The West Texas–New Mexico League was a

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 from 1937 through 1955, with a hiatus from 1943 to 1945 during

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 ...

. The league started as a Class D level league, upgraded to Class C in 1946 and then a final advancement to Class B level status in 1955. League franchises were based exclusively in

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

History

The West Texas–New Mexico League began play in 1937 as a Class D level league, with Milton Price serving as president. The Hobbs Drillers, Midland Cardinals, Monahans Trojans, Odessa Oilers, Roswell Sunshiners and Wink Spudders were the charter members in beginning league play on May 4, 1937. The Lubbock Hubbers (1938, 1939, 1947),

Albuquerque Dukes The Albuquerque Dukes were a minor league baseball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. History The first Dukes team was formed in 1915 as part of the Class D Rio Grande Association. The team finished in third place with a 32-25 record. Fran ...

(1949, 1950, 1953) and Pampa Oilers (1946, 1954, 1955) each won three league championships.

Cities represented

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor County, Texas, Taylor and Jones County, Texas, Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan ar ...

: Abilene Apaches 1939;

Abilene Blue Sox The Abilene Blue Sox were a minor league baseball team that operated in the West Texas–New Mexico League from 1946 to 1955 and the Big State League from 1956 to 1957. They were an affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers (1946–48) and the Kansas Cit ...

1946–1955 *

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

1942;

1946–1955, moved to Western League 1956–1958 *

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County, Texas, Randall County ...

: Amarillo Gold Sox 1939–1942; Amarillo Gold Sox 1946–1955, moved to Western League 1956–1958 *

Big Spring, Texas Big Spring is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Texas, Howard County, Texas, United States, at the crossroads of U.S. Route 87 in Texas, U.S. Highway 87 and Interstate 20 in Texas, Interstate 20. The population was 26,144 at the ...

: Big Spring Barons 1938–1940;

Big Spring Bombers Big Spring, Texas was home to several minor league baseball teams between 1928 and 1955. The Hamlin Pied Pipers moved from Hamlin, Texas to Big Spring during the 1928 season and became the Big Spring Springers, who finished 6th in the West Te ...

1941; Big Spring Pirates 1942 *

Borger, Texas Borger ( ) is the largest city in Hutchinson County, Texas, Hutchinson County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,551 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Borger is named for businessman Asa Philip "Ace" Borger, who also est ...

: Borger Gassers 1939–1942, 1946–1954 *

Clovis, New Mexico Clovis is a city in and the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico. The population was 38,567 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Clovis is located in the New Mexico portion of the Llano Estacado, in the eastern part of the state. A ...

: Clovis Pioneers 1938–1942, 1946–1955, moved to Southwestern League 1956 *

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

: El Paso Texans 1955, moved to Southwestern League 1956–1957, moved from Arizona–Texas League 1952–1954 *

Hobbs, New Mexico Hobbs is a city in Lea County, New Mexico, United States. Its population was 40,508 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, increasing from 34,122 in 2010. Hobbs is the principal city of the Hobbs, New Mexico micropolitan statistical area ...

: Hobbs Drillers 1937; Hobbs Boosters 1938 *

Lamesa, Texas Lamesa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, Texas, United States. Its population was 8,674 at the 2020 census, down from 9,952 at the 2000 census. Located south of Lubbock on the Llano Estacado, Lamesa was founded in 1903. M ...

: Lamesa Lobos 1939–1941; Lamesa Dodgers1942; Lamesa Lobos 1946–1952 *

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...

: Lubbock Hubbers 1938–1942, 1946–1955, moved to

Big State League The Big State League was a mid-level, Class B (baseball), Class B level circuit in American minor league baseball that played for 11 seasons, from 1947 through 1957. Its member clubs were exclusively based in Texas. The Corpus Christi Clippers (19 ...

1956–1958 *

Midland, Texas Midland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Midland County with small portions extending into Martin County. The population was 132,524 as of the 2020 census. Located in the Permian Basin in West Texas, Midland is a ...

: Midland Cardinals 1937–1938; Midland Cowboys 1939–1940 *

Monahans, Texas Monahans is a city in Ward and Winkler counties in Texas, United States, that is the county seat of Ward County. A very small portion of the city extends into Winkler County. The population was 6,953 at the 2010 census. In 2020, the popula ...

: Monahans Trojans 1937 *

Odessa, Texas Odessa () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, Ector County with portions extending into Midland County, Texas, Midland County. Odessa's population was 114,428 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

: Odessa Oilers 1937, 1940 *

Pampa, Texas Pampa (from the Quechua: ''pampa'', meaning "plain") is a city in Gray County, Texas, United States. Its population was 16,867 as of the 2020 census. Pampa is the county seat of Gray County and is the principal city of the Pampa micropolita ...

: Pampa Oilers 1939–1942, 1946–1955, moved to Southwestern League 1956–1957 *

Plainview, Texas Plainview is a city in and the county seat of Hale County, Texas, Hale County, Texas, United States. The population was 20,187 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Plainview began when Z. T. Maxwell and Edwin Lowden Lowe establ ...

: Plainview Ponies 1953–1955, moved to Southwestern League 1956–1957 *

Roswell, New Mexico Roswell () is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County, New Mexico, Chaves County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,422 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fi ...

: Roswell Sunshiners1937 *

Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls metropolitan area, Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Archer County, Tex ...

: Wichita Falls Spudders 1941–1942 *

Wink, Texas Wink is a city in Winkler County, Texas, United States. Its population was 915 at the 2020 census. Wink was a temporary childhood home to singer and songwriter Roy Orbison, although he was born in Vernon, Texas. Orbison later described the maj ...

: Wink Spudders 1937–1938

Standings & statistics

1937 to 1942

1937 West Texas–New Mexico League - https://www.newspapers.com/clip/61517715/1937-west-texas-new-mexico-league/ schedule]
Odessa withdrew June 17; Midland withdrew July 9.
Playoffs: Wink 3 games, Hobbs 0: Roswell 3 games, Monahans 2;
Finals: Wink 3 games, Roswell 0. 1938 West Texas–New Mexico League
schedule
br> Playoffs: Lubbock 3 games, Wink 0: Clovis 3 games, Midland 1.
Finals: Lubbock 4 games, Clovis 1.
Total league attendance, 108,342 1939 West Texas–New Mexico League
schedule
br> Total league attendance, 273,374
Abilene moved to Borger July 9.
Playoffs: Lubbock 3 games, Big Spring 0: Pampa 3 games, Lamesa 2.
Finals: Lubbock 4 games, Pampa 1.
1940 West Texas–New Mexico League
schedule
br /> Total league attendance, 240,679
Big Spring moved to Odessa June 20.
Playoffs: Borger 3 games, Pampa 0: Lubbock 3 games, Amarillo 0.
Finals: Borger 4 games, Lubbock 3. 1941 West Texas–New Mexico League
schedule
br /> Total Attendance, 183,395.
Playoffs: Big Spring 3 games, Amarillo 0: Clovis 3 games, Borger 2.
Finals: Clovis 4 games, Big Spring 3. 1942 West Texas–New Mexico League
schedule
br> Wichita Falls moved to Big Spring May 22. The Pirates withdrew June 20.; Albuquerque withdrew June 23.
The league disbanded July 25.

References

External links

Baseball Reference

Sources

''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball'', Second Edition. {{DEFAULTSORT:West Texas-New Mexico League Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States Baseball leagues in Texas 1937 establishments in New Mexico 1937 establishments in Texas 1955 disestablishments in New Mexico 1955 disestablishments in Texas Defunct professional sports leagues in the United States Sports leagues established in 1937 Sports leagues disestablished in 1955 Baseball leagues in New Mexico