The Beardstown Infants were a minor league baseball team based in Beardstown, Illinois. In 1909 and 1910, the Infants played as members of the Class D level Illinois-Missouri League, hosting home games at Schmoldt Park.

History

In 1909, the Beardstown began hosting minor league play when the Beardstown "Infants" became members of the Class D level Illinois-Missouri League. Joining Beardstown in the six–team league were the Canton Chinks,

Galesburg Boosters Galesburg is the name of some places in the United States of America: *Galesburg, Illinois, the largest city in the US named Galesburg * Galesburg, Iowa * Galesburg, Kansas *Galesburg, Michigan *Galesburg, Jasper County, Missouri * Galesburg, Putnam ...

Macomb Potters The Macomb Potters were a minor league baseball franchise based in Macomb, Illinois. From 1908 to 1910, the Potters played exclusively as members of the Class D level Illinois-Missouri League. The Potters hosted exhibition games in Macomb again ...

, Monmouth Browns and Pekin Celestials teams. Pekin and Beardstown were new franchises for the league, replacing the

Hannibal Cannibals Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Puni ...

and

Havana Perfectos The Havana Perfectos were a minor league baseball franchise based in Havana, Illinois. In 1908, the Perfectos played as charter members of the Class D level Illinois-Missouri League, finishing in third place in their only season of play. Havana ...

. The "Infants" nickname was in reference to the team being a new team and a youthful team. In their first season of play, the 1909 Beardstown Infants finished as the runner–up in the Illinois–Missouri League. With a regular season record of 77–52, Beardstown placed second in the six–team Illinois–Missouri League standings, playing the season under manager Harry Riggons. Beardstown finished just 1.0 game behind the first place Monmouth Browns in the final league standings. No playoffs were held. Beardstown's Andy Lotshaw led the 1909 Illinois–Missouri League with a .329 average, 146 hits, 14 triples and 72 runs scored. Beardstown notably had three 20–game winners in Merle Spaide (23–9), Cecil Weisenberger (21–14) and C.E. Pettit (20–11). The 1910 Beardstown Infants returned to play, but the franchise relocated before the end of the Illinois–Missouri League season. When the Class D level

Northern Association The Northern Association was a Class D level minor league. It began and ended play in 1910, disbanding on July 19, 1910. The Joliet club moved to Sterling on June 21. The Clinton and Freeport teams disbanded on June 28; The Elgin and Kankakee fran ...

folded on July 19, 1910, the city of

Jacksonville, Illinois Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,446 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County. It is home to Illinois College, Illinois School for the Deaf, and the ...

was left without a team. The Beardstown Infants filled the vacancy and moved to Jacksonville on July 21, 1910 with a 38–26 record. The

Jacksonville Jacks Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the c ...

resumed play and the team had an overall record of 44–36 in the Illinois–Missouri League when the franchise folded on August 17, 1910. The

disbanded from the Illinois–Missouri League on the same day. The 1910 Beardstown/Jacksonville managers were Jack Corbett and

Pants Rowland Clarence Henry "Pants" Rowland (February 12, 1878 – May 17, 1969) was a Major League Baseball manager for the Chicago White Sox from 1915 through 1918 who went on to become a major figure in minor league baseball. He was born in Platteville, ...

. Manager Jack Corbett is credited with inventing the modern bases with base stems that are now used in baseball. Corbett's name is still incorporated into the logo on major league bases. Pants Rowland later managed the Chicago White Sox to the 1917 World Series Championship. Rowland may have managed the 1910 team only upon relocating to Jacksonville. The 1910 Beardstown Infants were the last minor league team hosted in Beardstown, Illinois.

The ballpark

The Beardstown Infants played home games at Schmoldt Park. The park is still in use today as a public park with baseball fields. The ballpark was located at North Bay & Wall Streets in Beardstown, Illinois. Beardstown Carnegie Library

Timeline

Year-by-year records

Notable alumni

Fred Kommers Frederick Raymond Kommers (March 31, 1886 – June 14, 1943) nicknamed "Bugs", was a professional baseball outfielder. Kommers played two seasons in the Major League Baseball. He debuted in June for the Pittsburgh Pirates and played 40 games for ...

(1909) * Moxie Meixell (1910) *

(1910, MGR)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Beardstown - Baseball Reference1909 team photo
Defunct minor league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in Illinois Defunct baseball teams in Illinois Baseball teams established in 1909 Baseball teams disestablished in 1910 Illinois-Missouri League teams Cass County, Illinois