The Cushing Refiners was the final moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Cushing, Oklahoma in 1921 and from 1923 to 1925. Cushing played as members of the Class D level

Southwestern League The Southwestern League was the name of four former minor league baseball leagues that operated in the Southwestern United States. The second league, also known as the ''Oklahoma State League'', was in operation for the 1904 season. The third l ...

in 1921,

Oklahoma State League The Oklahoma State League was a Class D level minor baseball league based in Oklahoma that existed in 1912 and again from 1922 to 1924. L.S. Dodds (1912), Leo Meyer (1912), C.E. Plott (1922), E.A. Daniels (1922–1924) and A.L. Ragan (1924) serve ...

from 1923 to 1924 and Southwestern League in 1925.

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

member

Carl Hubbell Carl Owen Hubbell (June 22, 1903 – November 21, 1988), nicknamed "the Meal Ticket" and "King Carl", was an American Major League Baseball player. He was a pitcher for the New York Giants of the National League from 1928 to 1943, and remained o ...

made his professional debut with the 1923 Cushing Refiners.

History

Minor league baseball began in Cushing, Oklahoma in 1921. On August 3, 1921, the Parsons Parsons of the Class D level

moved from

Parsons, Kansas Parsons is a city in Labette County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 9,600. It is the most populous city of Labette County, and the second-most populous city in the southeastern region of Kansas. ...

to Cushing. Parsons was 26–57 at the time of the move. The team finished the 1921 season as the Cushing Oilers. The team was 8–53 in Cushing, before finishing 8th with an overall record of 34-110. The team was managed by G. C. "Kitty" Knight and Lefty Wilson. In 1922, the Southwestern League became a Class C League and Cushing did not return. The Cushing Refiners joined the

for the 1923 season. The Refiners finished in 2nd place in the eight–team league with a 67–53 record, 2.0 games behind the 1st place Duncan Oilers. The Refiners were managed by

Ned Pettigrew Jim Ned Pettigrew (August 25, 1881 – August 20, 1952) was an American Major League Baseball player who pinch hit in two games for the Buffalo Buffeds in . He was a Minor League Baseball outfielder from 1905 to 1921, and managed in the mino ...

. In 1923,

inductee

made his professional debut for the Cushing Refiners. Pettigrew had given Hubbell a tryout and subsequently signed him to a contract to play for Cushing. Hubbell was age 20 in 1923 and had worked for an oil company after graduating from high school in

Meeker, Oklahoma Meeker is a town in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,145 at the 2010 census. Geography Meeker is located at (35.497295, -96.897114). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , ...

. In 1924, the Oklahoma State League permanently folded on July 8, 1924. The Cushing Refiners were 49–27 and in 3rd place when the league folded. The Refiners were again managed by Ned Pettigrew. After the Oklahoma State folded, the Cushing Refiners rejoined the six–team Class D level

in 1925. The Oilers were 64–65 and finished 4th in the Southwestern League, 9.5 games behind the 1st place

Salina Millers Salina may refer to: Places United States *Salina, Arizona *Salina, Colorado * Salina, Iowa *Salina, Kansas *Salina, Michigan, a former village now part of Saginaw, Michigan *Salina, New York *Salina, Oklahoma * Salina, Pennsylvania *Salina, Utah ...

. The manager was

Frank Thompson Frank Thompson Jr. (July 26, 1918 – July 22, 1989) was an American politician. He represented in the United States House of Representatives as a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat from 1955 to 1980, and was chairman of the United State ...

. The Cushing franchise was replaced by Ponca City Poncans in the 1926 Southwestern League. There has not been another minor league team in Cushing.

The ballparks

The 1921 Cushing Oilers were noted to have played home games at Speedway Park. The ballpark was reportedly located north of town on North Little Avenue, where a bowling alley currently stands. Starting in 1923, the Cushing Refiners reportedly played home games at a new facility called Cushing Ball Park. That ballpark was noted to have been located on West Moses Street on the southeast corner of the railroad crossing for the now-abandoned Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad tracks, which intersected West Moses between Violet and Puckett Avenues.

Timeline

Season-by-season

Notable alumni

Elon Hogsett Elon Chester "Chief" Hogsett (November 2, 1903 – July 17, 2001) was a professional baseball pitcher who threw with a left-handed submarine motion. He played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1938 plus a final season in 1944, appearing in 3 ...

(1925) *

(1923) Inducted to the

in 1947 *

(1923–1924, MGR) *

Oscar Roettger Oscar Frederick Louis Roettger (February 19, 1900 – July 4, 1986) was an American baseball player whose 19-year active career was augmented by brief service as a minor-league manager and over 35 years as the liaison between the Rawlings Sport ...

(1921) *

Andy Rush Jesse Howard Rush (December 26, 1889 – March 16, 1969) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched in four games for the Brooklyn Robins The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the America ...

(1921) *

(1925, MGR)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Sports clubs and teams in Oklahoma Baseball teams established in 1923 Baseball teams disestablished in 1925 1923 establishments in Oklahoma 1925 disestablishments in Oklahoma Defunct baseball teams in Oklahoma Professional baseball teams in Oklahoma Defunct Southwestern League teams Payne County, Oklahoma