# 1995 Carolina League season

The 1995 Carolina League was a Class A-Advanced baseball season played between April 6 and September 2. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the winners of each half of the season competing in the playoffs.
The Kinston Indians won the Carolina League championship, defeating the Wilmington Blue Rocks in the final round of the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Salem Buccaneers ended their affiliation with the Pittsburgh Pirates and began a new affiliation with the Colorado Rockies. The club was renamed the Salem Avalanche.
* The Lynchburg Red Sox ended their affiliation with the Boston Red Sox and began a new affiliation with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The club was renamed the Lynchburg Hillcats.
* The Winston-Salem Spirits are renamed the Winston-Salem Warthogs. The club remained affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds.

## Teams

1995 Carolina League :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| Northern | Frederick Keys | Frederick, Maryland | Baltimore Orioles | Harry Grove Stadium |
| Northern | Lynchburg Hillcats | Lynchburg, Virginia | Pittsburgh Pirates | City Stadium |
| Northern | Prince William Cannons | Woodbridge, Virginia | Chicago White Sox | Prince William County Stadium |
| Northern | Wilmington Blue Rocks | Wilmington, Delaware | Kansas City Royals | Daniel S. Frawley Stadium |
| Southern | Durham Bulls | Durham, North Carolina | Atlanta Braves | Durham Bulls Athletic Park |
| Southern | Kinston Indians | Kinston, North Carolina | Cleveland Indians | Grainger Stadium |
| Southern | Salem Avalanche | Salem, Virginia | Colorado Rockies | Salem Municipal Field Salem Memorial Ballpark |
| Southern | Winston-Salem Warthogs | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Cincinnati Reds | Ernie Shore Field |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Wilmington Blue Rocks finished with the best record in the league for the second consecutive season.

### Standings

Northern division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Wilmington Blue Rocks | 83 | 55 | .601 | – |
| Lynchburg Hillcats | 67 | 71 | .486 | 16 |
| Prince William Cannons | 64 | 76 | .457 | 20 |
| Frederick Keys | 58 | 79 | .423 | 24.5 |
| Southern division |||||
| Kinston Indians | 81 | 56 | .591 | – |
| Winston-Salem Warthogs | 69 | 68 | .504 | 12 |
| Salem Avalanche | 68 | 72 | .486 | 14.5 |
| Durham Bulls | 63 | 76 | .453 | 19 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Mike Sweeney, Wilmington Blue Rocks | .310 |
| H | Richie Sexson, Kinston Indians | 151 |
| R | Chris Sexton, Salem / Winston-Salem | 84 |
| 2B | Richie Sexson, Kinston Indians | 34 |
| 3B | Donnie Delaney, Wilmington Blue Rocks Ricky Gutierrez, Kinston Indians Enrique Wilson, Kinston Indians | 7 |
| HR | Juan Thomas, Prince William Cannons | 26 |
| RBI | Richie Sexson, Kinston Indians | 85 |
| SB | Ricky Gutierrez, Kinston Indians | 43 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Glendon Rusch, Wilmington Blue Rocks | 14 |
| ERA | Glendon Rusch, Wilmington Blue Rocks | 1.74 |
| CG | Jay Vaught, Kinston Indians | 4 |
| SV | Matt Byrd, Durham Bulls | 27 |
| SO | Bartolo Colón, Kinston Indians | 152 |
| IP | Jamey Wright, Salem Avalanche Jay Vaught, Kinston Indians | 171.0 |

## Playoffs

* The Kinston Indians won their third Carolina League championship, defeating the Wilmington Blue Rocks in three games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| N1 | Wilmington | 2 | | | |
| N2 | Prince William | 0 | | | |
| N2 | Prince William | 0 | N1 | Wilmington | 0 |
| | | | S1 | Kinston | 3 |
| S1 | Kinston | bye | S1 | Kinston | 3 |

## Awards

Carolina League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Richie Sexson, Kinston Indians |
| Pitcher of the Year | Bartolo Colón, Kinston Indians |
| Manager of the Year | John Mizerock, Wilmington Blue Rocks |