The Terre Haute Terre-iers were a minor league baseball team based in

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

. From 1910 to 1916, Terre Haute teams exclusively played as members of the Class B level Central League, following the 1900 through 1909

Terre Haute Hottentots The Terre Haute Hottentots were a Minor League Baseball team from Terre Haute, Indiana, that played in the Northwestern League in 1891, Illinois–Iowa League in 1892, Western Interstate League The Wisconsin State League was a class D baseball ...

, who began the tenure as members of the Central League. Following the Hottentots, Terre Haute played under four nicknames and had one winning Central League season, in 1915. The Terre Haute teams played in the Central League as the "Stags" in 1910, the "Miners' in 1911, the "Terre-iers" from 1912 to 1914 and the "Highlanders" in 1915 and 1916. The Terre Haute "Terre-iers" nickname was a deliberate misspelling of "Terriers." For their duration in the league, Terre Haute teams hosted Central League home minor league games at Athletic Park, the site of today's Indiana State University owned Memorial Stadium.

History

Central League 1910 & 1911

Terre Haute first hosted baseball play as early as 1870. One of the early Terre Haute baseball teams in 1883 was nicknamed the "Awkwards." Minor league baseball began in Terre Haute in 1884, when the "Terre Haute" team played the season as members of the Independent level Northwestern League under managers Al Buckenberger and George Hammerstein, finishing with a 17–44 record. After beginning play in the 1891 Northwestern League, the

immediately preceded the Terre Haute "Stags" team in Central League play. The Terre Haute Hottentots played as members of the Central League in 1897, 1900 and from 1903 to 1909. The Hottentots played minor league home games at Athletic Park, which continued hosting home games for the Central League Terre Haute teams. In 1910 the Terre Haute Hottentots received a new nickname, as the "Stags" continued Terre Haute's membership in the Class B level Central League. The Dayton Veterans Evansville River Rats, Fort Wayne Billikens,

Grand Rapids Raiders Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and com ...

South Bend Bronchos South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*su ...

, Wheeling Stogies and

Zanesville Potters The Zanesville Potters were a minor league baseball team based in Zanesville, Ohio. The "Potters" played as members of the Class B level Central League from 1910 to 1912. In 1913, the "Zanesville Flood Sufferers" briefly continued minor league ...

teams joined the Stags in beginning Central League play on April 20, 1910. The 1910 Terre Haute Stags placed fifth in the final standings of the eight-team Central League. The Stags finished with a regular season record 42–36, playing the season under manager Cuppy Groeschow, who had managed the Hottentots in 1909. Terre Haute finished 24.5 games behind the first place South Bend Bronchos in the final league standings of the eight-team league, which held no playoffs in the era. Arista DeHaven of Terre Haute had 173 total hits to lead the Central League. The Terre Haute team was known at the "Miners" in the 1911 season, as the team finished last in the eight-team Central League. The Miners ended the finished with a record of 45–91, placing eighth in the Central League, playing the season under managers Ed Wheeler, Angus Grant and Jock Somerlott. Terre Haute finished. 40.5 games behind the first place Dayton Veterans in the final standings. Joe Connolly, who was traded from Zanesville/ to Terre Haute during the season, won the Central League batting title, hitting .355.

Central League - Terre Haute Terre-iers 1912 to 1914

The Class B Central League expanded by four teams in 1912, as Terre Haute continued league play, becoming known by the "Terre-iers" nickname. The

Akron Rubbermen Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

, Canton Statesmen, Erie Sailors and

Youngstown Steelmen The Youngstown Steelmen was a minor league baseball franchise that competed in three different leagues between 1910 and 1915. The club, based in Youngstown, Ohio, participated at various times in the Ohio–Pennsylvania League, the Tri-State League ...

teams joined the league increasing it to twelve teams. The Terre Haute "Terre-iers" nickname was a deliberate misspelling of "Terriers" to match the "Terre" in "Terre Haute." On June 10, 1912, a rarity occurred in a Terre Haute game against Akron. Akron player Jack McCallister batted five times against Terre Haute with no official at-bats. McCallister had five consecutive sacrifice bunts in the game. On the field, the Terre-iers placed tenth in the 12–team Central League, after the league had expanded. Terre Haute ended the season with a record of 59–79, finishing 18.0 games behind the first place

Fort Wayne Railroaders A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

. The 12–team league held no playoffs. The Terre Haute Terre-iers continued play in the 1913 Central League, as the Central League reduced from twelve teams to six teams and remained a Class B level league. After a 7–6 loss in a 1913 game against Fort Wayne, Terre Haute player/manager Goat Anderson protested the game. During the game, a loose Great Dane named "Don" ran at Anderson as he chased after a base hit in left field. "Don" running and jumping at Anderson caused him to hesitate and the batter ended up with a triple on the play. Anderson filed a protest that the entire game be played over. Central League president Louis Heilbroner denied Anderson's protest, reasoning that the play was not a significant impact on the outcome of the game. Heilbroner ordered that Don no longer be allowed on the field during games. Placing fifth in the final standings of the six-team Central League, the Terre-iers had an overall record of 60–79, playing the season under manager Ed "Goat" Anderson. Terre Haute finished 31.5 games behind the first place

Grand Rapids Bill-eds Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and com ...

(92–48) in the final standings. The Central League held no playoffs in 1913. The Terre Haute Terre-iers 1914 placed fourth as the Class B Central League played the season with six teams. Larry Quinlan managed Terre Haute to a 61–71 record. After the Springfield Reapers team folded on August 8, the Central League continued play to the end of the season with five teams, concluding the season September 7, 1914. The Terre-iers ended the season 23.5 games behind the first place Dayton Veterans, with no league playoffs held. Jack Sheehan of Terre Haute won the Central League batting title with a .340 average and also led the league with 179 total hits.

Central League - Terre Haute Highlanders 1915 & 1916

The Terre Haute became known as the "Highlanders" in 1915. On July 24, 1915, Terre Haute pitcher Art Nehf threw a no-hitter in a 1–0 victory over Erie. Nehf struck out 9 hitters and walked one in the victory. Neff would have a strong season with Terre Haute, before leaving the team for the major leagues in August. On May 22, 1915, Terre Haute played at Youngstown after their game at Erie on May 21 was rained out. Evansville was in first place in the Central League standings with a 17–10 record and Terre Haute was tied with Fort Wayne in fourth place with a 14–14 record on that date. "Jack" Vann was hitting .356 and "Bunny" Thomas .353 for Terre Haute on that date, good for second and third in the Central League. Terre Haute was second to Fort Wayne with a team batting average of .278. The Highlanders finished above .500 as the 1915 Central League continued play, expanding to an eight-team league from a six-team league. With a 66–58 record, Terre Haute placed fourth, playing the season under manager

Rufus Gilbert Rufus W. Gilbert (December 8, 1884 – 1962) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Kalamazoo College (1905, 1907–1908), Bradley Polytechnic Institute—now known as Bradl ...

. Terre Haute finished 7.0 games behind of the first place Evansville River Rats in the eight–team league final standings. Pitcher Art Nehf of Terre Haute led the Cental League with both 218 strikeouts and a 1.38 ERA. In 1915, having graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from Rose Polytechnic Institute in Terre Haute, Neff also threw a no-hitter for Terre Haute and had a Central League 17 strikeouts in another game. The

Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

sent Fred Mitchell to scout Neff. On August 4, 1914, the Braves purchased Neff's contract from Terre Haute for $3,500. and Neff made his debut with the defending world series champion Braveson August 13, 1915. Terre Haute Highlanders played their final season as members of the Class B level Central League in 1916. The 1916 Terre Haute Highlanders placed sixth in the eight–team Central League. With a record of 62–71, Terre Haute finished 25.5 games behind the champion Grand Rapids Black Sox. The 1916 Highlanders' manager was the returning Rufus Gilbert. Terre Haute did not qualify for the playoff won by the Dayton Veterans over the

Springfield Reapers Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

. Terre Haute folded following the 1916 Central League season. The Central League continued play in 1917, as the Terre Haute franchise was replaced by the

Richmond Quakers The Richmond Quakers were a professional minor league baseball team, based in Richmond, Indiana. The club was first formed in 1908 as team in the class-D Indiana-Ohio League. However a long series of financial losses by every club in the league, c ...

team in the eight-team league. After not hosting a minor league team in 1917 and 1918, Terre Haute resumed play when the 1919 Terre Haute Browns began a long tenure for the franchise as members of the Three-I League, with

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 and local native Mordecai Brown managing the 1919 Browns in their first season of play in the new league. Terre Haute teams played in the league through 1956. Today, Terre Haute hosts the Terre Haute Rex, who play amateur

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

as a member of the

Prospect League The Prospect League is a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams of college players from North America and beyond. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. So as to maintain their colleg ...

. The Rex were formed in 2013. The Rex host home games at

Bob Warn Field at Sycamore Stadium Sycamore Stadium is a baseball stadium in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States. The venue is used by both the Indiana State Sycamores baseball team of the Missouri Valley Conference and the Terre Haute Rex of the college summer Prospect League. ...

, home to the of

Indiana State Sycamores baseball The Indiana State Sycamores baseball team is the NCAA Division I baseball program of Indiana State University, located in Terre Haute, Indiana. It is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Baseb ...

team. The stadium opened in 1978 as "Sycamore Stadium.

The ballpark

The Terre Haute teams hosted Central League minor league home games at Athletic Park. The ballpark hosted all Terre Haute minor league teams through 1925. The original ballpark was torn down in 1926. The ballpark was called "Highland Park" while hosting the Terre Haute Highlanders. ISU Memorial Stadium

The Athletic Field site began as a fairground and hosted the 1867 Indiana State Fair. The site first had a ballpark in 1883 and that original ballpark was rebuilt in 1885. In 1925, the ballpark was torn down as the site was repurposed, remaining an athletic venue, where it continues to host athletics today containing the Indiana State University Memorial Stadium. On October 20, 1908, Athletic Park hosted an exhibition game between the World Series Champion

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

and the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. The Cubs had won the world series just six days earlier. The Cubs and defeated the Tigers in the exhibition game by the score of 7–1. The game was arranged by Cubs pitcher Mordecai Brown a native of the area. The game featured Baseball Hall of Fame members Brown, Ty Cobb, Frank Chance, Joe Tinker, and Johnny Evers. On May 5, 1925, after the site renovations that began in 1922, the newly built Memorial Stadium was dedicated to the public. The ceremonies occurred before the Three-I League game between

Terre Haute Tots The Terre Haute Tots were a baseball team in Terre Haute, Indiana from 1921–1937 after being established in 1919 as the Terre Haute Browns. They were a Three-I League team; while they were unaffiliated for most of their existence; in 1937, t ...

and Peoria Tractors. Major League Baseball Commissioner Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis was a participant in the ceremonies. In 1967, Indiana State University purchased the site and facilities and began playing football games at Memorial Stadium. The stadium has since undergone numerous upgrades and evolved into a football and soccer facility. Today, Memorial Stadium is located at 3300 Wabash Avenue in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Timeline

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size: 95%;" ! Year(s) !! # Yrs. !! Team !! Level !! League!!Ballpark , - , 1900, 1903–1909, , 1 , ,

, , rowspan=5, Class B, , rowspan=5, Central League, , rowspan=9, Athletic Park , - , 1910, , 1 , , Terre Haute Stags , - , 1911, , 1 , , Terre Haute Miners , - , 1912–1914, , 3 , , Terre Haute Terre-iers , - , 1915–1916, , 2 , , Terre Haute Highlanders

Year-by-year records

{, class="wikitable" , - style="background: #F2F2F2;" ! Year!! Record!! Finish!! Manager!! Playoffs / Notes , - align=center , 1910 , , 63–74 , , 5th , , Cuppy Groeschow , , No playoffs held , - align=center , 1911 , , 45–91 , , 8th , , Ed Wheeler / Angus Grant
Jock Somerlott , , No playoffs held , - align=center , 1912 , , 59–70 , , 10th , , Angus Grant / John Nee , , No playoffs held
(12-team league) , - align=center , 1913 , , 60–79 , , 5th, , Goat Anderson , , No playoffs held , - align=center , 1914 , , 61–71 , , 4th, , Larry Quinlan , , No playoffs held , - align=center , 1915 , , 66–58 , , 4th , ,

, , No playoffs held , - align=center , 1916 , , 62–71 , , 6th, ,

, , Did not qualify , - align=center

Notable alumni

Cy Alberts Frederick Joseph "Cy" Alberts (January 14, 1882 – August 27, 1917) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played in with the St. Louis Cardinals. He batted and threw right-handed. Alberts had a 1–2 record, with a 6.18 ERA, in four games, in ...

(1910–1913) * Goat Anderson (1913, MGR) *

Harry Arndt Harry John Arndt (1879–1921) was a Major League Baseball (MLB) second baseman. He was born on February 12, 1879, in South Bend, Indiana. He played four seasons, with the Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles (1901–02), Baltimore Orioles, and St. ...

(1913) *

Harry Billiard Harry Pree Billiard (November 11, 1883 – June 3, 1923), nicknamed "Pree", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who played in with the New York Highlanders of the American League, then in with the Indianapolis Hoosiers, continuing ...

(1911) * Jim Callahan (1911) * Tom Cantwell (1912–1914) * Joe Connolly (1911) *

Bill Cramer William Wendell Cramer (May 22, 1891 – September 11, 1966) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major ...

(1916) *

Cal Crum Clarence Newton Crum (July 27, 1889July 7, 1945) was a professional baseball player. In an eight-year career, Crum played in the 1917 and 1918 Major League Baseball seasons for the Boston Braves. Crum was officially listed as standing and weighi ...

(1916) *

Biddy Dolan Leon Mark "Biddy" Dolan (July 9, 1881 – July 15, 1950) was a Major League Baseball first baseman. He played in 32 games in for the Indianapolis Hoosiers Indianapolis Hoosiers was the name of three major league and at least three minor league ba ...

(1912–1914) *

Tom Drohan Thomas F. Drohan (August 26, 1887 – September 17, 1926) was a professional baseball pitcher from 1908 to 1917. He played one season in Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators. Drohan was 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighed 175 pounds.< ...

(1914) *

Joe Evers Joseph Francis Evers (September 10, 1891 – January 4, 1949) was a pinch runner in Major League Baseball. He appeared in one game for the New York Giants in 1913. His brother was Hall of Famer Johnny Evers.Rufus Gilbert Rufus W. Gilbert (December 8, 1884 – 1962) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Kalamazoo College (1905, 1907–1908), Bradley Polytechnic Institute—now known as Bradl ...

(1913; 1915–1916, MGR) *

Oscar Graham Oscar Marion Graham (July 20, 1878 – October 15, 1931) was a professional baseball pitcher. In a 17-year career, he won four games in Major League Baseball and 272 games in the minor leagues. Graham was 6 feet tall and weighed 180 pounds.

(1914) * Bubbles Hargrave (1911–1913) *

Bruce Hartford Bruce Daniel Hartford (May 14, 1892 – May 25, 1975) was a Major League Baseball shortstop who played for one season. He played in eight games for the Cleveland Naps The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based ...

(1911–1912) * Eddie Higgins (1910) * Nick Kahl (1911) * Andy Kyle (1914) *

Harry LaRoss Harry Raymond "Spike" LaRoss (January 2, 1888 – March 22, 1954) was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Ma ...

(1916) *

Len Madden Leonard Joseph Madden (July 2, 1890 – September 9, 1949) was an American baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues in 1912. He played for the Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in C ...

(1913–1915) *

Danny Mahoney Daniel Joseph Mahoney (September 6, 1888 – September 28, 1960) was a Major League Baseball player who played for the Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major ...

(1911–1912) *

Joe Mathes Joseph John Mathes (July 28, 1891 – December 21, 1978) was an American Major League Baseball infielder. He played for the Philadelphia Athletics during the season, the St. Louis Terriers during the season, and the Boston Braves The Atlant ...

(1916) * Johnny Mitchell (1916) * Art Nehf (1912–1915) *

Jay Parker Jay Parker (July 8, 1874 – June 8, 1935) was a starting pitcher who played briefly for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the season. Listed at , 185 lb., Parker batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was born in Theresa, New York. H ...

(1913) *

Charlie Pick Charles Thomas Pick (April 10, 1888 – June 26, 1954), was a professional baseball player who played second base in the Major Leagues from 1914 to 1920 for the Chicago Cubs, Washington Senators, Philadelphia Athletics, and Boston Braves. He ...

(1912–1913) * Ollie Pickering (1912) * Charlie Pickett (1910) * Lou Schettler (1916) * Johnny Schulte (1916) *

Ralph Shafer Ralph Newton Shafer (March 17, 1894 – February 5, 1950) was a Major League Baseball pinch-runner. Shafer played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in . In 1 career game, he had no at-bats, only pinch-running. Shafer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and di ...

(1916) * Jack Sheehan (1914) *

Fred Smith Fred, Frederic, or Frederick Smith may refer to: In literature *Frederick Smith, 2nd Earl of Birkenhead (1907–1975), British peer and biographer *Frederick Smith, 3rd Earl of Birkenhead (1936–1985), British peer and author * Frederick E. Smith ...

(1911) * Jock Somerlott (1910–1911) * Rudy Sommers (1910) *

Vern Spencer Vernon Murray Spencer (February 4, 1894 – June 3, 1971) was a Major League Baseball outfielder. Spencer played for the New York Giants in the season. In 45 career games, he had 28 hits in 140 at-bats. He batted left and threw right-hande ...

(1916) *

John Vann John Paul Vann (born John Paul Tripp; July 2, 1924 – June 9, 1972) was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, later retired, who became well known for his role in the Vietnam War. Although separated from the military before the Vietn ...

(1915) * Bill Wagner (1916) * Ed Wheeler (1911, MGR) * George Wheeler (1910, 1912–1913) * Terre Haute Terre-iers players *

Terre Haute Highlanders players "Terre" (meaning "Earth") is a song by Canadian singer Celine Dion, recorded for her 1998 French-language album, ''S'il suffisait d'aimer''. It was written by French songwriter and producer Erick Benzi, and produced by Jean-Jacques Goldman and Be ...

* Terre Haute Miners players * Terre Haute Stags players

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Terre Haute - Baseball Reference
Terre Haute, Indiana Baseball in Indiana Defunct baseball teams in Indiana Central League teams Baseball teams established in 1912 Baseball teams disestablished in 1912 Sports in Terre Haute, Indiana