Bluffton Babes
Minor league affiliations
ClassIndependent (1890)
Class D (1907, 1909–1911)
LeagueIndiana State League (1890)
Ohio-Indiana League (1907)
Northern State of Indiana League (1909–1911)
Major league affiliations
TeamNone
Minor league titles
League titles (1)1909
Conference titles (0)None
Team data
NameBluffton (1890)
Bluffton Dregs (1907)
Bluffton Babes (1909–1911)
BallparkUnknown (1890, 1907, 1909–1911)

The Bluffton Babes were a minor league baseball team based in Bluffton, Indiana. From 1909 to 1911, the Babes played as members of the Class D level Northern State of Indiana League, having been preceded by Bluffton teams of the 1890 Indiana State League and 1907 Ohio-Indiana League. The Babes won the league championship in 1909.

History

Bluffton, Indiana first hosted minor league baseball in 1890. The Bluffton team briefly became members of the Independent level Indiana State League.[1] On June 30, 1890, Bluffton had a 25–21 record when the team folded from the eight–team league. The Bluffton manager in 1890 was Jake Aydelott.[2][3]

In 1907, the Bluffton resumed minor league play as the Bluffton Dregs became members of the Class D level Ohio-Indiana League, a six–team league.[4] A September 10, 1907, game saw Bluffton defeat Richmond at home by the score of 7–5 in front of a crowd of 150.[5] With a 21–25 record, the Dregs ended the season in fifth place, managed by Frank Runyan, finishing behind the first place Decatur Admirals in the final standings.[6][7][8] The Ohio-Indiana League did not return to play in 1908.[9]

The 1909 Bluffton "Babes" became charter members of the six–team Class D level Northern State of Indiana League and won a championship.[10][11] The Bluffton Babes were co–champions or champions, playing under managers Herman Weber and Henry Eberts. The Huntington Johnnies, Kokomo Wild Cats, Lafayette Maroons, Marion Boosters and Wabash Whitecaps joined Bluffington in beginning league play on May 5, 1909.[12]

At the conclusion of the 1909 season, there was a tie for first place, with Bluffton having the higher winning percentage. The Bluffton Babes with a 65–38 record and .631 winning percentage finished with the Lafayette Maroons, who had a 66–39 record and .629 winning percentage. Bluffton and Lafayette finished 6.0 games ahead of the third place Huntington Johnnies. Bluffton could have been declared the champions with the slightly higher winning percentage, but no research indicates anything but a tie.[9] The league held no playoffs and utilized a regular season format throughout its existence. The Bluffton use of the "Babes" moniker corresponds to the franchise being a new team in 1909.[13][14][15]

In 1910, the Northern State of Indiana League began the season with four teams and without Bluffton fielding a team. However, on July 2, 1910, the Bluffton Babes and Marion Boosters both joined league play.[9] As a result, the games played prior to July 1, 1910, were not counted in the standings. The Bluffton Babes placed second in the shortened season standings, with a 42–28 record, playing the season under managers Daddy Orr and Herman Webber. The Wabash Rockeries won the league championship with a 46–25 record, finishing 3.5 games ahead of Bluffton.[16][17][18][19][20]

The 1911 season was the final season of play for the Northern State of Indiana League and Bluffton.[21] The Bluffton Babes began league play on May 24, 1911.[22] On July 28, 1911, the Bluffton franchise folded on the same date that the Anderson franchise folded. This occurred after the Logansport franchise moved to Anderson on July 2, 1911. The league briefly continued play before permanently folding on July 31, 1911. At the time the league folded, the Marion Boosters, with a record of 46–24, finished 6.0 games ahead of the second place Huntington Indians in the six–team league. The Bluffton Babes (31–31), Wabash Rockeries (30–35), Lafayette Farmers (28–37) and Logansport Whitecaps / Anderson Whitecaps (22–40) were the remaining franchises in the last season of play. Bluffton was managed by Jake Schock and Lew Scott.[23][24][9]

Bluffton, Indiana has not hosted another minor league team.[25][9]

The ballpark

The name of the Bluffton home minor league ballpark is not directly referenced.[26]

(2011) Bluffton, Indiana. Wabash River

Timeline

Year(s)# Yrs.TeamLevelLeague
18901BlufftonIndependentIndiana State League
19071Bluffton DregsClass DOhio-Indiana League
1909–19113Bluffton BabesNorthern State of Indiana League

Year–by–year records

YearRecordFinishManagerPlayoffs
189025–31NAJake AydelottTeam folded June 30
190721–255thFrank RunyanNo playoffs held
190965–381st (tie)Ducky Eberts / Herman WebberLeague Co-Champions
191042–282ndDaddy Orr / Herman WebberNo playoffs held
191131–31NAJake Schock / Lew ScottTeam folded July 28

Notable alumni

References

  1. "1890 Bluffton Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  2. "1890 Bluffton Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  3. "1890 Indiana State League (ISL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  4. "1907 Ohio-Indiana League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  5. "Richmond Palladium (Daily) 11 September 1907 — Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana's Digital Historic Newspaper Program". newspapers.library.in.gov.
  6. "1907 Bluffton Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  7. "1907 Bluffton Dregs Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  8. "1907 Ohio-Indiana League (OOL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. ISBN 978-1932391176.
  10. Worth, Richard (2013) Baseball Team Names: A Worldwide Dictionary 1869-2011. McFarland & Company, p39. ISBN 978-0-7864-6844-7.
  11. "1909 Northern State of Indiana League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  12. "1909 Northern State of Indiana League (NSIL) on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  13. "1909 Northern State of Indiana League (NSIL) Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  14. "1909 Bluffton Babes Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  15. "1909 Bluffton Babes Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  16. http://www.newspapers.com/clip/407771/1910_northern_state_of_indiana_league/? schedule
  17. "1910 Northern State of Indiana League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  18. "1910 Northern State of Indiana League (NSIL) Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  19. "1910 Bluffton Babes Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  20. "1910 Bluffton Babes Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  21. "1911 Northern State of Indiana League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  22. "1911 Bluffton Babes Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  23. "1911 Northern State of Indiana League (NSIL) Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  24. "1911 Bluffton Babes Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  25. "Bluffton, Indiana Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
  26. "Unknown in Bluffton, IN history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
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