The Opelousas Indians was the primary name of the minor league baseball teams based in

Opelousas, Louisiana :''Opelousas is also a common name of the flathead catfish.'' Opelousas (french: Les Opélousas; Spanish: ''Los Opeluzás'') is a small city and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 ...

. Between 1907 and 1941, Opelousas teams played as members of the Class D level 1907

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the l ...

, 1932

Cotton States League The Cotton States League''Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball: The Official Record of Minor League Baseball'' – Lloyd Johnson, Steve McDonald, Miles Wolff (editors). Publisher: Baseball America, 1997. Format: Paperback, 672pp. Language: Englis ...

, playing that season known as the "Orphans" and

Evangeline League The Evangeline League began in 1934 as a six–team Class D level minor league with teams based in Louisiana, United States, later adding Mississippi and Texas based franchises. In 1935, the league was expanded to eight teams and ceased operation ...

from 1934 to 1941. The Indians won the 1937 league championship. Opelousas hosted minor league home games at Elementary School Park. The Opelousas Indians were a minor league affiliate of the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

from 1935 to 1937 and in 1939.

History

Minor League baseball began in Opelousas in 1907 when the Opelousas Indians played one season in the early

, finishing in last place. Beginning play on April 24, 1907, the Indians placed sixth with a record of 48–67. Playing under manager D. Edmonds, Opelousas finished 19.0 games behind the 1st place

Lake Charles Creoles A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

in the final Gulf Coast League standings. In 1932, minor league baseball returned, then the Opelousas Orphans were briefly members of the Class D level

. The Port Arthur Refiners moved to

DeQuincy, Louisiana DeQuincy is the northernmost city in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,235 at the 2010 census. DeQuincy is part of the Lake Charles metropolitan statistical area. History DeQuincy was founded in 1897 as a railroa ...

on June 19, 1932. Shortly after, the DeQuincy Railroaders moved to Opelousas on July 7, 1932. The Opelousas Orphans were 1–5 when the team disbanded on July 10, 1932, with an overall record of 17–45, playing in the three cities. The Cotton States League then disbanded on July 13, 1932. In 1934, the Opelousas Indians became founding members of the newly formed Class D level

. The Alexandria Aces, Lafayette White Sox, Lake Charles Lakers,

New Iberia Cardinals The New Iberia Cardinals were an Evangeline League baseball team that played under various names from 1934 to 1956. From 1934 to 1942, 1946 to 1947, in 1949 and in 1953, they were known as the New Iberia Cardinals. They were based in New Iberia, L ...

and Rayne Red Sox joined Opelousas as fellow founding franchises in league play. On May 20, 1934, Indians pitcher Wallace Pate threw a no–hitter in a 1–0 7–inning victory over the Lafayette White Sox. The Indians remained in the Evangeline League from 1934 to 1941, winning the 1937 Evangeline League Championship. In 1937, under manager Harry Strohm, the Indians finished with a regular season record of 73-65 to finish in third place in the regular season. in the 1937 playoffs, the Opelousas defeated the Rayne Rice Birds 4 games to 1. In the finals the Opelousas Indians won the championship by defeating the Lake Charles Skippers 4 games to 3. Overall, the Indians made the playoffs in each of their first four seasons of Evangeline League play. The Opelousas Indians were a minor league affiliate of the

from 1935 to 1937 and 1939. On May 22, 1935, Opelousas Indians pitcher Everett Albritton threw a no–hitter in a 3–0 victory over the

Jeanerette Blues The Jeanerette Blues were a minor league baseball team that operated from 1934 to 1939. They were originally known as the Lake Charles Explorers and were based in Lake Charles, Louisiana, but moved to Jeanerette when a fire destroyed their stadiu ...

. After the 1941 season, the Opelousas Indians permanently disbanded. The Rayne Rice Birds had disbanded near the end of the 1941 season. Subsequently, the 1942 Evangeline League dropped from eight teams to six teams, playing until the league disbanded on May 30, 1942. Opelousas has not hosted another minor league team.

The ballpark

The Orphans and Indians teams played home minor league games at Elementary School Park. The ballpark had a capacity of 3,500 after an expansion in 1939. It had dimensions of (Left, Center, Right): 360–450–360 (1936) and 362–400–362 (1939). The ballpark was located at 1218 East Leo Street, Opelousas, Louisiana. OpelousasOldCityHallWM

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

Patsy Flaherty Patrick Joseph Flaherty (June 29, 1876 – January 23, 1968), born in Mansfield (now Carnegie), Pennsylvania, was a pitcher for the Louisville Colonels (1899), Pittsburgh Pirates (1900 and 1904–05), Chicago White Sox (1903–1904), Boston Dove ...

(1934, MGR) *

Al Jurisich Alvin Joseph Jurisich (August 25, 1921 – November 3, 1981) was an American professional baseball baseball player, player of Croatian American, Croat descent. A right-handed pitcher, the native of New Orleans, appeared in 104 games pitched, games ...

(1939) * Jay Kirke (1935, MGR) * Jack Kraus (1937) *

Carlos Moore Carlos Whitman Moore (August 13, 1906 – July 2, 1958) is a former Major League Baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, Moore had a listed weight of . Moore's playing career in the majors spanned one month. He made his major league debut with ...

(1936, MGR) *

Hub Northen Hubbard Edwin Northen (August 16, 1886 – October 1, 1947) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1910 through 1912 for the St. Louis Browns, Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers. Besides, Northen played at Minor League lev ...

(1907) *

Lefty Scott Marshall "Lefty" Scott (July 15, 1915 – March 3, 1964) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1945. The 29-year-old rookie was a native of Roswell, New Mexico. Scott is one of many ballplayers who onl ...

(1941) *

Roy Weatherly Cyril Roy Weatherly (February 25, 1915 – January 19, 1991), nicknamed "Stormy", was an American professional baseball player whose career extended for two decades (1934–1943; 1946–1954; 1958). The native of Tyler County, Texas, an outfielder ...

(1934) * Jim Whatley (1937–1938)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Opelousas - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Opelousas, Louisiana Cleveland Guardians minor league affiliates Evangeline Baseball League teams Evangeline Baseball League Baseball teams in Louisiana Defunct Florida Complex League teams Baseball teams disestablished in 1941 Baseball teams established in 1907 Defunct baseball teams in Louisiana