Illinois–Missouri League

The Illinois–Missouri League was an American minor league baseball league. The Class D league began operations in 1908, and continued through 1914 with teams located in Illinois and Missouri. The Lincoln Abes won consecutive league titles in 1912–1913. Baseball Hall of Fame members Grover Cleveland Alexander (1909 Galesburg Boosters) and Ray Schalk (1911 Taylorville Christians) are league alumni.

Illinois–Missouri League

Classification	Class D (1908–1914)
Sport	Minor League Baseball
First season	1908
Ceased	1914
President	A. E. Blain (1908–19110) R.E. Rollins (1911) Charles A. Cline (1912–1914)
No. of teams	17
Country	United States of America
Most titles	2 Lincoln Abes (1912–1913)
Related competitions	Central Association

Cities represented: 1908–1914

• Beardstown, IL: Beardstown Infants (1909–1910)
• Canton, IL: Canton Chinks (1908–1911); Canton Highlanders (1912); Canton Chinks (1913)
• Champaign, IL & Urbana, IL: Champaign-Urbana Velvets (1911); Champaign Velvets (1912–1914)
• Clinton, IL: Clinton Champs (1910–1912)
• Galesburg, IL: Galesburg Hornets (1908); Galesburg Boosters (1909)
• Hannibal, MO: Hannibal Cannibals (1908), moved to Central Association
• Havana, IL: Havana Perfectos (1908)
• Jacksonville, IL: Jacksonville Jacks (1910)
• Kankakee, IL: Kankakee Kanks (1912–1914)
• LaSalle, IL: LaSalle Blue Sox (1914)
• Lincoln, IL: Lincoln Abes (1910–1914)
• Macomb, IL: Macomb Potters (1910)
• Monmouth, IL: Monmouth Browns (1908–1909), moved to Central Association
• Ottawa, IL: Ottawa Indians (1914)
• Pekin, IL: Pekin Celestials (1909–1913)
• Streator, IL: Streator Speedboys (1912); Streator Boosters (1913–1914)
• Taylorville, IL: Taylorville Christians (1911)^[1]

Standings and statistics

1908 Illinois–Missouri League
The league was formed. Newly formed teams in Canton, Illinois, Galesburg, Illinois, Hannibal, Missouri, Havana, Illinois, Macomb, Illinois, and Monmouth, Illinois were the charter cities in the league.

Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Hannibal Cannibals	68	49	.581	–	Bert Hough
Macomb Potters	66	53	.555	3.0	Jap Wagner
Havana Perfectos	58	61	.487	11.0	Mike Sampson / Fred Kommers
Canton Chinks	56	61	.479	12.0	Rodney Turner / Charles Murphy
Monmouth Browns	55	62	.470	13.0	Robert Hyde / Charles Karnell
Galesburg Hornets	50	67	.427	18.0	Clyde Horne / Andy Mueller / John Grogan / Jerry Smith[1]

Player statistics

Player	Team	Stat	Tot		Player	Team	Stat	Tot
Fred Kommers	Havana	BA	.349		Henry Rossback	Galesburg	W	21
Fred Kommers	Havana	Runs	75		Charles Fanning	Canton	SO	200
Fred Kommers	Havana	Hits	153		Curly Curtis	Macomb	Pct	.714; 15–6
Fred Kommers	Havana	HR	11

1909 Illinois–Missouri League
Hannibal left the to join the American Association. The Havana Perfectos folded. The Beardstown Infants and Pekin Celestials joined the league.

Team Standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Monmouth Browns	77	50	.606	–	Jack Corbett
Beardstown Infants	77	52	.597	1.0	Harry Riggons
Pekin Celestials	73	57	.562	5.5	Doug Jeffries / Harry Horton / Walter Diehl
Macomb Potters	63	67	.485	15.5	Orville Wolfe
Canton Chinks	51	79	.392	27.5	Harry Lloyd
Galesburg Boosters	47	83	.362	31.5	W.C. Dithridge[1]

Player statistics

Player	Team	Stat	Tot		Player	Team	Stat	Tot
Andy Lotshaw	Beardstown	BA	.329		Homer Hargrove	Monmouth	W	27
Andy Lotshaw	Beardstown	Runs	72		Joe Jenkins	Pekin	W	27
Andy Lotshaw	Beardstown	Hits	146		Charles Fanning	Canton	SO	249
Cy Forsythe	Pekin	HR	7		Homer Hargrove	Monmouth	Pct	.750; 27–9
Will Johnston	Monmouth	HR	7
Fred Johnson	Canton	HR	7

1910 Illinois–Missouri League
The teams from Galesburg and Monmouth joined the Central Association. The Clinton Champs and Lincoln Abes joined the league. Beardstown moved to Jacksonville, Illinois on July 21, and folded with Macomb on August 17.^[2] schedule

Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Pekin Celestials	66	47	.584	–	William Hickey / Bill Dithridge
Clinton Champs	58	57	.504	9.0	Monte McFarland / Claude Suttles / Charles Cline
Canton Chinks	55	62	.470	13.0	Elmer Smith / M. McDonald
Lincoln Abes	43	71	.377	23.5	James Novacek / Bill Salliard
Macomb Potters	50	43	.538	NA	Stewart
Beardstown Infants / Jacksonville Jacks	44	36	.550	NA	Jack Corbett / Pants Rowland

Beardstown (38–26) moved to Jacksonville July 21; Jacksonville disbanded August 17; Macomb disbanded August 17.^[1]

Player statistics

Player	Team	Stat	Tot		Player	Team	Stat	Tot
Cy Forsythe	Pekin	BA	.380		Joe Jenkins	Pekin	W	27
Walter Diehl Charles O'Berta	Pekin Macomb/Lincoln	Runs	72 72		Joe Jenkins	Pekin	SO	242
Will Lindberg	Clinton	Hits	138		Joe Jenkins	Pekin	Pct	.771; 27–8
Al Dean	Pekin/Clinton	HR	5

1911 Illinois–Missouri League
New teams in Champaign-Urbana Velvets and Taylorville Christians joined the league. schedule

Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Clinton Champs	74	55	.574	–	Claude Suttles
Pekin Celestials	72	55	.567	1.0	Jack Herbert
Champaign-Urbana Velvets	66	60	.524	6.5	John Thiery / Fred Donovan
Canton Chinks	60	62	.492	10.5	Fred "Blackie" Wilson
Lincoln Abes	59	64	.480	12.0	Conley / Bill Salliard / James Brady / Charles Vaught / Jack Corbett
Taylorville Christians	47	82	.364	27.0	Fred Donovan / Joe Adams / R.M. "Oscar" Denney

^[1]

Player statistics

Player	Team	Stat	Tot		Player	Team	Stat	Tot
Andy Lotshaw	Canton	BA	.355		Joab McManus	Canton	W	32
Will Lindberg	Clinton	Runs	94		Joab McManus	Canton	SO	243
Andy Lotshaw	Canton	Hits	160		Fred Marks	Clinton	Pct	.727; 24–9
Andy Lotshaw	Canton	HR	29

1912 Illinois–Missouri League
Taylorville folded. The Streator Speedboys joined the league. The Champaign–Urbana Velvets changed their name to the Champaign Velvets. Clinton moved to Kankakee, Illinois on May 16 with a 2–5 record; thereafter, they went 54–51 as the Kankakee Kanks. schedule

Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Lincoln Abes	70	47	.598	–	Louis Ehrgott
Pekin Celestials	61	55	.526	8.5	Jack Herbert
Canton Highlanders	57	56	.504	11.0	Unknown
Clinton Champs / Kankakee Kanks	56	56	.500	11.5	Claude Suttles / Fred "Blackie" Wilson
Champaign Velvets	53	64	.453	17.0	Chuck Fleming
Streator Speedboys	46	65	.414	21.0	Jack Leuter

^[1]

Player statistics

Player	Team	Stat	Tot		Player	Team	Stat	Tot
Polly Wolfe	Lincoln	BA	.374		Clarence Vaught	Lincoln	W	22
Polly Wolfe	Lincoln	Runs	89		Fred Witte	Champaign	SO	211
Polly Wolfe	Lincoln	Hits	164		N. Entrich	Champaign	Pct	.786; 11–3
Andy Lotshaw	Canton	HR	11

1913 Illinois–Missouri League
Canton and Pekin folded on July 10, before the end of the season. The league instituted a split–season schedule. The playoff system developed in which the best record of the first–half of the season would play the best record of the second–half of the season. schedule

Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Lincoln Abes	57	26	.686	–	Louis Ehrgott
Champaign Velvets	53	32	.623	5.0	Fred "Blackie" Wilson
Kankakee Kanks	35	51	.407	23.5	Red Kelly
Streator Boosters	30	57	.345	29.0	Bob Coyle / Nick Kahl
Pekin Celestials#	23	26	.469	NA	Jack Herbert
Canton Chinks	20	26	.435	NA	Ted Raines

Playoff: Lincoln won the first half, Lincoln & Champaign tied for the second half. Lincoln was awarded the championship when Champaign refused to play off the second half tie.^[1]

Player statistics

Player	Team	Stat	Tot		Player	Team	Stat	Tot
Fred Dang	Lincoln	BA	.412		Clarence Vaught	Lincoln	W	21
Dick Higgins	Lincoln	Runs	65		Clarence Vaught	Lincoln	SO	166
A.J. Holtzhouser	Kankakee	Hits	118		Ernest Hook	Lincoln	Pct	.889; 16–2
Roy Phillips	Streator	HR	13

1914 Illinois–Missouri League
The LaSalle Blue Sox and Ottawa Indians formed and joined the league. Kankakee and Lincoln both folded on July 3, before the season ended. schedule

Team standings	W	L	PCT	GB	Managers
Champaign Velvets	62	27	.696	–	Fred "Blackie" Wilson
Ottawa Indians	47	38	.553	13.0	Chuck Fleming
Streator Boosters	40	48	.454	21.5	John Ray / Heinie Seebach
LaSalle Blue Sox	26	60	.302	34.5	Tony Hinley / John Fitzpatrick
Lincoln Abes	32	15	.681	NA	Louis Ehrgott
Kankakee Kanks	14	33	.301	NA	Ted Raines / Harry Randall / Gene Connelly / William Hinley

Lincoln & Kankakee disbanded July 3.
Ottawa and Streator left the league to join the Bi-State League. The teams in Champaign and LaSalle folded, and the league itself folded.^[1]

Player statistics

Player	Team	Stat	Tot		Player	Team	Stat	Tot
Andy Lotshaw	Champaign-Urbana	BA	.320		Grover Baichley	Champaign-Urbana	W	15
Chuck Fleming	Ottawa	Runs	68		Grover Baichley	Champaign-Urbana	SO	174
Andy Lotshaw	Champaign-Urbana	Hits	108		Grover Baichley	Champaign-Urbana	Pct	.938; 15–1
Andy Lotshaw	Champaign-Urbana	HR	10

^[1]