipbuilders in league play. On May 1, 1901, a tornado hit Newport News, Virginia. Home attendance was diminished as a result. On June 21, 1901, the team relocated from Newport News to

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

with a 32-21 record. Completing the season as the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

, the team ended the season in third place with a 50-55 overall record, 9.0 games behind first place Raleigh. Ed Ashenback served as manager in both locations. The Virginia-North Carolina league did not return to play in 1902.

1911: Tidewater League

The Shipbuilders were succeeded by the 1911 "Newport News" team, resuming minor league play as members of the Class D level Tidewater League, which began league play on May 11, 1911. The six–team league was composed of charter teams, all without known monikers, representing

Elizabeth City, North Carolina Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County, North Carolina, Pasquotank county, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 18,629. Elizabeth City is the county seat and most populous city of Pasqu ...

and the Virginia cities of

Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia * Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria ** Hampton railway station, Melbour ...

Newport News Newport News () is an independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the fifth-most populous city in Virginia and 140th-most populous city i ...

Old Point Comfort Old Point Comfort is a point of land located in the Independent city (United States), independent city of Hampton, Virginia. Previously known as Point Comfort, it lies at the extreme tip of the Virginia Peninsula at the mouth of Hampton Roads in ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

and

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

. On May 4, 1911, Newport News pitcher Ralph Davie threw a no-hitter. Davie defeated Norfolk at Norfolk by the score of 12-0 in the game. Davie walked one hitter. The Tidewater League regular season ended on August 1, 1911. The

Elizabeth City Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank county, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,629. Elizabeth City is the county seat and most populous city of Pasquotank County. It is the cultural, economic and educational h ...

and

teams had folded earlier the season. Newport News was in fourth place when the season ended, playing under manager Hugh Shannon. Newport News ended with a final record of 10–11 finish 7.0 games behind the Tidewater League champion

team. The Tidewater League permanently folded after the 1911 season. Beginning with the 1911 season, Newport News began hosting minor league home games at Horowitz Field. The ballpark remained home to the Shipbuilders teams through the 1922 season.

1912 to 1922: Virginia League

In 1912, the Newport News Shipbuilders reformed, and the franchise rejoined the

. The Class C level league began the season with the Danville Red Sox, Lynchburg Shoemakers,

Norfolk Tars The Norfolk Tars were a minor league baseball team that existed on and off from 1906 to 1955. Based in Norfolk, Virginia, they played in the Virginia League from 1906 to 1918 and from 1921 to 1928, in the Eastern League (1916), Eastern League from ...

, Petersburg Goobers, Portsmouth Pirates,

Richmond Colts The Richmond Colts were a minor league baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia that existed on-and-off from 1894 to 1953. They played in the Virginia League in 1894, and in another Virginia League in 1900, and another Virginia League from 1 ...

and Roanoke Tigers teams joined Newport News in beginning league play on April 18, 1912. In their first season after rejoining the Virginia League, the Newport News Shipbuilders ended the 1912 season with a record of 46-84. Managed by John Grim and Buck Hooker, the Shipbuilders ended the season in sixth place, which was last after the Danville and Richmond teams folded during the season. Newport News finished 32.0 games behind first place Roanoke. The 1913 Shipbuilders placed fifth in the six-team Virginia League. Newport had a final record of 53–83, playing the season under managers Paul Davis and Harry Mathews. The Shipbuilders finished 36.5 games behind the first place Petersburg Goobers. With a third-place finish in the 1914 Virginia League, the Shipbuilders finished above .500 for the first time. Newport News ended the season with a 70–69 record. With the returning Harry Mathews, Matt Broderick and Harry Spratt serving as managers, the Shipbuilders finished 22.5 games behind the first place

. Newport News pitcher Carroll Barton threw a no hitter on August 26, 1914. Barton and the Shipbuilders defeated Petersburg 11-0 in the contest. Barton struck out 4 and walked 3 in the victory at Petersburg. The 1915 Shipbuilders finished above .500 for the second consecutive Virginia League season. The team also had a 20-game winning pitcher. Newport News ended the season with an overall record of 63–62, as Carl Carnes and Brook Crist managed the team during the season. The Virginia League began a split-season schedule with the winners meeting in a playoff. Placing fourth in the six-team Class D league, Newport News ended the season 11.5 games behind the eventual champion Rocky Mount Carolinians. Shipbuilders' pitcher Roy Gardinier led the Virginia League with both 20 wins and 216 strikeouts.

1916 & 1917:Championship seasons

In 1916, the Newport News Shipbuilders won both the Virginia League second half pennant and the league championship. Under returning manager Brook Crist and Fred Payne, the Shipbuilders ended the regular season in first place with a 79–39 record, which was the best overall record in the league. Newport News finished 3.0 games ahead of the second place Portsmouth Foxes in the six-team league. In the playoff, Newport News defeated Portsmouth 4 games to 1 to capture the league championship. Rasty Walters of Newport News hit 15 home runs to lead the Virginia League in 1916. The Shipbuilders won a second consecutive Virginia League championship in 1917, in a brief season. After beginning play on April 26, 1917, the Virginia League folded for the season on May 16, 1917, with

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

affecting many minor leagues. In their brief season Newport News had a 10–5 record when the league folded. With Brock Crist continuing as the team player/manager, the Shipbuilders were 1.5 games ahead of the

Portsmouth Truckers The Portsmouth Truckers were an American professional baseball team in Minor League Baseball. Based in Portsmouth, Virginia, and primarily competing in the Virginia League, the team existed on-and-off from 1895 to 1928. The team played in the Pied ...

in the six-team league.

1918 to 1922

The Virginia League returned to play briefly in 1918, beginning the season as a four-team, Class C league and suspending operations during the season. There were only ten total minor leagues that began play in 1918 due to World War I, and nine of the leagues suspended their seasons. Newport News played with Norfolk, Petersburg and Richmond in the Virginia League. On July 20, 1918, the Virginia League stopped play. At the time, the Shipbuilders were in second place, just 0.5 game behind the

. The Shipbuilders ended the season with a 28–21 record, managed by Roy Whitcraft. In the 1919 season, the Virginia League returned to a six-team Class C league and the Shipbuilders ended the season in last place. With Roy Whitcraft returning as manager, Newport News placed sixth with a 42–69 record. The Shipbuilders finished 21.0 games behind the pennant winning Petersburg Goobers. Petersburg won the league championship when the playoffs were cancelled due to disagreements. The Virginia League expanded in 1920 and went up a class level. The league expanded to eight teams, adding the Rocky Mount Tar Heels and Wilson Bugs teams and became a Class B level league. Playing under four managers, the Newport News Shipbuilders placed sixth in the final standings. Compiling a record of 51–68, the Shipbuilders were managed by Joe Wall, James Brannigan, William Schwartz and Harry Lake in finishing 27.5 games behind the Richmond Colts, who lost to Portsmouth in the playoff. The 1921 Virginia League continued as an eight-team Class B level league, with the Shipbuilders finishing the regular season in seventh place. Harry Lake returned as manager, as Newport News ended the regular season with a record of 52–81. The eventual champion Portsmouth Truckers finished 25.5 games ahead of Newport News. In their final season of play as the "Shipbuilders," Newport News finished in second place as the 1922 Virginia League reduced to six teams and remained a Class B level league. With Roy Whitcraft returning to manage the team, the Shipbuilders ended the season with a record of 63–56. No playoffs were held, as the Wison Bugs had the leagues' best record, finishing 4.5 games ahead of second place Newport News. Newport News did not return to play in the 1923 Virginia League and were replaced by the Petersburg Trunkmakers. Nearly two decades later, minor league baseball returned to Newport News in 1941, with the Newport News Pilots. After reforming in 1939, the 1941

expanded to six teams and played as a Class C level league, adding the Newport News Pilots and Petersburg Rebels teams to the league. The Newport News Pilots and Rebels were joined by the

Harrisonburg Turks The Harrisonburg Turks are a collegiate summer baseball team in Harrisonburg, Virginia. They play in the South Division of the Valley Baseball League, a collegiate wooden bat summer league consisting of 11 teams in the state of Virginia. The Turk ...

, Lynchburg Senators, Salem-Roanoke Friends and Staunton Presidents in beginning league play on May 2, 1941.

The ballparks

In 1900 and 1901, Newport News teams played their home minor league games at Lincoln Park. The ballpark was located at 6th Street & Jefferson Avenue in Newport News. The ballpark was along the waterfront of the

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond, and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near whe ...

. The site is still in use today as a public park, known as King-Lincoln Park. King-Lincoln Park is located at 600 Jefferson Avenue in Newport News, Virginia. Beginning in 1911, Newport News hosted minor league home games at Horowitz Field. The park was also known as League Park and City Park from 1916 to 1921. The player clubhouse was located behind centerfield. The ballpark was demolished by 1926. In the era, the ballpark was bordered by Wichham Street & Orcutt Street between 28th street & 30th Street on Virginia Avenue, which is called Warwick Boulevard today. Today, the former Doris Miller Community Center building is located on the former ballpark site. The community center is scheduled to be demolished un 2023 and replaced with a new community resource center building and other amenities on the site. The former Doris Miller Community Center & Swimming Pool facilities are located at 2800 Warwick Boulevard in Newport News, Virginia.

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

* Ray Bates (1912) * Clarence Berger (1915) * Elmer Brown (1918) * Matt Broderick (1914, MGR) * Andy Bruckmiller (1912) *

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(1913) *

Bill Clay William Lacy "Bill" Clay Sr. (born April 30, 1931) is an American politician from Missouri who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri's 1st congressional district representing portions of St. Louis for 3 ...

(1900) * Jake Drauby (1901) * Joe Fitzgerald (1919) * Cy Fried (1920) * Charlie Gettig (1901) * Norm Glockson (1914) *

Johnny Gooch John Beverley Gooch (November 9, 1897 – May 15, 1975) was an American professional baseball player, coach, minor league manager and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from to , most prominently for the Pittsburgh Pirates ...

(1919) * Hunter Harvey (1900, MGR) *

Harry Hedgpeth Harry Malcolm Hedgpeth (September 4, 1888 – July 30, 1966) was a Major League Baseball pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward th ...

(1914) * Ty Helfrich (1916) * Ed High (1901) * Izzy Hoffman (1900) * Buck Hooker (1901; 1911, MGR) * Buck Hopkins (1915-1916, 1920) * Rudy Hulswitt (1900) * Scotty Ingerton (1916) * George Keefe (1900) * John Kull (1913) * Tom Lipp (1901) * Charlie Luskey (1912) *

Ralph Mattis Ralph Mattis (August 24, 1890 – September 13, 1960), known also as Matty Mattis, was a professional baseball outfielder whose career spanned seven seasons, one of which was spent in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Pittsburgh Rebels (1914). ...

(1912) * Bill McCabe (1914) * Harry McCluskey (1918) * Moxie Meixell (1914) * Jim Murray (1901) * Champ Osteen (1901) * Fred Ostendorf (1916) * Fred Payne (1916, MGR; 1917) *

Carl Ray Carl Ray (January 10, 1943 – September 26, 1978) was a First Nations artist who was active on the Canadian art scene from 1969 until his death in 1978. Considered primarily a Woodlands Style artist. He was a founding member of the Indian Gr ...

(1916-1917, 1921) *

Bill Richardson William Blaine Richardson III (November 15, 1947 – September 1, 2023) was an American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the List of governors of New Mexico, 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. He was U.S. ambassador to ...

(1900) * Lance Richbourg (1918) * Johnny Schulte (1916) * Harry Spratt (1914, MGR) *

Joe Stanley Joe Stanley (born 13 April 1957) is a former rugby union player. He was born in Auckland, New Zealand. Career Stanley played for Ponsonby RFC and Auckland in the National Provincial Championship, and New Zealand as a centre. Joe is a member o ...

(1900) *

Pinky Swander Edward Ottis "Pinky" Swander (July 4, 1880 – October 24, 1944) was a Major League Baseball outfielder. He played parts of two seasons in the majors for the St. Louis Browns. He played 14 games as a right fielder in , then made one appearance as ...

(1901) * Mike Trost (1900, MGR) *

Bucky Veil Frederick William "Bucky" Veil (August 2, 1881 – April 16, 1931) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1903 and 1904. Career Frederick played both baseball and football at Williamsport ...

(1901) * Doc Waldbauer (1916) * Frank Walker (1915-1916) * Joe Wall (1920, MGR) * Allie Watt (1916)

References

{{reflist

External links

Newport News - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Sports clubs and teams in Virginia Baseball teams in Virginia Defunct baseball teams in Virginia Virginia League teams Virginia-North Carolina League teams Baseball teams established in 1900 Baseball teams disestablished in 1901 Baseball teams established in 1912 Baseball teams disestablished in 1922 Sports in Newport News, Virginia