The Virginia League was the name of an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

professional

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

league that operated between 1939 and 1942. This was the fourth of five incarnations of the Virginia League. The league was a Class D level league in 1939 and 1940. It became a Class C level league for the 1941 and 1942 seasons. The

Virginia League The Virginia League was a minor league baseball affiliation which operated in Virginia and North Carolina from 1906 to 1928. It was classified as a "C" league from 1906 to 1919 and as a "B" league from 1920 to 1928, folding in June. The most fa ...

resumed play in 1948, after the conclusion of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

History

After the

ceased operations following the 1928 season, the league returned to play in 1939 as a four-team Class D level league. The

Harrisonburg Turks The Harrisonburg Turks are a collegiate summer baseball team in Harrisonburg, Virginia. They play in the South Division of the Valley Baseball League, a collegiate wooden bat summer league consisting of 11 teams in the state of Virginia. The Turk ...

, Lynchburg Grays, the Salem-Roanoke Friends, and the Staunton Presidents began league play in 1939. In 1941, two new teams were added: the

Newport News Newport News () is an independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the fifth-most populous city in Virginia and 140th-most populous city i ...

Pilots and the Petersburg Rebels. In 1942, the Turks were replaced in the league by the Pulaski Counts. The

returned to play in 1948, following the conclusion of

Virginia League 1939–1942 cities represented

Harrisonburg, VA Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is also the county seat of the surrounding Rockingham County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. At the 20 ...

1939–1941 *

Lynchburg, VA Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner and Abolitionism, abolitionist John Lynch (1740–1820), J ...

: Lynchburg Grays 1939; Lynchburg Senators 1940–1942 *

Newport News, VA Newport News () is an independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the fifth-most populous city in Virginia and 140th-most populous city i ...

: Newport News Pilots 1941; Newport News Builders 1942 *

Petersburg, VA Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458 with a majority black American population. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with ...

: Petersburg Rebels 1941–1942 * Pulaski, VA: Pulaski Counts 1942 *

Salem, VA Salem is an independent city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,346. It is the county seat of Roanoke County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combine ...

Roanoke, VA Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in Virginia, United States. It lies in Southwest Virginia, along the Roanoke River, in the Blue Ridge range of the greater Appalachian Mountains. Roanoke is about north of the Virginia–North Carolina bord ...

: Salem-Roanoke Friends 1939–1942 * Staunton, VA: Staunton Presidents 1939–1942

Standings & statistics

1939 Virginia League Playoff: Lynchburg 1 game, Staunton 0.
Finals: Harrisonburg 3 games, Lynchburg 0. 1940 Virginia League Playoff: Harrisonburg 2 games, Salem-Roanoke 1.
Finals: Lynchburg 3 games, Harrisonburg 2. 1941 Virginia League Playoffs: Lynchburg 3 games, Petersburg 0; Salem-Roanoke 3 games, Harrisburg 2.
Finals: Salem-Roanoke 3 games, Lynchburg 2. 1942 Virginia League Playoffs: Lynchburg 4 games, Newport News 2; Pulaski 4 games, Petersburg 2.
Finals: Pulaski 4 games, Lynchburg 2.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Virginia League (1939-42) Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States Baseball leagues in Virginia Sports leagues established in 1939 Sports leagues disestablished in 1942