# 2003 Carolina League season

The 2003 Carolina League was a Class A-Advanced baseball season played between April 4 and September 1. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with two teams from each division competing in the playoffs.
The Winston-Salem Warthogs won the Carolina League championship, defeating the Lynchburg Hillcats in the final round of the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Potomac Cannons ended their affiliation with the St. Louis Cardinals and began a new affiliation with the Cincinnati Reds.
* The Salem Avalanche ended their affiliation with the Colorado Rockies and began a new affiliation with the Houston Astros.

## Teams

2003 Carolina League :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| North | Frederick Keys | Frederick, Maryland | Baltimore Orioles | Harry Grove Stadium |
| North | Lynchburg Hillcats | Lynchburg, Virginia | Pittsburgh Pirates | City Stadium |
| North | Potomac Cannons | Woodbridge, Virginia | Cincinnati Reds | G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium |
| North | Wilmington Blue Rocks | Wilmington, Delaware | Kansas City Royals | Daniel S. Frawley Stadium |
| South | Kinston Indians | Kinston, North Carolina | Cleveland Indians | Grainger Stadium |
| South | Myrtle Beach Pelicans | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | Atlanta Braves | Coastal Federal Field |
| South | Salem Avalanche | Salem, Virginia | Houston Astros | Salem Memorial Ballpark |
| South | Winston-Salem Warthogs | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Chicago White Sox | Ernie Shore Field |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Wilmington Blue Rocks finished with the best record in the league for the second consecutive season.
* Despite finishing with the best record in the South division, the Salem Avalanche failed to qualify for the post-season, as they did not win the division in either half of the season.

### Standings

North division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Wilmington Blue Rocks | 80 | 60 | .571 | – |
| Lynchburg Hillcats | 76 | 59 | .563 | 1.5 |
| Potomac Cannons | 62 | 77 | .446 | 17.5 |
| Frederick Keys | 60 | 75 | .444 | 17.5 |
| South division |||||
| Salem Avalanche | 73 | 65 | .529 | – |
| Kinston Indians | 73 | 66 | .525 | 0.5 |
| Winston-Salem Warthogs | 71 | 67 | .514 | 2 |
| Myrtle Beach Pelicans | 56 | 82 | .406 | 17 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Chris Shelton, Lynchburg Hillcats | .359 |
| H | William Bergolla, Potomac Cannons | 142 |
| R | Nate McLouth, Lynchburg Hillcats Ruddy Yan, Winston-Salem Warthogs | 85 |
| 2B | Ryan Doumit, Lynchburg Hillcats | 38 |
| 3B | Mike Rodriguez, Salem Avalanche | 8 |
| HR | Chris Shelton, Lynchburg Hillcats | 21 |
| RBI | Walter Young, Lynchburg Hillcats | 87 |
| SB | Ruddy Yan, Winston-Salem Warthogs | 76 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Jared Gothreaux, Salem Avalanche | 13 |
| ERA | Kyle Middleton, Wilmington Blue Rocks | 2.41 |
| CG | Kris Honel, Winston-Salem Warthogs Zack Greinke, Wilmington Blue Rocks | 3 |
| SV | Lee Gronkiewicz, Kinston Indians | 37 |
| SO | Macay McBride, Myrtle Beach Pelicans | 139 |
| IP | Macay McBride, Myrtle Beach Pelicans | 164.2 |

## Playoffs

* The Winston-Salem Warthogs won their tenth Carolina League championship, defeating the Lynchburg Hillcats in three games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| N1 | Wilmington | 0 | | | |
| N2 | Lynchburg | 2 | | | |
| N2 | Lynchburg | 2 | N2 | Lynchburg | 0 |
| | | | S2 | Winston-Salem | 3 |
| S1 | Kinston | 0 | S2 | Winston-Salem | 3 |
| S2 | Winston-Salem | 2 | | | |

## Awards

Carolina League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Chris Shelton, Lynchburg Hillcats |
| Pitcher of the Year | Zack Greinke, Wilmington Blue Rocks |
| Manager of the Year | Dave Clark, Lynchburg Hillcats |