Vincennes Velvets

The Vincennes Velvets were a minor league baseball team based in Vincennes, Indiana from 1950–1952. The Velvets were members of the Class D Mississippi–Ohio Valley League, predecessor to today's Midwest League.[1][2]

Vincennes Velvets (Citizens)
1950–1952
(1950–1952)
Vincennes, Indiana
Minor league affiliations
Previous classesClass D (1950–1952)
Previous leagues
Mississippi–Ohio Valley League (1950–1952)
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
  • Independent (1951–1952)
  • St. Louis Browns (1950)
Minor league titles
League titles None
Team data
Previous parks
Nehi Park (1950–1952)

The Vincennes Velvets were an affiliate of the St. Louis Browns (1950).

History

The Belleville Stags of the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League moved to Vincennes following the 1949 season. The franchise became the Vincennes Citizens in 1950, playing as an affiliate of the St. Louis Browns, before operating as an independent in 1951–1952. The team changed from the "Citizens" moniker in 1950 and became the Vincennes Velvets in 1951. The name change occurred when Champagne Velvet Beer became a sponsor of the team.[3][4][5]

The 1950 Vincennes Citizens finished 43-76 (7th) in the eight-team Mississippi–Ohio Valley League regular season under Managers Mel Ivy and Andy Smith. The home attendance was 18,977, an average of 319 per game, last in the league.[6][7]

In 1951, the Vincennes Velvets finished 43-74 (6th) in the six-team Mississippi–Ohio Valley League. The Managers were Stormy Kromer and Bob Signaigo. The 1951 attendance was attendance: 25,652, an average of 438 per game, 5th in the league.[8][6]

The franchise moved to Canton, Illinois on June 7, 1952. The team became the Canton Citizens, finishing the 1952 season 54-70, 6th in the eight-team Mississippi–Ohio Valley League. The Vincennes Velvets were the last minor league team in Vincennes, Indiana.[9][10][6][11]

The ballpark

The Vincennes teams played at Nehi Park. Nehi Park was located at 13th Street & Willow Street, Vincennes, Indiana. The ballpark was located behind the Nehi Bottling Works.[12][4][2][13]

Velvet Beer, namesake of the Vincennes Velvets

Notable alumni
  • Roy Hawes (1950)
  • “Prince” Joe Henry (1952)

References
  1. "1950 Vincennes Citizens Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  2. http://mwlarchives.com/vincennes.html
  3. "Vincennes, Indiana in the Midwest League | MWLguide.com". www.mwlguide.com.
  4. Day, Richard; Hall, Garry; Hopper, William (2006-04-19). Vincennes: 1930-1960. ISBN 9781439632819.
  5. "Vincennes Citizens - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  6. "Mississippi-Ohio Valley League - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  7. "1950 Vincennes Citizens Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  8. "1951 Vincennes Velvets Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  9. "Vincennes, IN - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com.
  10. "1952 Vincennes Velvets/Canton Citizens Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.
  11. "1952 Mississippi-Ohio Valley League". Baseball-Reference.com.
  12. "Vincennes' Nehi Park | MWLguide.com". www.mwlguide.com.
  13. "Nehi Park in Vincennes, IN history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com.

Baseball Reference

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