Middlesboro, Kentucky minor league baseball history
Minor league baseball teams with varying nicknames were based in Middlesboro, Kentucky in various seasons between 1913 and 1963. Middlesboro teams played as members of the Appalachian League in 1913 and 1914, the Mountain States League from 1949 to 1954 and Appalachian League from 1961 to 1963, winning league championships in 1914, 1954 and 1961. Middlesboro teams were a minor league affiliate of the Washington Senators from 1961 to 1962 and both the Chicago Cubs & Chicago White Sox in 1963. Beginning in 1949, Middlesboro hosted minor league home games at the Hilltop Speedway Park. History Minor league baseball began in Middlesboro when the 1913 Middlesboro Colonels began play in the Class D level Appalachian League. The Colonels ended the season with a 30–71 record to finish in 6th place in the 1913 regular season standings. In 1914, the Colonels continued play and were in 1st place with a 15–13 record, when the team disbanded on June 17, 1914. The Morristown Jobbers disbanded at the same time, causing the entire Appalachian League to cease operations. Minor league baseball returned to Middlesboro 35 years later, when the 1949 Middlesboro Athletics began play as members of the Class D level Mountain States